Eat the Heat

Yep, crappy albums don’t have many reviews… I mean, who would want to waste her/his time for works of the kind? Unless they’re some inordinate craps… the one here is not exactly one of the very extreme cases, but it did blemish an otherwise near-perfect at the time discography, and was the first actual sign that yes, the stars of the show could also mess it up.

Well, we had the “Cold Lake” before it, but since Celtic Frost were not quite the celebrities of the Accept rank, their flop some kind of passed under the radar at the time. But in the case here this mishit was literally unforgivable, especially when the band’s emblematic frontman was gone… and not only but the latter was doing more damage on the side by releasing fairly decent heavy metal opuses, making the situation even harder for his former colleagues. It’s a well-publicized secret that Udo left since he couldn’t come to terms with his comrades who were looking at the USA as the coveted market to conquer. For the purpose, speed metal anthems like “TV War” and “Aiming High” were simply not going to do the trick anymore; let’s do the Motley Crue twist… with a twist.

Easier done than said, and before you know it an Udo replacement was recruited; David Reece, an American naturally, cause a local lad would invariably bring more distinction to the team, right? Along with that, the man also brought a pretty decent clean attached timbre, nothing as overly dramatic and passionate as Udo’s antics, but still relevant… after all, it very well fit the new musical direction chosen, one that was much closer to the pop metal-ish aesthetics of acts like Motley Crue again, Quiet Riot and Night Ranger than to the boisterous hard-hitting hymns of old.

And the guys are ready to march once again, only that the march this time is very friendly and wouldn’t intimidate anyone. A string of mild pleasant rockers opens the conquest, nothing even remotely Accept-ish and heavy metal-ish, before the tribute to AC/DC that is “Love Sensation” reaches the ears, this cut at least showing Reese as a more attached throat. The feelgood rockabilia simply can’t generate much excitement, but comes “D-Train” and the setting comes alive with energetic fast-paced riffs, this track recalling Motley Crue’s “Kickstart My Heart” from “Dr. Feelgood” released the same year. A lively occurrence which is instantly mortified by the overlong monotonous “Generation Clash” after which any song would sound like a small generation... sorry, revelation; alas, the band miss the opportunity serving another lengthy dragger, the semi-balladic “Mistreated”, pouring more life belatedly with the vivid merry-go-rounder “Hellhammer” at the end.

Conquest concluded, with a vociferous, largely title-wise, closure. And, truth be told, music-wise this effort fits the US glam metal movement like a glove… so it’s a bit surprising that the album didn’t sell well in the States, not to mention the total disappointment that it was for the band diehard fans. A failed attempt at pleasing a new crowd, this opus effectively terminated the first chapter from the band’s career, leaving them licking their wounds with desperation to spare. To add insult to injury, their ex-vocalist Udo was doing pretty well, unleashing an album after album with staunch regularity, stealing the old Accept fanbase with vengeful determination. No, his former teammates couldn’t produce a dignified answer to his animal houses and mean machines… on the contrary, they hit the very bottom by trying to sell their souls cheaply to a treacherous musical current, by also never being able to find the explanation for their downfall… what went wrong?!

It’s tough to tell… even their apprentices Bonfire fared better with the similarly-oriented but less compromising “Point Blank”, released the same year; both commercially and critically. Yes, when you’re side-lined by those who learnt from you, you know that it’s time to stop before you screw up beyond redemption. The reformation stint with Udo in the 90’s was a wise commercial step, and kept the Accept flag raised for another few years. The latter is not on board anymore, in fact, of the old line-up it’s only Wolf Hoffmann that is still around; but the group under his own name has been doing very well… the same can be said about Accept, too, by the way… the Wolf is still hunting, and he knows not to trust the modern technologies like microwaves, ovens, etc. anymore when it comes to his lunch/dinner… he made the mistake once, to heat his meat… and to stay hungry. Never again.

...we are Accept and we come from (West) Germany. You surely know this country, the autobahn, the kindergarten and the old asshole Adolf. Usually, the shitty bands from Germany play krautrock and the better combos are addicted to this primitively stomping four-four time. Teutonic terror, you know? Of course, we are one of the better bands (not to say: we are the best) and we have also played this second kind of music so far. We are ashamed. But times are changing. We have fired our old singer who has just been a mediocre bawler and the new guy at the mic is a real American. It's so awesome! His voice is much more variable and he has this certain back room charisma. A real rock singer! No, you got us right. A rock singer, not a metal vocalist. With this boy at our side, we will take the American market by storm!

