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Post by killingjoke on Jun 26, 2009 7:33:35 GMT -5
Interview with David Reece of Bangalore Choir
David Reece sang with Accept on “Eat the heat” in 1989 and was in Bangalore Choir when they released “On Target” in 1992. Bangalore Choir are back together and have a new album due out soon plus David is also in Gypsy Rose who also have an album due in the near future. So recently I got to interview David about Bangalore Choir, Accept and his plans.
MM-How do the new songs compare with the material off “On Target”? DR- The songs are heavier yet still melodic in short more of an epic feel.
MM- When did you get the band back together and how did you come to reform? DR-I was asked by Khalil Turk of Escape music to reform for a new record with Bangalore while I was recording the Gypsy Rose record
MM-It seems like hard rock is making a comeback this decade. Do you agree with that and if so then why do you think that is? DR-Fans who are into melodic rock seem to mature with you and pass it on down to friends and family and above all aren't affected by fads!!
MM-Everything seemed to happen pretty fast for you guys as I believe you formed in 1991 and had your album out in 1992. How did you manage to get signed so fast and did you play many shows before getting signed? DR-After leaving Accept I made it my mission to hit L.A. and that’s where it came to be. That’s where I met John Kirk and was blown away by his playing and writing and after 9 shows we had offers from just about everyone until we settled with Giant
MM-Now Rob Armitage actually replaced UDO in Accept and you replaced Rob. How did you come to get the job in Accept? DR-Yes, Rob was there a few months prior to me. I made some demos with guitarist Mitch Perry and Lucy Forbes knew Dieter Dirks the producer.
MM-What was it like being in Accept? DR- At the time a nightmare as they have their own ways. I remember great times lately and I remain good friends with UDO I saw him last year at Sweden Rock Festival
MM-Why were you put out of Accept? DR-I was fired for many reasons,but basically I wasn't right for the band as UDO is ACCEPT.
MM-“On Target” came out in 1992 and hard rock/ metal bands had already started to get pushed out of the way by grunge before 1992 rolled around. What did you think your chances of the album being a hit were? DR-After grunge we were greatly disappointed!
MM-What were some of the biggest highlights for this band during your original run? DR- Some of the Lynch Mob tour was way outta hand friggin' crazy fan responses,Also we did some acoustic sets that were great
MM-Used copies of your CD go for good money on eBay and have been for several years. Any chance “On Target” will get re-released? Who owns the rights to it? DR- Ahh yes e-bay very flattering
MM-You had some outside writing help on a few songs off “On Target” as Steve Plunkett (Autograph), Jon Bon Jovi and Aldo Nova all contributed. Did you know these guys and ask for their help or did someone outside the band bring them in to help? DR- Steve Plunkett is a great writer and friend, Bon Jovi was working on the young guns thing at the studio and passed it on to us
MM-Pick the band from the following pair that you prefer and tell why you picked that band -Bon Jovi or Whitesnake
-Autograph or Dokken
-Ratt or Skid Row
-Heart or Journey DR- I would say Whitesnake and Bon Jovi simply because their commitment to there craft always shines through!!
MM-Is there anything else that you would like to say about your band or your music? DR-I would like to thank from my soul to all the friends worldwide and we plan to release this summer and do some touring. Also please check out the new Gypsy Rose record out June 08 worldwide and the Gypsy Rose my space site far a little taste of what’s to come yours in Rock David L. Reece
Thanks to David for doing the interview.
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Post by killingjoke on Jun 26, 2009 18:27:36 GMT -5
Stefan Kaufmann - "I Will Die Onstage With U.D.O."
Rockpages.gr has issued an interview with guitarist Stefan Kaufmann (U.D.O., ACCEPT). January 26, 2009
U.D.O. celebrate their 20th anniversary and we couldn’t find a better chance to talk to them as they release a new live album/DVD called “Mastercutor Alive”. We thought that it would be better to have Stefan Kaufmann answer some of our questions during a phone interview that took place on a sunny afternoon…at least in Greece! Let’s see what he had to say to us…
Interview: Sakis Nikas
Rockpages.gr: Stefan, once again we found you on the producer’s chair for yet another U.D.O. record. When did you discover that you have a knack for producing?
Stefan Kaufmann: Basically, it was someone else who found it out! It was around 1989 when I was asked to do the production of “Faceless World” (U.D.O.). This was the first record and up next came many more albums mainly for European and Japanese bands.
Rockpages.gr: “Mastercutor Alive” has a very raw sound and brings out the energy and the live feeling of the concert. Was there any work made at the studio?
Stefan Kaufmann: I didn’t fix a single thing…I swear to God! (laughs) I didn’t want to do any overdubs or put additional guitars or vocals…If you listen carefully, you will notice some little mistakes in the guitars, drums etc. I left it in there so as not to spoil the whole magic of that night! After all, it is a live album, right? But, it took quite some time in order to finish the whole mixing of the record and I am pretty sure that we did a good work!
Rockpages.gr: I agree…You celebrate 20 years of U.D.O. with a live album and DVD. Did you ever expect that you would have a bigger career in duration than Accept?
Stefan Kaufmann: It’s hard to tell! Udo started this band 20 years ago and I am pretty sure that nobody really knows how long any group will last when it starts. It’s a tough business, you know? Accept had a great career and we are all proud of it…U.D.O. celebrates its 20th anniversary…Sakis, I’ll tell you something…I believe…I am certain that I will die on stage with U.D.O. I love this band!
Rockpages.gr: Stefan, you know that you don’t find this attitude nowadays…
Stefan Kaufmann: Yeah, but that’s who I am and I hope that it comes out through my records!
