#stefan schwarzmann

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Friday, August 26: Accept, “Hung, Drawn and Quartered”

Blood of the Nations was more successful in revitalizing the Accept brand than anyone expected, with audiences immediately embracing Mark Tornillo as their new frontman, so the band was riding high and confident on Stalingrad, which opening track “Hung, Drawn and Quartered” made immediately clear by kicking ass right out of the gate.  Here was a band completely comfortable in their skin and in full lockstep on their mission statement, and it was a joy to behold.  The song felt clear in its purpose, leaning in on Accept’s trademarks in a way that felt natural to everyone involved, including the audience. The band actually did stretch out a touch on Stalingrad, apparently to the disappointment of some listeners, but “Hung, Drawn and Quartered” was a straight-up rager that delivered on its promises.

[rp-kat]

U.D.O.

1998

Morbid Noizz  #5

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Friday, September 3: Running Wild, “Fistful of Dynamite”

In hindsight, Pile of Skulls wasn’t quite as strong as the other records Running Wild put out during their ’88-’94 hot streak, but the album was still packed with catchy and frantic bangers.  “Fistful of Dynamite” was actually somewhat uncharacteristic, since it had a bit more swagger to the rhythm and chorus, but Rock n’ Rolf Kasparek grunted and growled his conspiracy theories and hilariously nonsensical threats (“a bomb headed for your ass”??!) with his usual vigor and conviction, while returning drummer Stefan Schwarzmann bashed his drums with the trashcan fury that was one of Running Wild’s trademarks. Nobody could really follow what Kasparek was so worked up about, but it didn’t matter since the tunes were so much fun.  Apparently Kasparek eventually realized this himself, since he dusted off “Fistful of Dynamite” and opened Running Wild’s first tour in over 15 years with it.  And sure enough, all those years later it still cooked.

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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.

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Friday, February 1: Accept, “Beat the Bastards”

Accept’s decision to reconvene with Mark Tornillo replacing the iconic Udo Dirkschneider received shockingly little pushback from audiences: even though their previous attempt at a non-Udo run with David Reece was mostly forgiven and forgotten, and even though the band’s three ‘90s records with Udo at the helm were increasingly disheartening, fans were surprisingly willing to go with the notion of a different frontman (and an American, no less) leading the legendary outfit.  And their faith was ultimately rewarded, as “Beat the Bastards” opened Blood of the Nations and hit with more force and venom than anyone was expecting, updating the approach of Restless & Wild but staying true to the crushing spirit that defined Accept’s legacy.  Tornillo’s screeching was naturally different from Dirkschneider’s caterwaul, but the T.T. Quick vocalist blended in seamlessly with Wolf Hoffmann’s charging riffs and Stefan Schwarzmann’s frantic yet super-precise drumming, and “Beat the Bastards” more than lived up to its title.  It wasn’t just that everything locked in place, it was that nobody was really expecting an Accept record in 2006 to sound this purposeful and relentless.  And while this new-model Accept would eventually wear this formula down to tedium, “Beat the Bastards” was a striking declaration of vitality from a band most had long since written off.

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Friday, June 29: U.D.O., “Can’t Get Enough”

Faceless World eased the throttle a bit after the onslaughts of Animal House and Mean Machine, which was a bit surprising considering that U.D.O.’s third record found Udo Dirkschneider reteaming with erstwhile Accept drummer Stefan Kaufmann, who would essentially become the frontman’s co-captain for the next 20-plus years.  But even if Faceless World wasn’t as frenetic as its two predecessors, nor did it fully recapture the glory of mid ‘80s Accept, it was a refreshing change of pace after the occasionally hectoring tone of those first couple U.D.O. albums.  And it’s not like it didn’t have its share of bangers: “Can’t Get Enough” was every bit as frantic as “We Want It Loud” or “Painted Love”, with Stefan Schwarzmann drumming like he was still in Running Wild while Dirkschneider screeched his nonsensical platitudes (“You better run before I start to smile”- ???).  But that sort of aimless and slightly misguided aggression was fundamental to the U.D.O. ethos at the time, for better or worse, and at least recalled the charmingly unhinged lunacy of Restless and Wild and Balls to the Wall more effectively than Accept’s own Eat the Heat, which wasn’t as bad as everyone claimed, but still didn’t really feel like Accept.  “Can’t Get Enough”, however, did at least feel like it was coming from two of that band’s primary creative forces, with Matthias Dieth’s shredding adding some modern flourishes.

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Monday, March 5: Running Wild, “Hanged, Drawn and Quartered” [ENCORE]

The Today’s Metal Tune tumblr posted its first song March 3, 2014.  To commemorate 4 years of metal, this week we will look back by re-airing some favorites from our first year.  A huge THANK YOU to all who have followed, liked, reblogged and commented, whether you came in from the beginning or really dug that Slayer tune last Friday.  Cheers to 4 years, there is still plenty more metal to come...

“Hanged, Drawn and Quartered” was Running Wild’s greatest B-side: an Axel Morgan composition inexplicably left off Pile of Skulls, the song was a straight-up rager full of the trashcan drumming and yowling vocals that made Running Wild arguably the most entertaining power metal act of its era.  Rock n’ Rolf may not have written this one (which likely played a role in it not making the final cut on Pile of Skulls, as it was also the last time anyone other than Rolf Kasparek claimed sole credit on a Running Wild track), but the song epitomized everything that made the first pirate metal band so awesome, from its sheer relentlessness to the catchiness of the gang vocals on the chorus.  “Hanged, Drawn and Quartered” also featured the most intense drumming of Stefan Schwarzmann’s long career, and that includes the mayhem he propagated throughout Pile of Skulls, while the riffing was classic speed metal.  The tune ended up being not only a fine capper to the Axel Morgan era of Running Wild, but also a culmination of the band’s peak years, for while Kasparek rebuilt the band and continued delivering strong records throughout the ‘90s, they were not quite as consistent, rendering “Hanged, Drawn and Quartered” among the last of its kind.

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Friday, December 22: U.D.O., “Freelance Man”

If Solid restarted the U.D.O. concept after a 6-year absence and laid down basic ground rules for how the band would operate going forward, No Limits crystallized both the pecking order and fundamental approach Udo Dirkschneider would operate under for the next 13 or so years.  With Stefan Kaufmann playing guitar, co-writing and producing, Dirkschneider crafted an Accept album that sounded more like his former band that anything he actually did with them in the ‘90s, as No Limits more or less did away with the heavier textures of Solid in favor of a slightly updated take on Metal Heart and Russian Roulette, with “Freelance Man” leading the charge with fast-paced drumming from Stefan Schwarzmann, chugging riffs from Kaufmann and Jürgen Graf, steady bass from Fitty Wienhold, and Dirkschneider’s strangled garble.  The song moved faster than anything on Solid, but didn’t roar with as much vigor, as Udo was beginning to show the slightest signs of losing power.  But “Freelance Man” essentially laid down the blueprint for virtually every other opening track U.D.O. would unveil over the next 20 years, and in establishing the new old order, more effectively reestablished the band as a going concern.