His more or less melodic style matches with our new musical direction in a perfect manner. We have realised that we have been very unpretentious up to now. But now we are in an ecstasy, sorry, "X-T-C", this is how we spell it, because we are unbelievably casual. Just listen to "Turn the Wheel Around". It will turn Quiet Riot green with envy. But we have more aces up our sleeves. When we celebrate the "Love Sensation" - yes, our lyrics are very compatible for every radio station in the land of the free - with full dedication, a great female choir supports us and adds more than only a pinch of mainstream entertainment. Do not be confused that one of the songs is called "Hellhammer". This is just a joke. We promise you that you do not need ear plugs. Even our solos avoid any kind of cacophonous sounds, because we have found an obvious antidote. Each and every tune is equipped with the airily rocking production which prevents an unhealthy overdose of metal. Surely, "Metal Heart" has already been less harsh than its predecessors, but now we take the next step. International standard instead of German obduracy! Just take a look at our newly styled haircuts and you will understand that we cannot do any harm. In order to remove any doubt we also use clumsy keyboards that melt together with cheesy background vocals ("Prisoner"). Don't call it kitschy, it's so sweet! The same applies for songs like the fluffy "Stand 4 What U R". Once again, please be so kind and have a look at the pretty wicked spelling.

Of course, we provide the whole spectrum of great feelings. We have already spoken about our "Love Sensation", but unbelievable tragedies ("I Can't Believe in You" and "Mistreated" with its ultimately dramatic configuration) also show up. Indeed, we like lyrics that deal with topics you have heard a million times before. This is highly innovative! You want to know why? Just wait a moment... oops, we have forgotten the justification. Anyway, let's assume that they are not innovative. Then they match exactly with our lame guitars, the mainly saccharine melodies and the weary mid-tempo drums that will ruin your nerves. Admittedly, we have composed a few acceptable (pun!) lines by accident, but don't worry, they are hard to find. We are definitely men of conviction and we love this kind of rock which has interfaces with Loverboy, Survivor and Bonjovi. And don't say that the album is too long. The German CD includes twelve tracks with a playtime of more than an hour, but nevertheless, our stupid old fans do not commit suicide. That's a pity, because sometimes they start to write scathing criticisms in order to take revenge. Do us a favour and don't read the lines of these wicked bastards. Thank you, best regards, and now give us your money.

It’s a foregone conclusion that any Accept album minus Udo is going to be persona non grata among most with any level of appreciation for the impressive early to mid 80s collection that they put together. Even if they had gotten Chris Boltendahl as a replacement and put something out rivaling “The Reaper”, about 95% of Accept’s core audience either would not have wanted to hear about it or would have panned it as some sort of sellout. Determining whether or not this album is even worth your time really hinges on your mentality on bands keeping the same name but losing a key part of their lineup. But one thing that should be pointed out before going any further is that this brief incarnation is not a commercial sellout, and is not any more pop/rock oriented than the previous 3 albums with Udo still at the helm.

“Eat The Heat” can be summed up as a slightly more technical evolution from the super-catchy, proto-power metal direction that dominated “Russian Roulette”, with an utterly over the top vocal delivery. David Reece, who was brought in to replace Udo’s touring replacement Rob Armitage, draws his influences from the same mishmash of 70s screamers, most notably that of Bon Scott, though his clean voice is more akin to David Coverdale. However, whereas Udo knew how to tone it down a bit to keep from sounding overtly melodramatic, David really lays on the sleaze and grit like a coked out Brian Johnson meets Blackie Lawless. Likewise, the music accompanying the exaggerated vocal performance is an exercise in technical showmanship that, while not up to the level of speed and complexity as Nitro, is near out of character for this band.