Rockpages.gr: Definitely! “Mastercutor Alive” focuses on your last studio album. A lot of talk was done regarding the modern production of this record. What’s your comment and how do you view “Mastercutor” one year after its release?
Stefan Kaufmann: Well, it was something new for us. We used a little bit of different production techniques without ruining the basic structure of our songs. As a matter of fact, I listened to that album two days ago and although we used a couple of different tactics, I wouldn’t change a single thing. I am 100% per cent satisfied with “Mastercutor”, but that doesn’t mean that we will follow the same direction in the next album. We don’t know…it’s too early…
Rockpages.gr: You still follow the old rule of “writing-recording-touring”. After all these years, what’s your favorite part of this whole thing and why?
Stefan Kaufmann: There isn’t, actually, a favourite part. I like all three of them. You see…when you are on tour and you visit all these places around the world, after a while you miss the time in the studio and at home. When you are in the studio, you really want to go out and present the new songs to the fans and see their reaction.
Rockpages.gr: Germany has given to the world many good metal bands, but only a handful of really great ones. What distinguished Accept from the rest of the bands?
Stefan Kaufmann: I guess it was our style! We had our own sound…for instance, if you listen to a song from AC/DC or Judas Priest, you recognize immediately what band this is. The same think happens with Accept. We were never copycats and we created something really special. Those were good days and with U.D.O. I feel like not a single day has passed by!
Rockpages.gr: When Udo left Accept you decided to carry on with your old band mates and then join Udo in 1997 for “Solid”. In between, did you follow Udo’s solo career and what did you think of it?
Stefan Kaufmann: Of course, we were informed about Udo’s career…after all, “Animal House” was written by all the members of Accept. When “Mean Machine” came out, we were writing the songs for the “Eat The Heat” record…we really liked Udo’s albums. We were still in touch, we got together after a while and then I joined U.D.O. I couldn’t be happier…
Rockpages.gr: You’ve been in the music scene for 30 years. Why do you think nowadays less and less bands release really memorable records?
Stefan Kaufmann: I don’t know…it’s definitely a matter of hard work, talent, good songs and luck. But, I’ll tell you something…don’t focus just on the new bands…take a look at some of the older bands who release albums and give you the impression that they want to erase their past. It doesn’t matter if you sell thousands of albums, but you only have to care about your fans and how they like your songs. Many bands tend to forget that…but I won’t mention any names!
Rockpages.gr: Not even one?
Stefan Kaufmann: No! (laughs)
Rockpages.gr: Just a guess…does the band that you have in mind has a “two-word” name?
Stefan Kaufmann:…I don’t know…(laughs)
Rockpages.gr: Judas Priest?
Stefan Kaufmann: Let’s just say that I got “Nostradamus” and I didn’t like it…the title track is good, though.
Rockpages.gr: What does Stefan do in his free time?
Stefan Kaufmann: There is not much free time. I will always get involved with U.D.O. stuff or handling the production of a band. If I am not on tour, I will be in the studio…I love every minute of it. Music is my life, but I also like to cook, read and control small radio airplanes.
Rockpages.gr: What’s your favorite food?
Stefan Kaufmann: I don’t have a specific food…when I go to other countries I love to taste the traditional cuisine.
Rockpages.gr: You had played drums, you play guitar, compose songs, produce records…you are a man of 1000 faces. What’s your favorite “face”?
Stefan Kaufmann: (laughs) I won’t choose anything…I am a musician and that covers it all! I love writing songs, releasing records, playing around the world for the fans.
Rockpages.gr: What do you remember from Greece and the Greek fans?
Stefan Kaufmann: I remember the Rodon Club…
Rockpages.gr: It’s closed now…you had given a hell of a show there in 2004…
Stefan Kaufmann: Yeah! We almost had to cancel this show, because Igor (Gianola) was feeling really sick and he was half OK at 5 o’ clock in the afternoon. The metal fans are the greatest fans that a musician could ask for! They are loyal to their favorite bands and we hope to give something back to them with our songs.
Rockpages.gr: Don’t have any doubt about it, Stefan!
Stefan Kaufmann: I am glad! We will talk again soon, Sakis.
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Post by killingjoke on Jun 26, 2009 18:35:02 GMT -5
www.empire-rock.com/interview.php?id=10The album was (partly) recorded at your own Legatomizer Studio. Can you tell us something more about your home studio ? Rolf: I started to build the studio three years ago and I have now a 32-track recording studio. It is not a mixing or mastering studio, it`s just a recording studio. You can record voices and guitars. The album was mixed by Stefan Kaufmann at the Roxx Studios in Cologne. Why exactly did you want him? Rolf: For the first album we drove a little too far for mixing, so this time we wanted to mix it in Germany. Since I`m the guitarist of the heavy metal band Vanize, I knew Stefan Kaufmann, who is the producer of the band. I asked him and we met in his studio and mixed the track for the Jason Becker Tribute there. It was very, very good. That`s why we decided to mix "Hypnotica" with Stefan. And he did a great, great job. He put a lot of power into the album. It`s really powerful and loud - it`s punishing.
