Too Mean To Accept

The first few months of 2021 have felt like they have been lacking in new releases. I've been keeping myself busy discovering a bunch of records that I've missed from the past few years, but when it comes to new albums, things seem to have been rather quiet. Maybe it is fallout from lockdowns due to COVID-19, or maybe I just need some patience. Either way, it feels strange to be posting my first new album in April...even though it was actually released in January (shut up about that and just accept that this blog basically runs on a two month backlog).

While I was initially excited about Accept's last album from 2017, The Rise Of Chaos, it never really hooked me like the other three albums in the Mark Tornillo era of the band. It is still some solid metal, but I don't really reach for it very often. Too Mean To Die on the other hand, hits like a ton of bricks right out of the gate. This album feels like it is contantly on the attack as the guitars rip and Tornillo snarls his way through the songs. Absolutely vicious. I had high hopes for Too Mean To Die, but I'm still blown away by how great this record is.

After picking up the Undertaker single at the end of last year, that song had me fired up to check out the new Accept album that was on the way and I immediately placed my preorder. Because it is on Nuclear Blast there are a stupid number of colored vinyl options...I grabbed the gold with swamp green pressing, which doesn't look too bad.

Grinning Like An Undertaker

Accept reunited back in 2010 and with their new singer, the band went on an impressive four album stretch. Each one was a great slab of metal, but by the time The Rise Of Chaos when it was released in 2017, the band's formula was getting a bit stale. That last album wasn't terrible by any stretch, but I found that I just didn't return to it very often like I had the first three. At some point last year, Accept released a new single for the song Life's A Bitch, but it barely made a blip on my radar. When they released another single earlier this year, this time for the song The Undertaker, I had the same kind of shoulder shrug reaction. I just didn't feel compelled to rush and check it out.

Spotify does this thing where after you finish listening to an album, they immediatly start a random playlist based on what was just playing. At some point they threw the new Accept song, The Undertaker, at me. When the song started, my first impression was that it kind of goofy, but as it continued to play, I started to get into it, and by the time the song was finished, I knew that I was going to have to revisit it and dig in a little deeper. After giving it a few more spins, I knew that I was going to have to head over to Nuclear Blast to pick up the 7 inch.

This 7 inch single is a lot of fun, and now I also want that Life's A Bitch 7 inch from last year...unfortunately it doesn't seem to be available. There aren't even ridiculously priced ones on Discogs or eBay. Very strange. Either way, these single have done their job because now I'm really excited for the new Accept album due out early next year.

Russian Collusion

A friend of mine wanted visit The Record Connection, a record store that he used to frequent as a kid, 35 years ago. He had some fond memories, and recalled that it was great store back in the day, and so I agreed to make the 70 minute drive up the coast to check it out. The store was in a small Maine town, years from Todd's teen memories, and I really wasn't holding out much hope, but within a couple of minutes of browsing the store, I had pulled an Accept album from the shelf and things were looking up.

Russian Roulette was released back in 1986, but here we are, over thirty years later and I'm still not very familiar with the record. Metal Heart, from '85 was my introduction to Accept, and I loved it...then I worked my way back through their catalog with Balls To the Wall and Restless And Wild, and that shit just melted my face. Goddamn. I thought that three album stretch was damn near perfect.

By the time we got to '86, I was really getting into Metallica, Slayer and Megadeth, and I had the taste for thrash. I heard a number of disappointing reviews for Russian Roulette, and I decided to just ignore the album. I had limited resources and Master of Puppets and Peace Sells were winning in the fight for my attention.

I've heard the album a couple of times since getting back into metal, but I never really felt compelled to return to it very often. It is a decent album, and there are a handful of really great songs here, but overall it is just kind of flat, and I can understand the disappointment surrounding the record back in '86. I'm happy to pick up the vinyl, and I'm looking forward to giving it a few spins with hopes that I warm up to it a bit more.

Midnight Highway

While I walked into one of my local record stores with the expectations that I wasn't going to find anything of interest, I somehow managed to walk out with four albums and around a $60 charge on my credit card. Sometimes, even I'm amazed at this incredible talent that I have. I don't even have to work at it or doing any kind of training...I'm basically a natural at this shit.

