2011 looks like being something of a tipping point in metal. With leather rebels Judas Priest and The Scorpions calling time, hanging up the studs, and muffling the falsettos, the pioneers are fast becoming pensioners.
Fear not. All is not lost. There are some still forged in the fires of steel, some still willing to go forth in battle, some still immune to the onward march of time.
Teutonic metal legends Accept are back. With a new acid gargler at the mike and last year’s critically acclaimed Blood of the Nations LP under their belts, they are out to show that they are still faster than your average shark. So heads down, horns up, last one into the DeLorean is an emo!
The opener ‘Teutonic Terror’ sets the tone for tonight’s onslaught. Its driving rhythm, rumbling bass, and squealed riff is made for boots-astride-monitors and clenched fist air punches. ‘Bucket full of Hate’ quickly follows and keeps the intensity level at nuclear.
The vaults of over 40 years of headbanging anthems are duly opened, carpet bombing a packed venue. Resistance is futile. ‘Metal Heart’, beats steel and belches fire, ‘Restless and Wild’ hammers rivets into the skull and ‘Princess of the Dawn’ is moody and razor sharp, inducing a crowd singalong to its Beethoven inspired ‘Fur Elise’ styled solo. Further highlights in a night of many include the staccato sleaze of ‘Up to the Limit’, the AC/DC smeared ‘Burning’ and the powerhouse pounding of ‘Aiming High’, which momentarily blows the PA system.
The break-neck buzzsaw shred of ‘Fast as a Shark’, still a thing of ferocious beauty, is wheeled out for an encore. Akin to the ark-opening scene at the end of Raiders it still has the power to pop eyeballs and explode heads. ‘Pandemic’ and ‘Balls to the Wall’ deliver a final nail gunning to the ears of a delirious and battered mass of ecstatic disciples. German metal mastery. Vorsprung durch technik!