Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"It's black & blue and it happened to you", April 14, 2005
Accept was the German Judas Priest in the 1980s. They offered the blistering duo guitar assault of Wolf Hoffman and Hermann Frank and the high, raw vocals of Udo Dirkschneider. They released two amazing metal masterpieces before their sixth album Metal Heart (Restless and Wild and Balls to the Wall). Metal Heart came out in 1985 the year after their most famous album Balls to the Wall. To capitalize on their enhanced fame, producer Dieter Dirks (of Scorpions fame) was enlisted to give Metal Heart a more commercial sound and extra sense of melody. More change took place when Jorg Fischer replaced Frank on guitar. Accept's music began to move away from the dark intensity of their previous two records. Though the potential was there for this album to mark a giant fall from the metal mountain top, it ended up being another solid album that offers some amazing tracks.
The title track is solid and was inspired by Tschaikowski and Beethoven (so says the album cover). It sounds a little dated with the "It is 1999..." opening verse but it is one of Accept's better tracks. "Midnight Mover" moves towards the more pop metal sound. I love this track! It is catchy as heck! It is my favorite track on side one. "Up to the Limit" is solid guitar metal. It stands out to me because the guitarists moved in sequence during the verses in the live show I saw on video. It made the song, which I considered average, cooler. "Wrong is Right" flies! It is an adrenaline pumper. "Screaming for a Love Bite" is another thing all together. It has comical lyrics about a vicious hickey on the neck. It is also very pop metal but not the good kind like "Midnight Mover." It seems more of a novelty to me, so I don't take it all that seriously, though I like the guitar in it.
Side two, at first, seems rather dull. I like the opening track "Too High to Get It Right" although it doesn't blow me away. The next two songs don't stand out. "Teach Us to Survive" is a little interesting in that it has a James Bond film sound. "Dogs on Leads" has the customary raw lyrics, but musically is unmemorable. Luckily, Metal Heart ends on two high notes. "Living for Tonite" flat out rocks! It is my favorite on the album. It is got an incredible beat. "Bound to Fail" is a killer track! Awesome number to go out on! They are why I give this album a solid 4-star grade. Well over half these songs are quality (7 out of 10). Two of the lesser tracks are not so much bad as they are unremarkable. "Screaming..." is more silly than terrible. Metal Heart was Accept's last exceptional release. Their next album, Russian Roulette, was not be quite up to snuff and Udo would leave the band after that to start his own project U.D.O. only to return in the early 1990s when alternative music ruled. Recommended for those like me who liked it better in the 1980s when metal ruled.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic old school metal, December 7, 2002
Accept was always in the shadow of the legendary Scorpions. This was their most solid effort. It might have not have been their heaviest, but it was their best. The band sounds great. The singing is not for people looking for Paul Rodgers or Lou Gramm. It's more like a cross between Brian Johnson and Paul Di'anno. This record sounds like "British Steel" era Priest. If you are a classic heavy metal fan(traditional, not thrash or speed), you will enjoy this album. If you do, make sure to check out all of Accept's back catalog.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Unheralded in Its Day, February 8, 2002
Heavy metal may have reached its peak around 1985, and so did Accept. More polished than its predecesors ("Restless & Wild" and "Balls to the Wall) with more energy than the follow-up "Russian Roulette," "Metal Heart showcases everything that was right with Not-Quite-Mainstream-Because-No-Radio-Station-Would-Play-It '80s metal.
The work here presents some hich-octane burners ("Midnight Mover," "Up to the Limit," "Too High to Get It Right," and "Living for Tonight"), as well some smoldering selections ("Screaming for a Love-Bite," "Dogs on Leads"). There are also a couple of songs that move a bit beyond the ordinary fare with the title track and "Bound to Fail."
Some listeners may be turned off by the less accesible "Wrong is Right" and "Teach Us to Survive" and the adolescent nature of some of the lyrics, but if your looking for an album to propel you back to a time when music (and the fans) had more raw energy, this album is a sure bet.
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