DIRKSCHNEIDER
Balls To The Wall RELOADED
Reigning Phoenix Music
If we've learned anything about musicians, it's to never take them at their word when there is talk of "farewell" tours, "final" shows/albums or the "last time" for doing anything. Because "never" again almost always never means, well, "never".
Examples are legion - I recall seeing THE WHO's "final" concert on closed-circuit in 1982, only to then see them live for real in 2000 and the band was still touring as of 2023. Which brings us to the matter at hand here, and ex-ACCEPT frontman Udo Dirkschneider. In 2015, Dirkschneider announced that he would embark on a special tour during which he would perform ACCEPT songs "one last time" under the DIRKSCHNEIDER banner before closing that chapter "for good" and forging on with his U.D.O. outfit that has produced nearly 20 albums.
After issuing two live albums from the "final" 'Back To The Roots' tour, it should come as no surprise what came next. And it sure as hell wasn't "never" performing ACCEPT tunes again.
U.D.O.'s Live In Bulgaria 2020-Pandemic Survival Show mixed in a selection of ACCEPT classics - "Midnight Mover", "Metal Heart", "Fast As A Shark", "Princess of The Dawn" and the signature "Balls To The Wall". Since then, some or all have found their way back into U.D.O.'s set list, and DIRKSCHNEIDER has been trotting out its 'Back to the Roots' shows at festivals pretty much every summer.
Still, I must say it was something of a surprise when Dirkschneider made the, umm, ballsy move to do a 40th anniversary "re-imagining" of ACCEPT's breakthrough Balls to the Wall album. In an ironic twist, bassist Peter Baltes, who left ACCEPT in 2018 after 42 years, has reteamed with Dirkschneider in U.D.O./DIRKSCHNEIDER, giving them more members who played on the original Balls To The Wall than ACCEPT's present lineup, with only guitarist Wolf Hoffmann remaining there.
Here, DIRKSCHNEIDER (which is really just U.D.O. under a different name) has re-recorded the Balls To The Wall music, with the "re-imagining" coming from Dirkschneider himself collaborating with a slew of guests for the vocals. The somewhat novel approach lends what would otherwise be (and arguably still is) a rather opportunistic effort a degree of moxie.
From a musical standpoint, Balls To The Wall RELOADED, is pretty spot on, with the band delivering the familiar songs with justifiable reverence to the source material and not really "re-imagining" them with new arrangements or painting with a different sonic palette. The delivery is crisp, contemporary and plenty "ballsy", not to mention a wee bit looser than somewhat stiff original.
The big difference comes in the vocal presentation, as Dirkschneider shares the mic with a "loaded" list of guests that includes Joakim Broden of SABATON, KREATOR's Mille Petrozza, TWISTER SISTER's Dee Snider, SAXON's Biff Byford, HELLOWEEN's Michael Kiske, Doro Pesch and Tim "Ripper" Owens. Some work better than others as they trade off during the verses - there's a degree of clumsiness at the outset in the title track with Broden, "London Leatherboys" with Byford and "Fight It Back" with Petrozza as the duets struggle to gel. But when they join forces for the epic shouty refrains and choruses that have been an ACCEPT staple forever, they connect every time. Say what you will about Dirkschneider's unique froggy croak, he always sounds great in a crowd - and the crowd always sounds better with his presence.
Some of the better tag-team efforts here come from the less heralded guests. Nils Molin of AMARANTHE and DYNAZTY is dynamite on the perky "Head Over Heels" and a fired-up Danko Jones gives the otherwise clunky "Turn Me On" a welcome kick in the ass.
Of the all-stars, a feisty Snider and Dirkschneider breathe fire on "Losers And Winners" while Kiske is his usual sublime self in the glorious cleans that grace the punchy yet emotive "Losing More Than You've Ever Had". Pesch and Dirkschneider also make for a perfect match on the power ballady "Winter Dreams" that closes the album out with the requisite finesse.
Ultimately, like Micheal Schenker's similar take on UFO classics with the recent 50-year anniversary My Years With UFO set, Balls To The Wall RELOADED probably isn't necessary and has a certain cash grab feel to it. But Balls is done with enough verve and purpose to show that its heart seems to be in the right place. And it certainly takes some balls to beat ACCEPT to the 40th anniversary punch with both the album and DIRKSCHNEIDER's current Balls To The Wall RELOADED tour, so there's that too.
3.5 Out Of 5.0
