ALBUM REVIEW: Humanoid – Accept
The ACCEPT renaissance continues on album number 17 Humanoid. The evolution of the music industry hasn’t always brought a whole list of positives but there have been some. Arguably one of the biggest is that the traditional life cycle of a band is but a distant memory. For years, bands would rise and hit incredible heights before slowly fading from view aside from the odd reunion show. Although that still happens to a degree, there’s a raft of artists determined to defy Father Time. Not content with living off greatest hits records and sparkless nostalgia albums, bands have cracked the code. If they can keep making quality music, fans will keep buying it. While the METALLICA juggernaut shows no sign of slowing, bands such as JUDAS PRIEST, SAXON and ACCEPT are also enjoying a very loud Indian summer. In fact, it could be argued ACCEPT are leading the charge.
After a lengthy period of relative inactivity, the band resumed their recording career with Blood Of Nations in 2010 complete with a new frontman in Mark Tornillo. This sparked a run of increasingly impressive releases, all with Andy Sneap behind the boards. It’s perhaps no coincidence that Sneap worked with both PRIEST and SAXON on their acclaimed albums in recent years. For a band that can trace its DNA back to the 1960s, and enjoyed its biggest hit in 1983, Humanoid finds the quintet in sharper form than ever. Lead guitarist Wolf Hoffmann might be the only original member remaining, but all of the things that made ACCEPT a force at their peak still remain.
The beauty of Humanoid is that the band have resisted the urge to try and be too clever. The title track sees the group dive into humanity’s relationship with technology, and Frankenstein retells a classic story with a twist skirting the same theme, but this doesn’t define the album. The world doesn’t need an ACCEPT concept album that tries to discover the secret to the human condition. The world needs an ACCEPT album packed full of punchy vocals, monster riffs, mind-bending guitar solos, and a little lyrical substance sprinkled in. The band are of course no strangers to tackling real-life issues in their music, so those tracks juxtaposed against classic metal stunners such as Nobody Gets Out Alive, Diving Into Sin and Straight Up Jack give the perfect balance. After all, what’s a metal album without an ode to an old friend from Lynchburg, Tennessee?
Ravages Of Time is the ultimate grower and the only ballad on the album, ticking that box effortlessly. The track is part nostalgia trip down memory lane, and part warning about aging, delivered with a bittersweet sincerity. By contrast, the haunting yet powerful brute force of The Reckoning is a true ‘by the scruff of the neck’ thrill ride, capped by a guitar solo guaranteed to leave fans grinning from ear to ear. Unbreakable is another impressive moment, encapsulating everything it means to be a metal fan. The togetherness, community, and connection between band and audience wrapped up in a thundering mass of organised chaos. However, the album really hits a peak on its closing track Southside Of Hell. The galloping rhythm that drives the song is powerful enough to wake the dead, with Tornillo‘s snarling vocals carrying the requisite menace. By the same token, the guitar solo delivered by Hoffmann is simply staggering.
Even when the band aren’t hitting those heights on Man Up and Mind Games, they’re still doing the right things. Although on occasion, Tornillo does briefly flirt with a Brian Johnson impersonation, before thankfully pulling back just in time. When the band’s classic line-up said in 2007 that new music would be impossible, fans could have been forgiven for thinking their run was over. But the arrival of Tornillo and a desire to simply have fun gave the group an unlikely second chapter. The fact this resulted in not one great record, but multiple great records shouldn’t be underestimated. Far from being a fitting epitaph to a fine career, Humanoid is proof that the creative fire still burns. 45 years on from their debut album, ACCEPT are refusing to retire quietly. And on this evidence, nor should they.
Rating: 8/10
Humanoid is set for release on April 26th via Napalm Records.
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