ALBUM REVIEW: The Rise Of Chaos – Accept

One of the most recognisable names in the world of heavy metal, ACCEPT have been busy once again in the recording studio, working with Nuclear Blast Records once more to release The Rise Of Chaos – their 15th studio record. The band have been together for nearly 40 years, but this record is their first with Uwe Lulis on guitar and drummer Christopher Williams. While there has been changes to the band’s line-up, the recipe has not changed one bit. Big, hard hitting riffs at pace, powerful vocals and memorable choruses; there’s no doubt, this is very much a heavy metal album.

This is evident right from the first track, Die By The Sword. It starts off relatively slow, with Lulis’ guitar introducing us to the album with some slow, but heavy riffs, gradually picking up pace and sound, with the percussion also adding to the sound in the opening seconds. Things slow down again to keep the momentum and anticipation building, before breaking into a faster guitar solo to kick the song into action. The rest of the track has all the regular elements from a heavy metal anthem, and is an excellent opener.

There’s not really any significant changes to the sound in the following couple of tracks, including the title track, with the quality of the tracks superb. The band do take things down a peg or two though with Analog Man, which isn’t as fast paced as some of the other tracks on the record, and has more of a simplistic rhythm to it, but still sounds excellent.

With the sound being so similar in all the tracks throughout the record, there isn’t really too much more to be said. ACCEPT haven’t experimented halfway through the record or changed their sound too drastically, though it isn’t something that is necessary for a band who have been going as long as they have; they’ve found a sound that works for them and they’re still able to produce new material while keeping that sound which is a huge credit to them.

In many ways, ACCEPT releasing a new record is much like AC/DC releasing a new record – if you’re a fan of the band or have even heard a handful of songs, you get a sense of what the sound will be like and what sort of things to expect. That doesn’t detract from the quality of the record though. While a lot of bands hit a peak and then decline with newer records, ACCEPT have been able to maintain that level of quality, and The Rise Of Chaos is no different. A solid effort from the German group, and certainly a contender for the Top 20 Records in 2017.

Rating: 8/10

The Rise of Chaos is out now via Nuclear Blast Records.

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