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Post by killingjoke on Jun 26, 2009 18:37:55 GMT -5
Rough Silk - "Roots Of Hate"
Release: 1993 Produced by Stefan Kaufmann BMG / RCA - re-released on Massacre Records Japan: JVC
Line-up: Jan Barnett - vocals, acoustic-guitar Ferdy Doernberg - Keyboards, slide-guitar, vocals Herbert Hartmann - drums, vocals Hilmer Staacke - guitar Ralf Schwertner - bass ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rough Silk - "Rough Silk EP"
Release: 1991 EP (only vinyl) - not available Produced by Stefan Kaufmann & Cedric Beatty Breeze - Music
Line-up: Jan Barnett - vocals Ferdy Doernberg - keyboards, guitar, vocals Herbert Hartmann - drums, vocals Hilmer Staacke - guitar Ralf Schwertner - bass, vocals
Guest: Stefan Kaufmann - Choir-vocals
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Post by killingjoke on Jun 26, 2009 18:45:12 GMT -5
It all began 1986/87 when Udo left Accept for a solo career. He had his intentions to leave as early as 84 to hook up on a producer career together with Michael Wagener, but now he left because he wanted to go a different direction in music style than the rest of Accept. So he started U.D.O. to go on in the same direction as old Accept. Udo said he didn't want to make U.D.O. a one mans band as Ozzy Osbourne or Dio, he explains the title of the group that Udo was a good trademark at that time so it would be stupid to not use it. The members at that time said jokingly in an interview that U.D.O. stood for: "United Dipstick Organization!"
He hooked up with Peter Szigeti (Guitar) and Frank Rittel (Bass) from Warlock, Mathias Dieth (Guitar) from Sinner and an unknown drummer Tomas Franke. Mat Sinner was furios at Udo because he took Dieth to his band and said Udo has handled unproffesional, but apparantly Dieth wanted to play with U.D.O. because he joined the forces!
With this band U.D.O. recorded their debut album Animal House which was totally written by Accept and therefore sounded exactly as Accept did and how Udo wanted it! The album was well recieved by the critics and U.D.O. went on tour with Andy Susmihl (Guitar) and Dieter Rubach (Bass).
Andy Susemihl Dieter Rubach Tomas Franke Mathias Dieth
1988 U.D.O. recorded their second album titled Mean Machine. It was the first album to be written by U.D.O. as group. The only original member that Udo picked for Animal House left on Mean Machine was the fastfingered guitarist Mathias Dieth. He also kept Andy Susemihl from the tour and found the excellent drummer Stefan Schwarzmann who stayed with U.D.O. til 1999. He also found bass-player Thomas Smuszynski.
Stefan s Mathias D Andy S Udo D Thomas S
1990 U.D.O. recorded Faceless World which was produced by Accept-drummer Stefan Kaufmann. At the beginning the others in U.D.O. disliked the idea but found out later that Stefan K. is the perfect man for U.D.O.'s sound. Faceless World was recorded by the same setting as Mean Machine except that Mathias Dieth did all the guitar work. On tour they hired Wolla Bцhm as rhytm-guitarist. The tour had to be cancelled when U.D.O. had a body breakdown because he was overworked.
Udo rested and filled his body with new power which can be clearly heared at Timebomb 1991. It is the heaviest and most brutal U.D.O. album ever recorded. The recording lineup is the same as on Faceless World. On tour they called Andy Susemihl back again.
U.D.O. 1991
Stefan S, Thomas S, Udo D and Mathias D
After the Timebomb tour 91 U.D.O. split because they couldn't walk on towards the same direction. Udo and Accept reformed 1992 - 1996 and recorded three albums. 1996 Accept disbanded again to do their own projects and Udo restarted U.D.O. First thing U.D.O. did was to record a Judas Priest cover for a Judas Priest cover album titled Legends Of Metal. Stefan Schwarzmann played as usual and Mathias Dieth also. On Bass Michael Voss played and Stefan Kaufmann plays the rhytm-guitar.
Later on 1996/1997 U.D.O. recorded a new album titled Solid. The title is a sign about the music, Udo wants to do it hard and heavy. On the album there are two totally new musicians, on Bass, Fitty and Guitar Jьrgen. Schwarzmann is still left so now it just Udo that has been on albums.
Solid was followed a year later by a hardhitting album titled No Limits. It contains a harmonic intro and a beautiful ballad called "Azrael" The lineup is the same as on Solid.
U.D.O. 1998,
Stefan K, Stefan S, Udo D, Jurgen G-B and Fitty W
Once again the linup has been changed, Jьrgen has been replaced by Igor Gianola and Stefan Schwarzmann left the band and was replaced by Lorenzo Milani. However it is still a secret who played the drums on Holy...
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Post by killingjoke on Jun 26, 2009 18:48:43 GMT -5
www.darkside.ru/interviews/interview.phtml?id=270&dlang=enThe upcoming Majesty album is called “Hellforces”. Why did you choose such a title for it, and what are the lyrics about this time? The lyrics are, as it’s always in Majesty, about heavy metal. Of course, we sing about hell and demons and everything, these themes fit to a heavy metal album. Last week we had the first listening session for the German press, and we got some great reactions to the album, they all said that it’s the same Majesty with some great riffing. This time we had a different producer, Stefan Kaufmann from U.D.O., and we had Udo Dirkschneider on guest vocals on one song. Of course, I have to say that I love the album, and I hope you’ll like it too. The promos will go out in January, we’re gonna release a new EP called “Sons Of A New Millenium” at the end of that month, and in February we’re gonna release the album worldwide. As far as we understand, the notion of being “true” is something that is of great importance to you. But what does being true mean to you? What makes a person true, and what makes him false? Where are the limits? The most important thing if you wanna be true is just that you gotta do the things that you really like and that really come from your heart. I hate people who are playing music and don’t love it, that’s fake for me. As I said, the most important thing for me is to always be honest and play honest music. There are fans who buy your albums and come to your concerts, and for me it’s important that the fans and the band are family. For me honesty and freedom are the most important issues of being true. You have a great song called “Into The Stadiums” on the album “Reign In Glory”. In your opinion, how realistic is it to bring metal to the stadiums? What should be done in order to achieve it? (laughs) I think you should play live as often as possible and just have this dream. You have to have dreams, and it’s a dream of mine to play at stadium. For example, we played as a support act for U.D.O. in 2004, and we played in front of 4,000-5,000 people, and we also played at the Bang Your Head festival with 5,000-6,000 metalheads in front of the stage. Thus, the dream is getting closer, you just have to believe in yourself. “Into The Stadiums” is just the dream of my heart, and hopefully it will happen. I think heavy metal is such a great kind of music that it deserves to be on big stages and have great audiences. That’s what this music was made for, I think.
