Depending how you count
Udo Dirkschneider
has not one, not two, but three solo projects: U.D.O, Dirkschneider, and Dirkschneider and The Old Gang. Each are slightly different. U.D.O. is his long-running solo band. Dirkschneider is his project where he re -does old Accept songs. Dirkschneider and The Old Gang is his project where he does songs with his old friends, mostly from Accept. Does that make sense? BALLS TO WALL RELOADED is a Dirkschneider solo effort, his third technically.
There is a neat little (very little) trend of bands who re-record their songs with various vocalists. PowerWolf has done it, (Missa Cantorum II) Orden Ogan has done it (FINAL DAYS:ORDEN OGAN AND FRIENDS) and now Dirkschneider has done it.
The premise is simple, Dirkschneider re-recorded his classic Accept album BALLS TO THE WALL and he does a duet on each song with a different singer. The guest vocalists are an all-star line-up of European Metal royalty.
The production is modern and powerful and the band plays it pretty straight, not messing with the iconic songs in anyway. The value here, on this admittedly novelty project, are the singers. The only couple of guest who the average Metal fans might NOT recognize is Nils Molin (Dynazty) and Ylva Eriksson (Brothers Of Metal), the rest are all metallic household name titans. Doro nails ‘Cold Winter Dreams’ and it is neat to hear Michael Kiske’s (Helloween) ultra-smooth delivery of ‘Losing More Than You Ever Had’ counterpointing the gruff attack of Udo and hanging his notes out for ages. Mille (Kreator) destroys ‘Fight It Back’ and there has never been such a gruff vocal diet since Udo did his cover of ‘Born to Be Wild’ with John Gallagher of Raven back in ’83!
There is not much more I can say about this fun idea. They probably blasted it out in a week or so with the signers phoning/sending/e-mailing in their parts but who cares? Great songs, great voices = a great album.
TRACKLIST
2. London Leatherboys
3. Fight It Back
4. Head Over Heels
5. Losing More Than You’ve Ever Had
6. Love Child
7. Turn Me On
8. Losers and Winners
9. Guardian of the Night
10. Winter Dreams
Line Up:
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