For me, at least, one of the great coincidental synchronicities of the past six years or so hinges around the simultaneous re-emergence of both Overkill and Accept into the top tier of metal. After Ironbound and Blood Of The Nations kicked the crap out of everything else back in 2010, these two have conveniently paired new records every other year, and with both riding the crest of creative resurgence, they unknowingly battle it out for top spots on my best-of list in every even-numbered year.
So with White Devil Armory’s near-perfect thrash mastery still echoing in my ears, here comes the new Accept, and here we are again…
Stylistically, like Stalingrad and Nations before it, Blind Rage doesn’t deviate from Accept’s (ahem) accepted norm – and like those before it, it’s an absolute killer, full of traditional metal glories unmatchable by all but the best. Accept isn’t pushing boundaries, they’re cracking skulls, rocking as hard now as they ever have, forty years into their career. The substitution of ex-TT Quick-er Mark Tornillo in place of the iconic Udo Dirkschneider not only didn’t slow them down, it’s completely re-energized them. (Lest there be any hold-outs still decrying the absence of the camo-clad screecher, remember that the final album with Udo, 1996’s Predator, is arguably their second weakest ever, behind only the dreadful non-Udo glam disaster Eat The Heat.)
Opening with the suitably titled “Stampede,” a straight-out Accept ripper belied by its short semi-symphonic introduction, Blind Rage establishes itself immediately. Hoffmann and Baltes have penned some rock-solid riffs, and Tornillo’s growl is perfectly ragged. Sure, the metal history lesson of “Dying Breed” rings a bit corny, nodding unsubtly to Motörhead, Judas Priest, Deep Purple, Rainbow, and other front-running outfits. (Hopefully those to whom it tips its figurative hat are anything but what the title suggests.) It’s Blind Rage’s lamest lyric, but the song nevertheless rocks, and either way, it’s still overshadowed by later and better songs like “Fall Of The Empire” and “From The Ashes We Rise.” Moodier numbers like “Dark Side Of My Heart” and “The Curse” slow the proceedings down without losing any of Accept’s signature energy, offering a literal change of pace while still managing to rock as hard as the harder rockers around them.
And therein lies Accept’s greatest strength: They may be old farts these days, having been around for four decades, but they possess an energy unequalled by bands half their age. These songs are fun because the band is having fun, clearly. This is metal that turns your anti-social grimace into a mile-wide grin, puts fists in the air, makes feet stomp and crowds scream along in sheer gleeful exuberance.
In the pantheon of recent Accept, Blind Rage equals Stalingrad, but it’s a hair shy of the brilliant Blood Of The Nations. (Nothing Accept has done since Russian Roulette equals the one-two punch of Nations’ “Beat The Bastards” and “Teutonic Terror,” that pair standing as one of the strongest album opening salvos in the last few decades.) Still, Rage is a raging beast of a record, without a doubt, and easily at the top of 2014’s releases in any metal style.
So once again, Overkill and Accept are dueling for my Album Of The Year. Blind Rage is a knockout, but is it better than White Devil Armory? Truly, I don’t know. I don’t have to choose for another few months, and when I have to, I will. But until then, I’m going to be over here rocking like hell to both of them in constant rotation. And you should be, too.