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Post by killingjoke on Jun 26, 2009 18:56:14 GMT -5
Udo Dirkschneider On Accept Reunion 06/10/2009
Elena Mihailidou and Kostas Kyriakakis of Metalzone.gr recently conducted an interview with former Accept and current U.D.O. frontman Udo Dirkschneider. The chat is now available for viewing here.
On the subject of guitarist Wolf Hoffmann and bassist Peter Baltes's decision to resurrect Accept with new singer Mark Tornillo (formerly of TT Quick), Udo said, "they asked me and also Stefan [Kaufmann; former ACCEPT drummer and current U.D.O. guitarist] [to rejoin the band first]. [But] I [already] did the reunion with Accept. It doesn't work in the end. I did, in 2005, festivals with them." He added, "They have been out of the business for 15 years — Wolf and Peter — and they didn't make any new songs, nothing really new, and for me, to take this risk to do a reunion... I know definitely that it's not possible to make music together — compose new songs together; I know it doesn't work — and this risk, for me, is too high. I mean, I'm really satisfied with U.D.O., and I think with U.D.O., we continue, in a way, Accept. I'm longer now with U.D.O. — I've released more albums with U.D.O. than with Accept — and I said, 'No, I feel more comfortable with what I have now.' I mean, I do exactly the kind of music that I love to do.
"It's good to see that they're making music again, Peter and Wolf, and I'm looking forward to hearing this album. I wish them great luck, but I think it will be very hard [for them to continue] under the name Accept.
"This is not a reunion — it's just that they make music under the name Accept. I believe that they'll come up with good songs, but... There was always two parts of Accept — Wolf and Peter, and Stefan and me. And the mix [of the two] was the secret [behind what made Accept work]. The only thing I can say, in the end, the fans will decide if they like it or not. I wish them luck. I hope they don't go wrong. They did it once without me on the 'Eat The Heat' album. Maybe it would be better to do that under a different name, like Sabbath is doing now with Heaven & Hell.
"A lot of people write already e-mails to us, 'Please, don't go to Accept. We still wanna hear U.D.O. songs.' So what can I say? It's good to see that we have so many fans already with U.D.O. and we also have ACCEPT fans that say, 'This cannot really be Accept without you, Udo.' But we will see."
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Post by killingjoke on Jun 26, 2009 19:16:33 GMT -5
www.viciousrumors.com Since they played together in 1994, Vicious Rumors. are good friends of Rough Silk . After Carl´s tragic death they toured again together in 1996 with Accept. Also they met on many festivals. Wolf is the guitarplayer from ACCEPT. He also is a great photographer who shot the pictures for Rough Silk's first album and Ferdy´s first soloalbum. The guitar player of Udo´s band is Stefan Kaufmann, the former Accept-drummer, who has produced the first Rough Silk album, "roots of hate".
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Post by killingjoke on Jun 26, 2009 19:24:45 GMT -5
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Post by killingjoke on Jun 26, 2009 19:38:40 GMT -5
U.D.O. RELEASES MAN AND MACHINE ON BREAKER/SPV: COLOGNE, Germany - U.D.O., led by the former voice of Accept Udo Dirkschneider, has unleashed its eighth studio recording, "Man and Machine," through Breaker/SPV.
“This album is made after along time by the whole band,“ said Dirkschneider. “The sound is fresh and straight forward.”
"Man and Machine" includes a much talked about duet that pairs Dirkschneider's unmistakable voice with the equally unmistakable voice of German metal queen Doro Pesch.
"The idea was not new,” Dirkschneider said. “We had this idea already when we did the album ‘Objection Overruled’ with Accept in 1993, and when we had the ballad for ‘Man and Machine,’ Stefan Kaufmann came up with the idea again.”
As frontman for Accept, Dirkschneider defined a sound and an era of German metal, beginning with Accept's self-titled debut in 1978. Nine years later, the singer would go on to form U.D.O. and release the classic albums "Animal House," "Faceless World," "Mean Machine," "No Limits," "Solid," and "Timebomb." U.D.O. was put on temporary hiatus between 1992 and 1996 while Accept reformed for three albums, but soon returned with "Holy."
With seven albums under their belts, Dirkschnieder and his crew then put together the ultimate U.D.O. live recording, "Live From Russia." The double CD features the best of the U.D.O. catalog, including "Animal House," "They Want War," "Heart of Gold," "Independence Day," and "Holy," as well as exclusive and previously unavailable live versions of Accept classics like "I'm a Rebel," "Winter Dreams," "Turn Me On," "TV War," and "Heaven is Hell."
Having already completed a European headlining tour in support of "Man and Machine," U.D.O. is now preparing for the summer European festivals. This itinerary includes headlining slots at Lillehammer, Norway's Olymia Park/Ice Hockey Arena, Crete's National Stadium Open Air Festival, and Rieneck, Germany's Rock am Tummel.
