U.D.O. - Live In Bulgaria 2020 Pandemic Survival Show

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The legendary Udo Dirkschneider is an absolute fixture in the world of Heavy Metal music. An original member of the iconic ACCEPT, originally formed in the seventies, but coming to prominence in 1983, with the release of “Balls To The Wall”; Udo has been at it for a great deal of time. It is hard for me to think about mid-eighties Metal without picturing Udo’s head inside the feature lines of Wolf Hoffman’s Flying V, in the video for that album’s title cut. He formed the original lineup of U.D.O. after separating from ACCEPT after the 1986 release of “Russian Roulette”. Through several lineup changes over the years, and a reunion with ACCEPT in ’92 (lasting until ’96), U.D.O. has managed to release seventeen studio albums, plus compilations and live releases.

This latest venture, “Live In Bulgaria 2020: Pandemic Survival Show”, was recorded in front of a 2500 member audience (observing social distancing policies), at the Roman Amphitheatre in Plovdiv, Bulgaria on September 18^th, 2020. The album is an incredibly massive effort, spanning two discs and checking in at an impressive two hours and eighteen minutes worth of material. Just the thought of staging such an undertaking in one of the most adverse times in modern history is staggering; but to the band, who sound as if they are having the time of their lives, and to the audience in attendance, I’m sure the show felt like a Godsend. To this reviewer, it felt about the same.

From the opening harmonized guitar licks of “Tongue Reaper”, this band announces its presence to the crowd with a thundering swagger. There is absolutely nothing lost in the presentation of this beast of a song, as the musicianship is astounding. The band is tightly wound, and the audience eats up the tune with a fervor. The guitar work of Smirnov and Dammers is impressive throughout the release; as is the rhythm section of Tilen Hudrap and Udo’s son, Sven Dirkscneider, who has found himself behind the kit since Francesco Jovino’s departure in December of 2014. Udo shows a few signs of wear and tear, vocally, throughout the show, but at 68 years old, he stands taller than most could.

After the second cut, “Make The Move”, Udo asks the audience “What can you do about this fucking virus?” I’ll tell you what Udo has decided to do…He packed 2500 souls into Plovdiv, Bulgaria’s historic Roman Amphitheatre and rocked their asses off. Seems like a perfectly logical solution to me. Wish I could have been there.

Songwriting: 10
Musicianship: 10
Memorability: 10
Production: 10