All things considered, the collection of songs on here isn’t too bad; it just doesn’t have the same punch to it as the band’s better renowned works. There’s the usual mix of catchy mid tempo crunchers with large choruses in “Prisoner”, “Chain Reaction” and “Hellhammer” are present to give that winning duality of triumph and somber longing that been similarly delivered by Leatherwolf and Ozzy during the mid 80s, but in such an utterly slick and polished package that the gleam of light reflecting off it would blind any onlookers. In spite of the goofy title, “X-T-C” is a solid display of flashy guitar playing with a slight helping of German classical influence in the backdrop. And for those looking for an ambitious mixture of Deep Purple oriented rock with Accept’s signature metallic 80s sound, the 8 minutes plus “Mistreated” is a unique release in this band’s otherwise streamlined style.

Of course the objections of many old time fans of this band are not without some merit and a few throwaway songs make their way on here. But apart from the goofy vocal display on “D Train”, the utterly cliché and almost Winger-like power rocker “Stand 4 What U R” (just spell the damn word out guys!) and the overlong Def Leppard homage “Generation Clash”, this is a decent album by late 80s standards. It’s rescue worthy from the clutches of the bargain bin at $7 or less, and is not quite the overt bomb that it has largely been panned as. Ignore the mullets and the hairspray on the band photos if you need to, but definitely give this a chance before jumping on the “this isn’t Accept” bandwagon.

When the band decides to change it's musical direction to more softer direction, the sight is not usually pretty. When Udo left Accept and formed his own solo unit U.D.O, the general opinion was that both parties will suffer. Especially when Udo told rumors that Accept was going to change their style to Bon Jovi direction. It's true that Accept has gone to more American direction, but it's still heavy. Many people will pass this album because of the new vocalist.

For some people, disbanding the band would be a better option than getting a new vocalist. After a brief period of Rob Armitage as a singer, Accept hired the unknown american singer named David Reece. Reece's vocal range places somewhere between AC/DC's Brian Johnson and Maiden's Bruce Dickinson. Reece trying to be Udo is a doomed idea, but he doesn't even try to be like Udo. He has his own style, which is actually good. Guitarist Jörg Fischer has also being replaced, by american Jim Stacey. The rest of the line-up is normal (Hoffman, Baltes, Kaufmann).

It seems that different versions of the album have different covers and different song lists. This review tells about the version what I have. The album doesn't even look like it's from Accept. There's a band posing on the cover, and macho-Reece lying at the band's feet. The album starts with quiet guitar, which can't be even thought from the band like Accept. Then the band starts it's engine with the crushing "X-T-C". "X-T-C" reveals that the band has some totally new energy. Reece appears to be a good singer. He fits to Accept's new direction. Next song has bass driven intro, just like "Head over Heels". Song's name is "Generation clash". "Generation clash" is a pure Accept classic. Riff is awesome! "Chain reaction" isn't so good, it's too ordinary heavy song, but it's faster than two previous ones. "Love sensation" sounds like it's a power ballad, and it is. It isn't too sweet, because Reece's voice isn't fit for ballads, just like Udo's. "Turn the wheel is basic, american heavy-influenced heavy song. It gets sometimes quiet, only for getting loud again.

"Prisoner" is too similar to "Turn the wheel", with the exception that this one has intriguing keyboards in the background, and the chorus is good. Then what can you expect from the track named "Mistreated"? A ballad? Correct. Reece's voice fails on this track, he tries to sound like David Coverdale of Whitesnake. On this track, Accept temporarily turns into Whitesnake. David Coverdale actually sung the song named "Mistreated" while he was in Deep Purple! Half of the song is pure crap, the other is too average. Accept truly has changed their style, otherwise they wouldn't record a song titled "Stand 4 what U R". After depressive "Mistreated", this even sounds like it's same song. Old Accept wouldn't never recorded this. Any glam metal band could have recorded this. I was afraid that the next song would be the same crap. The next song is heavier, it has better riffs and even better chorus. But it's too happy to be named "Hellhammer". The last song "D-Train" is fast and heavy, and much better than the previous tracks. What a perfect ending.

Accept doesn't sound like Accept anymore. Reece is a good singer, but there are some limitations for him. And the bassist Peter Baltes usually has sung on the Accept albums, but not on this, and that's a shame. This line-up never recorded a second album, because the band split-up. Chemistry between Reece and the original members of the band failed. This a good album, but it could have been better. It doesn't even sound Accept anymore.