ACCEPT – Metal Heart

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9.0

• Bands:
  ACCEPT
• Duration: 00:39:53
• Available since: 04/03/1985
• Label:

• RCA

As far as metal bands from the Old Continent are concerned, we know it well, the five-year period between '82 and '87 represented a fundamental period. In those years, on the English front, epochal hits were fired such as “Powerslave”, “Defenders Of The Faith” and “Bark At The Moon”, signed respectively by Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Ozzy Osbourne; on the American coasts, however, Def Leppard (also English) were preparing the invasion with the highly chromed “Hysteria”, while on the East Coast Metallica and Megadeth were sowing the seeds for the germination of what would become the dominant form of thrash metal in the following years. In all this, however, German metal certainly wasn't watching. Excluding the Scorpions – who were not metal in those years – and the power of Helloween, destined to establish itself only some time later, the nation of Berlin and the famous Oktoberfest in fact saw its flag held proudly by the handful of studs and menacing attitude that responded to the name of Accept.
In those years the German metal band was on the crest of the wave: “Restless And Wild” in '82 had presented a hungry and aggressive lineup beyond all expectations; with the subsequent – and very famous – “Balls To The Wall”, Udo, Wolf and company had managed to focus the spotlight even more on themselves, thanks to a provocative image and non-conformist lyrics that had made it impossible to ignore the rise of the German panzer. And it is precisely in this moment of energy and redemption that the album we propose for this episode of Bellissimi is released: “Metal Heart”.

Strengthened by the hype and the return obtained after “Balls To The Wall”, Accept knew they had also made it overseas, so much so that in 1984 bassist Baltes, guitarist Hoffmann and manager Hauke ​​moved to the United States. At that point all that remained was to strike while the iron was hot, releasing a record that continued the musical and lyrical discourse of the previous work, but with a greater appeal and a structure more suited to the large arenas that the band was already conquering. Forty years later we can say that the response to these needs was more than met, because “Metal Heart” responds perfectly to each of these objectives. Metallic enough, but enriched by new chrome capable of broadening a sound that had until then been incisive but essential, the album shows greater accessibility right from the iconic title track, alternating martial mid-tempos and epic anthems with the fast songs that all fans expected. Thus, while maintaining with the very traditional “Wrong Is Right” the ability to jump at the listener's throat, the Wuppertal combo dedicates itself for about fifty minutes to stringing together a sequence of sparkling hard passages (“Screaming For A Love-Bite”, “Dogs On Lead”), powerful absolutely metal mid-tempos (the splendid “Bound To Fail”) and real stadium anthems, such as the sensational “Midnight Mover”, clearly designed for large arenas, the very high volumes and an oceanic audience.
The result is sensational: the album shows practically no weak points and presents us with a more eclectic Udo than in the past, flanked by a true showman Hoffmann, author here of two of his most memorable solos, that of the title track and that of the final “Bound To Fail”. To complete the picture we find a visionary concept, centered on a hypothetical future in which the human being, deprived of emotions, is forced to live with computerized hearts external to the body – a metaphor for the replacement of humanity with the coldness of the machine. Squaring the circle: an album designed for large crowds without being 'commercialised' or deprived of its soul.

Accept's golden period with Udo won't last much longer and, after the still valid “Russian Roulette”, the toy will end up breaking, opening up to the new incarnation with Tornillo many years later. But the metal heart given by Accept to the fans of 80's heavy metal… well, that will never stop beating.