The entire U.D.O. catalog and releases from Accept have been reissued through SPV USA. Accept's "Restless & Wild," released June 11, is the most recent reissue.
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Post by killingjoke on Jun 26, 2009 19:44:30 GMT -5
Accept Frontman Writing New Album 05/22/2007
Holland's Lords of Metal e-zine recently conducted an interview with legendary heavy metal vocalist Udo Dirkschneider (U.D.O., ex-Accept). A few excerpts from the chat follow:
Lords of Metal: You are about release your eleventh studio album with U.D.O. and I must say that has become a powerful and also fresh-sounding album.
Udo: That's right! Exactly the same amount of studio albums with ACCEPT, haha. But I agree with you on the powerful part. We did a lot of things differently on this album and chose for a more modern sound and different arrangements. It's very important for us to have a fresh sound. Of course we don't want to leave our roots, but we also don't want to stand still.
In the past Stefan's [Kaufmann] participation was the greatest in the songwriting. How big was the participation of the rest of the band this time? Does the fact that the album sounds fresh and more up to date have anything to do with the relatively younger musicians in the band?
The rest of the band was very involved with this album and it was very important for us to change the sound and the arrangements. We had our live sound engineer giving us some advice and eventually we brought him to the studio to work out his ideas. We are very happy with the result and I think we are lucky with him. He's been working with the band for so long and he knows how things should sound and what we were looking for.
Despise the modern sound and arrangements the album is very recognizable and still has the classic rock and metal feeling.
Exactly. We didn't change the music, but still did a lot of things differently as I mentioned. Listen to 'Tears of a Clown', for example; for that song we only used a cello and piano and I think we have some nice challenges for the next album as well. The point is that everything is different nowadays. There are also a lot of changes in the studio and everything is digital. This is a very good development in my opinion because everything goes faster, and not to forget cheaper. Back in the old days you had to make the pieces fall together manually, nowadays when you've recorded the parts you just press a button and everything falls to its place.
Maybe not directly related to this subject, but your camouflage outfit seems to become more and more history. At least you didn't use it during the last ACCEPT tour and I remember the promotional photo shoots for the 'Thunderball' album were you posed in a suit.
I haven't totally put that behind me. Back in the days it was something unique to do. Of course some stupid people started talking about military propaganda and Nazi crap and blablabla. You know how that goes; German, military… but nowadays it's become a style and you see a lot people doing it. But I'm not planning on leaving that behind.
I remember you saying that Accept was a closed chapter and that there will be never a reunion. That was five years ago, but still in 2005 the band was back together kicking the stage on festivals.
I didn't see it as a reunion. A reunion to me is coming back together, getting to rehearsals, doing shows and writing songs together and eventually make an album. That wasn't the case with ACCEPT. It was just for the fans and for fun. We had a great time together and shared a lot of drinks and old stories. But anyway, when we got back together nobody was talking about a new studio album with ACCEPT. Even if you wanted it somewhere deep inside, you still had to wait for a magic moment to let it out. But such a magic moment never came, at least not for me.
But I think a lot of people, including myself, were hoping for such a magic moment. I don't know, maybe in two or three years if I have time, we could do some shows together again.
But I mean a real reunion, with a new album and a tour to support it.
Yes, but that means that I have to start writing songs together with Wolf Hoffmann (Accept guitarist) and that would be a problem. You know, it's easy to play the old songs, because they already exist. Especially for me it was easier, because I still do those classics with U.D.O., but for some of the guys it was a bit harder. But everybody did a great job on stage. I understand that people want a new Accept album, but composing songs together would have been a disaster. That way we would destroy more than we would create. We have a good relationship now and it's best to keep it that way.
And of course you can't deny having influenced a lot of bands. Not only as a singer, but also in your years with Accept.
That's actually something I started to realise during the last few years. Some fifteen years ago I would never have guessed that Accept has such a big influence on so many different bands. I would never have guessed that a band like Dimmu Borgir would cover an Accept song and some very known people appear to have been influenced by what we did with Accept; like Metallica for example. I see more and more bands playing a cover and there have been some tributes. This all means that we were really creating something and that makes you proud, you know?
Of course you have had a busy and exciting life and much to tell about. Have you ever thought about writing an autobiography?
Actually I am. I have already started working on it and try to get as much material as I can. But it's not going to be a typical autobiography style. I want it to be more like a novel. We'll see how it turns out and when it's ready.
Read the entire interview at lordsofmetal.nl.
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Post by killingjoke on Jun 26, 2009 19:45:59 GMT -5
RAZORBACK Working On 'Modern, Heavy And Pop' Sophomore Album - June 9, 2005 RAZORBACK, the new band consisting of Rolf Munkes (guitar, MAJESTY, ex-VANIZE), Stefan Berggren (vocals, ex-COMPANY OF SNAKES), Marcus Bielenberg (bass, ex-VANIZE), and Chris Heun (guitar, ex-SHYLOCK), are continuing work on their sophomore album, tentatively due in October/November via Massacre Records.
"I think we developed an own and unique RAZORBACK sound," Munkes writes on his web site. "It's gonna be modern, heavy and a bit 'pop' in the same time. You will love it. Stefan did some outstanding vocals. We call it LOVE METAL!"
RAZORBACK recently parted ways with drummer Pierre Fienhold (ex-VANIZE) for "personal reasons." Replacing him in the group's lineup is Andre Hilgers, who has previously worked with AXXIS and SILENT FORCE.
RAZORBACK's debut CD, "Animal Anger", was released in April 2004 through Massacre. It was recorded during September 2003 and February 2004 at Empire and was mixed by Munkes during January and February 2004. Keyboards on the track "Dead Man's Song" were handled by Joakim Svalberg.
