Latest Release
- APR 26, 2024
- 11 Songs
- Balls to the Wall · 1984
- Restless and Wild · 1983
- Metal Heart · 1985
- Metal Heart · 1985
- Balls to the Wall · 1983
- Restless and Wild · 1983
- Balls to the Wall · 1983
- Restless and Wild · 1983
- Too Mean to Die · 2021
- Humanoid · 2024
Essential Albums
- Accept returned in 1985 as a sleeker and swifter group. It was obvious that the first taste of American success energized the band, and while Metal Heart is a more calculated and radio-friendly effort than the albums that preceded it, Accept in no way abandoned its debt to its hardcore metal base. “Up to the Limit” is a perfect example of the balance the group found between its mainstream aspirations and its fundamental aggression. While the song is more streamlined than the band's earlier work, its primary riff is as heavy as anything that came before. Happily, Udo Dirkschneider’s vocals seem to grow more feral as the production becomes slicker, as if to offset the band’s pop potential. While the album failed to produce a single on par with “Balls to the Wall,” Metal Heart was more consistent and gave fans several favorites, including the title song, “Midnight Mover," and “Living for Tonite.” Concurrently, the group experimented with new textures. “Teach Us to Survive” is a rare fusion of speed metal and jazz; it seemed to tell the audience that while Accept had mastered the art of the fist-pumping metal riff, it wouldn't be constrained by it.
- Using the relentless riff of “Balls to the Wall” as a battering ram, Accept broke through to the mainstream with its 1983 album of the same name. The title song was, is, and will always be a monster. It could be considered a more malicious and militant rejoinder to AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell.” Udo Dirkschneider often sounds like a more unhinged version of Bon Scott, especially on “Fight It Back” and “Turn Me On,” two of the album’s best songs. “Losers and Winners” is such a fiercely energized piece of metal that when Dirkschneider squeals “Write her a letter … you’ll feel better when it’s done,” the listener can't be sure that he’s talking about the postal service. Between the homoeroticism of the cover art and titles like “London Leatherboys,” Accept caught a lot of flak for promoting what some saw as “gay metal.” While the speculation was pointless (and false), Accept said it was interested in all marginalized sectors of society, including gay culture. Certainly, “Love Child,” written from the perspective of an alienated gay man, should be credited as one of the bravest songs in a genre often dismissed as socially regressive.
- Lead singer Udo Dirkschneider has said that Restless and Wild is “surely the most important Accept album.” The band’s 1982 breakthrough features several songs that helped codify the sound of '80s heavy metal. “Ahead of the Pack,” “Neon Nights," and “Flash Rockin’ Man” form a bridge between the classic '70s hard rock of AC/DC (the earliest and most prominent influence on Accept) and the more demonic, caustic metal of Mötley Crüe, Judas Priest, and Quiet Riot. While songs like “Don’t Go Stealing My Soul Away” prove that Accept wasn't opposed to tuneful hard rock, Restless and Wild is usually regarded as a favorite of metal purists. The album is bookended by what are by far two of the most important songs of Accept’s career. With its whiplash tempo and double-bass drum attack, “Fast as a Shark” is heralded by many fans as the first speed metal song. Meanwhile, “Princess of the Dawn,” with its Tolkien-inspired lyrics and fiery climax, presented a new patent for the heavy metal epic.
- 2014
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- 2009
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- 1989
Artist Playlists
- Ready for a "Balls to the Wall" sing-along? We thought so.
Singles & EPs
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Compilations
About Accept
With their brutal, simple riffs and aggressive, fast tempos, Accept are one of the top metal bands to emerge in the early '80s and a major influence on the development of speed metal and thrash. Led by the distinctive vocal stylings of Udo Dirkschneider, the band forged an instantly recognizable sound and were notorious as one of the decade's fiercest live acts. Despite recording two of the best heavy metal albums of the decade in Restless & Wild and Balls to the Wall, Accept remained too heavy and extreme for American audiences to embrace. Ultimately conquering the rest of the world, but with their career stalled in the U.S., the band ceased operations on and off throughout the '90s and early 2000s but mounted an impressive comeback in the 2010s -- sans Dirkschneider -- with acclaimed efforts like Stalingrad (2012) and The Rise of Chaos (2017), and Humanoid (2024).
- ORIGIN
- Solingen, Germany
- FORMED
- 1976
- GENRE
- Hard Rock