Accept - O2 Apollo, Manchester, Monday 13th January, 2017
Set List: Stampede/Stalingrad/Restless And Wild/London Leatherboys/Final Journey/Princess Of The Dawn/Fast As A Shark/Metal Heart/Teutonic Terror/Balls To The Wall.
The band have had great success since replacing the departed UDO Dirkshchneider with Mark Tornillo in 2010. A masterstroke in that he has similar vocal qualities of Udo but can scream red rage with the best of vocalists, keeping the razor sharp edge the band always had.
Opening tonights set with title track from second album since the reform ‘Stalingrad’ a mid paced rocker enough to warm the crowd on this freezing night. Tornillo with obligatory cap head-banged along with the pounding rhythms.
Thundering into first oldie of the evening ‘Restless and Wild’ and Tornillo made it his own roaring vocals with the trademark growl still very much there as in the original, guitarists Wolf Hoffman and Uwe Lulis did the synchronised guitar moves present in many European bands back and forth heads down . Accept are built on a solid wall of riffs and have a great sound and write classic raise your fist style songs, no apologies for giving the fans what they want over the years, their sound having changed very little.
Mark Tornillo encouraged the crowd to clap their hands as the wailing lead of ‘Princess of the Dawn’ began another mid paced rocker. With so many faster songs not sure this was a worthy inclusion, as demonstrated when the thrash classic ‘Fast As A Shark’ followed which got the metalheads down the front going! Tornillo did seem to struggle with it’s speed, seeming a little breathless during the chorus. Original Guitarist, Wolf Hoffman, got in to the solo pulling all manner of shapes and expressions!
Rattling through ‘Metal Heart’ and ‘Teutonic Terror’ it was time for last song of the set another oldie and the classic ‘Balls to the Wall’. With the crowd in good voice for the shout it out chorus. On tonight’s evidence Accept are having a new lease of life and with a new album being discussed, seems they look set to continue.
7/10
By John Mather