In related news, Munkes has issued the following update on the recording sessions for the new MAJESTY album:
"This month I'm gonna spend my weekends in Cologne at Stefan Kaufmann's [former ACCEPT drummer, current U.D.O. guitarist] studio to play rhythm guitar for the new MAJESTY album. It will be released in the beginning of next year. Solo parts will follow in July. Sounds that this will be a bit more modern, too."
MAJESTY's second full-length album, "Reign in Glory", was released in October 2003 through Massacre Records. The follow-up to 2001's "Keep It True" was recorded at Roxx studios in Pulheim, Germany under the watchful eye of producer Stefan Kaufmann and marked the recording debut with the group of Munkes.
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Post by killingjoke on Jun 26, 2009 19:51:32 GMT -5
wiki.verkata.com/en/wiki/AcceptBackground information Origin Solingen, Germany Genre(s) Heavy metal, speed metal, Years active 1968–1989, 1992–1997, 2004-2005, 2009–present Label(s) Nuclear Blast, Epic/Sony, PolyGram, Passport Website Official website Members Mark Tornillo Wolf Hoffmann Herman Frank Peter Baltes Stefan Schwarzmann Former members Michael Wagener Udo Dirkschneider Jörg Fischer Frank Friedrich Stefan Kaufmann David Reece Jan Koemmet Jim Stacey Gerhard Wahl Accept are a German heavy metal band from the town of Solingen, originally assembled in the early 1970s by Udo Dirkschneider. They played an important role in the development of speed metal [1] and Teutonic thrash metal, being part of the German heavy/speed/power metal scene to emerge in the early to mid 1980s along with bands such as Helloween, Running Wild, Grave Digger, Sinner, and Rage. The band's 1983 album, Balls to the Wall, subsequently became their most successful release, featuring its well-known hit with the same title. Following their disbandment in 1997 and brief resurrection in 2005, they reunited in 2009 without Dirkschneider.[2] Biography Early years (1968-1982) Accept were originally founded in 1968 by Udo Dirkschneider and Michael Wagener under the name Band X. For many years after its founding, Accept went through constant changes to its line-up and was essentially kept on an amateur level, making sporadic appearances in festival concerts. Their professional career began in 1976, when they were invited to play at one of the first rock and roll festivals from Germany — Rock am Rhein. Following the festival, the band received a recording deal. Their first recording was the self-titled Accept album which did not achieve much commercial success. The first stable line-up of Accept was composed of vocalist Udo Dirkschneider, guitarists Wolf Hoffmann and Gerhard Wahl, bassist Peter Baltes and drummer Frank Friedrich. Friedrich and Wahl quit the band after the release of Accept, since they did not intend to pursue a professional career in music[citation needed]. They were replaced by Stefan Kaufmann and Jörg Fischer, and with this line-up the band proceeded to record I'm a Rebel in 1980. The title track originally was written for AC/DC but never released by them. This was the album which brought media attention to the band, which was subsequently invited to make its first televised show. Three important events took place in 1981. First, the album Breaker was released. Second, a contract with manager Gaby Hauke was signed, an agreement which lasted for the whole of the band's career. Third, Accept joined Judas Priest's world tour and obtained a fair amount of success, making the band known outside of Europe. The next album — Restless and Wild — was released in 1982, but did not have the presence of Jörg Fischer, who quit the band a short time before the recording took place. Jan Koemmet was hired as Accept's new guitarist. Restless and Wild saw an evolution in the band's sound, which incorporated several characteristics of the genre which would later be called speed metal. Mainstream success (1983-1987) Accept became successful with their next release, Balls to the Wall (1983), now with Herman Frank (ex-Sinner), which would prove to be something different from what they had previously recorded. The album was of a conceptual nature, and included songs which spoke about themes such as politics, sexuality and different kinds of human relationships. For example the title track "Balls to the Wall" refers to slaves revolting against oppressing masters. "Fight It Back" is about the social misfit, fighting against conformity. The lyrics for the songs were credited to Accept + a certain "Deaffy", which was later revealed to be their manager Gaby Hauke under a pseudonym. She proceeded to compose the lyrics of all of their songs from that album on, without ever officially claiming authorship of the songs. During a show in their hometown in the year of 1983, the band ran into Jörg Fischer by chance. On Hauke's insistence, Fischer was made part of the band once more. A world tour which would only end in 1984 — at the historic Monsters of Rock festival — followed. Metal Heart came next, in 1985, soon followed by the live album Kaizoku-Ban. Russian Roulette continued the series of albums, being produced by Scorpions producer Dieter Dierks and released in 1986. However, as time passed, differences began to surface. Peter Baltes, Wolf Hoffmann and Gaby Hauke expressed a growing interest in the USA, and spent more time in overseas countries than in Germany, which meant they were constantly away from the rest of the band. The distance between them grew, and it was eventually decided that Accept would enter an hiatus and that Udo Dirkschneider would, in the meantime, pursue a solo career. The other members of the band worked together with Udo on the technical side of his first solo album, entitled Animal House, and it was released under the name of U.D.O. in Europe and America. David Reece period and first hiatus (1988-1991) After a period of inactivity, Peter, Wolf and Stefan set to work once more as a band with the help of vocalist David Reece; Udo's solo career was working out well and guitarist Jörg Fischer had once more left Accept. After a few demos, the band felt secure enough with this new line-up and released Eat the Heat, the first and last (?) Accept album without Udo. A short warm up tour in the USA was followed