Accept - Restless And Live

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I would be hard pressed to think of another Metal band as underrated as ACCEPT.  They are a legendary band but it seems like they were always unfairly lumped in with the hair metal era.  This isn’t CINDERELLA or BON JOVI—this is heavy fucking Metal.  If you are unfamiliar with the band, imagine a Metal version of AC/DC but with, you know, the ability to play more than three chords.  Also, Wolf Hoffman is one of the best Metal guitarists out there. Their new live album is one beast of an overview of their career as it has a good mix of new and old songs.  At 27 tracks in length it does tend to drag on towards the end but I bet if you were at the show it did not.  Concerts are as much of a visual experience as an auditory one but as much as a live album can do so, this huge collection of songs has a ton of energy.  These guys are not exactly young but they have more energy in them than bands three times as young.

Although not a dark band by any means, their music as always had a certain level of grit and dirt over it much like MEGADETH or EXODUS.  The production of this album really captures that feel but it also sounds like a dream—everything from the bass to the smallest drum part is captured with clarity that is not often heard in a live release.  The songs sound so good that their studio counterparts can’t match up to most of it.  I think what really helps the sound is the crowd’s noise is kept towards the background until the band goes in between songs which is nice because too loud of a crowd at a concert is great but not when it’s on cd/mp3, usually. There are too many tracks to talk about everything on the album but there are a few highlights obviously. The opening track, “Stamepede” is perfectly named and it really sets the tone for the album. Tornillo’s vocals are rough but he can get pretty high as well; he is definitely the best singer the band has ever had.  He also must be immortal to sing 27 songs in one night and not die.  The rest of the band is in top form.  Williams has a very good presence on the kit; his drumming is extremely loud and full of energy, especially when he’s pummeling the bass drums during a guitar solo.

Baltes has a deep and rich tone with his bass and can be heard over everything that’s going on. His work on “Shadow Soldiers” is super heavy and bouncy, reminding me of Steve Harris of IRON MAIDEN in some ways except he is more of a pile driver than a melodic player.  Hoffman and Lulis spend the entire night doing nothing but shredding their asses off with nonstop riffs and soaring guitar solos.  Their playing on “Fast as a Shark” is pure thrash with blistering leads and a great dueling guitar solo towards the end.  “Metal Heart” has them playing some good old crunchy metal with a great galloping beat to it.  On “No Shelter” their trade off riffs with the bass is downright inspiring. In the end, this is a great live album because it’s a great introduction to new fans, a good overview of the band as a whole, and will also satisfy their many longitime fans.  As far as live albums go, its perfect.

Songwriting: 10
Originality: 10
Memorability: 10
Production: 10