Friday, August 9: Accept, “Against the World”
Stalingrad wasn’t quite as well-received as Blood of the Nations, even though it was arguably a more well-rounded and complete statement by this iteration of Accept: it didn’t have the shock value of its predecessor, which surprised everyone with its overall quality and focus, but the second album of the Mark Tornillo era was more confident and ambitious in its scope, and a little less ham-fisted (sure, there were still the simplistic clarion calls to action, but that was always fundamental to Accept’s value proposition). As such, while the general thrust of “Against the World” was obvious to anyone within 30 miles, it didn’t feel rote- the success of Blood of the Nations gave Accept added vigor and confidence, and both were in abundance here. Even though Tornillo’s vocals were inherently different from those of the inimitable Udo Dirkschneider, he worked within the same tonal range and fit seamlessly into the band’s framework, and this clearly juiced Wolf Hoffmann and Peter Baltes to craft an anthem that not only sounded like classic Accept, but actually felt like it. “Against the World” was precise, charging and classic heavy metal by a group of veterans that were more than ready to stand up and reassert their legendary status.