by a European tour with the support of rhythm guitarist Jim Stacey followed the release of the album. The tour, however, came to a sudden halt when Stefan Kaufmann sustained a serious injury to his back. He was replaced by drummer Ken Mary for the remainder of the tour. By the tour's end, Hoffmann, Baltes and Hauke had decided that Reece was an unstable personality and Kaufman was going to need a long break from the drums. They decided it was time to quit. By the end of 1989, the band had ceased its activities. Reunion with Dirkschneider and the final years (1992-1996) A live compilation entitled Staying a Life was released in 1990, and fans from around the globe demanded a reunion. During a visit to Germany, Udo met with the musicians from Accept and, after some discussion, it was decided that they would relaunch the classic line-up of the band. Objection Overruled was released in 1993. The band's reunion was a qualified success in Europe and the USA, where the band was working though Pavement Records. A world tour followed. Another album, entitled Death Row, was released in 1994, but Kaufmann became unable to play once more due to his recurring back injury. The band invited Stefan Schwarzmann as a temporary replacement and commenced plans for their next tour. The musicians, however, began to feel tired. The teenagers from the town of Solingen had grown up and were beginning to feel the toll of a life of constant touring. A sense of finality was in the air when the band entered studios to record Predator from 1996, this time with Michael Cartellone (from d**n Yankees) on the drums. Accept's final tour, supporting Predator, went through America, Europe and Asia, with their last concert in Tokyo, Japan, one of the world capitals of heavy metal. Second hiatus and brief resurrection (1997-2005) The future of Accept was uncertain between 1997 and 2005, as all members continue working on their own projects. However 2005 saw a short commemorative reunion tour with Accept's classic line-up. The final show was held on August 27, 2005, in Kavarna, Bulgaria - at the Kaliakra rock fest. Asked in May 2007 if Accept were planning on writing and recording new material in the near future, Dirkschneider replied: “ That would be a problem. You know, it's easy to play the old songs, because they already exist. Especially for me it was easier, because I still do those classics with U.D.O., but for some of the guys it was a bit harder. But everybody did a great job on stage. I understand that people want a new Accept album, but composing songs together would have been a disaster. That way we would destroy more than we would create. We have a good relationship now and it's best to keep it that way. ” Reunion with new singer (2009-present) In May 2009, a possible Accept reformation surfaced when bassist Peter Baltes revealed that he spent a weekend at his house in Pennsylvania and "shredding away" with the band's guitarist Wolf Hoffmann. "Something amazing is in the works," Baltes explained. "As soon as I can, I'll let everybody know. Let's make the 'Metal Heart' beat again." On May 14, 2009, it was announced that Udo Dirkschneider would not be participating in the rumored Accept reunion tour.[4] As of May 15, 2009, former TT Quick singer Mark Tornillo is Dirkschneider's replacement.[2] Reunion tour dates are currently being booked and a new studio album is on the way. Popular culture The German 1982 movie "Nacht der Wölfe" included an excerpt of "Starlight" as well as a glimpse of the album cover for Breaker as the female lead puts the record on. "Run if You can" is also featured in the film, and both songs appeared on the soundtrack album. Their song "Balls to the Wall" was chosen number 38 in VH1's 40 'Greatest Metal Songs.' Their song "Fast as a Shark" was featured in the Italian 1985 film Dèmoni. "Balls to the Wall" is featured in the PS2 game Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s and PSP/PS2 game Grand Theft Auto:Vice City Stories. Their song "Balls to the Wall" is featured in 2008´s film The Wrestler with Mickey Rourke as Randy "The Ram" Robinson. Discography For more details on this topic, see Accept discography. 1979: Accept 1980: I'm a Rebel 1981: Breaker 1982: Restless and Wild 1984: Balls to the Wall 1985: Metal Heart 1986: Russian Roulette 1989: Eat the Heat 1993: Objection Overruled 1994: Death Row 1996: Predator 2009: Upcoming studio album References ^ "In many ways this album [Restless & Wild]was a milestone in Accept's career. With the thundering double bass drum attack of the song 'FAST AS A SHARK,' they helped to spark a genre which would soon be called "Speed Metal."Spirit of metal ^ a b ^ ^ External links Official website for Ken Mary - SonicPhish Arizona Recording Studio David Reece Interview @ Sleaze Roxx Metal Archives [1] v • d • e Accept Wolf Hoffmann • Peter Baltes • Mark Tornillo • Herman Frank • Stefan Schwarzmann Udo Dirkschneider • Stefan Kaufmann • Jörg Fischer Studio albums Accept • I'm a Rebel • Breaker • Restless and Wild • Balls to the Wall • Metal Heart • Russian Roulette • Eat the Heat • Objection Overruled • Death Row • Predator • Rich & Famous
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Post by killingjoke on Jun 26, 2009 19:54:18 GMT -5
Udo Paul Flanaghan How long is it since you played in the UK?
We were here promoting the HOLY album in 2000, we played here at the Underworld and it was very good, it was the first time in over 11 years and I think it was 86 last time that Accept toured here. But then again I was here with Accept in 93 or something like that, with did a reunion show in London, but it was a long time since I'd played here and it went very well.
So you are on a European tour now to promote the MAN & MACHINE album.
Yes, we have already played Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Germany we did France, Spain and Switzerland and now were doing England with one more show to do tomorrow in Dudley, then we go to Belgium and back to do one more show in Germany and finally the chezch republic, then thats the first part over and it's the world cup so nobody really wants to do any concerts, and after that we'll be spending the summer doing festivals all over Europe.
Do you still enjoy touring after being in the business for so long?