I bought this Accept album basically because I'd never seen this cover before. I recognized a few of the song titles, but I really wasn't sure what this was, so for $8, I figured that I'd just buy it and find out the details later.

Basically, this Midnight Highway record is a compilation of songs from the first three Accept records. The first two albums from Accept have the band still trying to find their identity, and they really started to pull it together with their third record, Breaker. This comp really shows the difference in sound, with those songs from Breaker definitely holding a harder edge...even though the version of Son Of A Bitch is the weak and watered down censored "Born To Be Whipped" version that the band recorded for uptight British and American record labels.

Overall, this is a cool snapshot of those early Accept years...even if it is completely unnecessary.

Accept The Chaos

Accept came blazing out of the gate with their new singer, Mark Tornillo, back in 2010 with Blood Of The Nations. Follow up albums, Stalingrad and Blind Rage proved that the band wasn't just a brief flash of brilliance...nope...Accept were something special, and were in it for the long haul.

Accept have a formula with Tornillo, and on their fourth album together, the band don't stray from the path they have tread. While some people might want the band to push some boundaries, and show some growth, I'm perfectly happy that the band stay consistent, and The Rise Of Chaos keeps up pumping out those solid Metal tunes. No surprises here...just fist banging Metal the way that I like it.

Nuclear Blast offers up about nine different vinyl options for The Rise Of Chaos. Given the number of gross looking splatter and swirl colored vinyl options, I went with a nice solid red wax. 300 pressed.

Restless And Wild

The vinyl shopping spree continues at Moody Lords, as we move into the 80's.

There was a January Record A Day thing on Instagram last year, and for Day 1 the theme was "Best Opening Track", I ended up going with Screaming For Vengeance from Judas Priest, but that was only because I didn't own a vinyl copy of Accept's Restless And Wild. I remember hearing Fast As A Shark for the first time as a kid...starting with the German children's song...the screech of the needle across the record, Udo's scream, and then that ripping guitar riff. It melted my face. I'd never heard anything so wild...so vicious and fast.

Adding Restless And Wild to the collection completes my run of classic Accept records from Breaker through Metal Heart.

Accept Some Metal On Vinyl

A few years ago, I was still occasionally taking the cheap and convenient way out when it came to new Metal albums, and buying the CD. There were times where the vinyl was only pressed in Europe, and I just couldn't be bothered with dealing with overseas shipping. It seemed like too much work when I could just grab the CD from my local record store. It seems like the story of my record collecting is based on going back to fix these kinds of stupid choices.

After a 14 year hiatus, Accept was back in 2010 with a new album and a new singer, replacing the irreplaceable Udo. Much to my surprise, I absolutely loved that first album with ex-TT Quick singer, Mark Tornillo, on the mic. Blood Of The Nations was a statement that Accept was back, and with each release after that debut, the band makes a strong case that they aren't fucking around. Accept is here to stay.

When I was recently on a shopping spree over at the Nuclear Blast Germany webstore, I saw that they had Accept's second "reunion" album, Stalingrad, in stock on vinyl. I'd been on a Blood Of The Nations binge lately, so I did not hesitate to add the red vinyl for Stalingrad to the cart. After owning the CD of this for the past 3 or 4 years, it felt good to finally add the vinyl to the collection.

Stampede

Four years ago, Accept was revived from the dead with a brand new singer. I would have thought that Udo was irreplaceable, but goddamn, when Blood Of The Nations was released in 2010, it shocked the hell out of me, and made it near the top of my Best Of list for the year. Same thing with the Stalingrad album two years later. Man, Accept were on fire!

For the the two new reunion albums, I opted for the cheap and convenient format and bought the CD. With the new release of Blind Rage on the way, I wasn't going to make the same mistake again. This time it had to be vinyl.

With the release of the first single, Stampede, I was psyched. The song is full on attack mode...fast, furious and heavy...and I eagerly awaited the release of the album. Unfortunately, compared to Blood Of The Nations and Stalingrad...as well as the Stampede single...the album falls a bit short for me. It is still good, but there are a string of slower songs that kind of bring the whole thing down a bit. Not bad by any means, but not as good as I'd hoped.

Limited to 300 on yellow vinyl for the US pressing.