Yes, I mean I still love to play live music it's still fun being on tour, you can see the direction of the audience when you have a new album so you can see how it works, to see the reaction is the best part of it all.
Tell us about the new album.
The new album's called ' Man & Machine', it's not a concept album what we have is the three songs 'Man & Machine', 'Private Eye' and 'Network Nightmare' they're all about new technology. 'Man & Machine' is about computer & Robot stuff, the main lyrics are around the fact that the humans were created, who created the machines and that we had better keep an eye on the Machines so that they don't end up running the humans. I think this new album is definitely back to the roots from the Accept days and that was something we wanted to do, now that Accept is over and theirs no reunion planned or anything like that.
Are you still in contact with the guy's?
Yes, I am still in contact with Peter and Wolf, they are both living in America now but they're both out of the music business, Wolf did a classical instrumental album but it wasn't released in Europe, it was selling over the internet. It's a shame but when we did the last album with the reunion tour we could all feel that the spirit was gone, it was going in two different directions and we had all been together for such a long time that when we were doing the album we could all feel that it was really over, so before we destroyed the name 'Accept' we agreed to do the last record and tour and that would be it. So now in U.D.O we have Stefan Kaufman with me who was the drummer in Accept, he now playes the guitar, he's been playing guitar since he was four years old so I new he was always into guitar, and when he had his back problem he couldn't play the drums anymore so I asked him if he wanted to be my guitar player and he said he would love to do this.
Was Mathias Dieth who played on the 'Faceless World' album interested in doing more work with you?
I would have loved to have had him back when I started U.D.O again, but he is now a lawyer, and is totally out of the music business. I still see him, but he was a really great guitar player.
Who is in the band now?
Stefan Kaufmann on Guitar, Lorenzo Milano on Drums he's from Switzerland, Igor Gianola is on the second guitar also from Switzerland and the Bass Player is Pitty Wienhold he is German but he is living in Spain so in a way it's a European Band. Stefan and me are still living near Cologne and with Stefan having his own studio then in a way everything is so easy for us to record an album without any pressure.
You have also set up your own label 'BREAKER' what was your reason for that?
When I started with U.D.O. again I did two albums with Gun Records in Germany, they did a good job but we told them that it's not only Germany, we wanted to tour every where and they did a very bad job in all the other countries. So after the two albums I said OK I don't want to be with them anymore so I had a choice to control everything so I set up my own Label. We work with SPV who do the distribution for us, so it's a lot of hard work but if you have the right organization it works.
It's always been difficult to get U.D.O albums over here, do you now have a licensing deal here?
Now we work alongside SPV who will be pushing things over here, that was the thing with Gun it was a big problem you know, I didn't have deals in a lot of countries like France for example for at least five years so now at last with SPV everything is working out.
Your Brother Peter has his own band which you signed to your Label.
Yes that was the only chance for him it's so hard to get a deal, it's not easy for him, I mean he's always the little brother of Udo, he has a great band and the albums have done well but it's always a problem. He did a tour with us in Scandinavia and Spain but at the moment they are starting to work on their new album.
Another German band who seem to be doing very well is Rammstein.
I like them very much, the shows they are doing are great and their music is pretty good, but now I think they are coming to a point with the last album where it's going to go very commercial. I first saw them when they were playing in front of one hundred and fifty people, they did pretty much the same show with the flames and Pyro's etc.
Many bands who enjoyed success in the 80's & 90's are touring again now. Do you feel that there could be a revival of these types of bands like Dokken, Mike Tramp & Bonfire?
It's interesting, when we toured last time with the Holy album I was surprised when they asked us to go to America and do headline shows, I wasn't sure about it but they agreed to let us do some small clubs so we agreed, we'll give it a try, we were over there for nearly two Months. Some places were quiet, but in New York for instance we had around 800 people and in Chicago we had around 1000 people, it was great to see this kind of music becoming popular again. What is interesting for me having been in the business so long is the amount of young people coming to our concerts, very young people fifteen sixteen year olds singing along to 'Balls To The Wall'. it shows that this music is not dead and never was.
Do you still include some Accept songs in your set?
Oh yes, we still play all the classic stuff and some very old stuff, we try to mix it up say 50% of the set is Accept songs.
When you opened for Judas Priest in the 80's I remember Wolf Hoffman saying that he could not believe how cruel the UK fans could be around that time. Do you still feel this way?
Yes in a way, it was a really hard time for us, but by the end of the shows they always ended upstanding and applauding our performance. But in a way we learned a lot, the guys from Judas Priest told us that at the end of the shows we had a good reaction from the UK. That tour really helped to promote us over here, we knew a lot of German bands that didn't want to play in England because they were really scared to play here.
One of the big music magazines over here recently gave you some bad press, Does that sort of thing get to you?
A lot of people say that we are doing the same music, that they don't need this anymore but I've been in this business for thirty years and I've seen many bands come and go and I'm still here, there is a reason for that. But thankfully with this new album we have had such fantastic press all over Europe.
Well good luck with the rest of the tour Udo, thank you very much for talking to Fireworks.
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Post by killingjoke on Jun 26, 2009 20:00:38 GMT -5
Accept Group of Eat the Heat:
David Reece Vocals, Group Member George Chin Cover Photo El Topo Assistant Engineer, Mixing Ashley Kramer Photography Jim Stacey Guitar (Rhythm), Group Member Deaffy Cover Art Concept Peter Baltes Bass, Group Member Dieter Dierks Arranger, Engineer, Mixing, Producer Mark Dodson Vocals (Background) Wolf Hoffmann Guitar, Group Member Stefan Kaufmann Drums, Group Member, Remastering Bob Ludwig Mastering
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