Customer Reviews

Metal Heart

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

After listening to this album for so long i finally got a chance to review this wicked work of metal goodness.

Metal Heart was Accept's 6th album and probably the slickest effort they ever released.For the first time Accept were getting a taste of superstardom that another german band,The Scorpions, had already been enjoying for a number of years now. Metal Heart saw Accept as headliners for the first time ever and were now argueably the best metal band in the 85-86 time period.You can talk all you want about Iron Maiden,Judas Preist,Dio-whatever about being the top metal acts of the 80's, but to me these guys were by-far the greatest heavy metal group of the 1980's.I seriously doubt that any band at the time had the virtous skills that these krauts possesed, Wolf Hoffman could of made Murray and Smith (of Maiden) sound poor.Stephan Kauffmann was the fastest metal drumer prior to Dave Lombardo of Slayer. And of course Udo's singing was something i have always loved.

Metal Heart is a fine choice if you are gonna start with on of Accept's albums.It is a commercial one for sure but i feel it is probably the best album they ever made. The title track alone is worth the price of this album,the song Metal Heart has a riff that chuggs along like a panzer.There is also the inexcapable dance metal of MidNightMover.It is important to know that this came out in the prime of the MTV hair metal age, so the move towards commercial metal was to be expected but this was still heavier then anything else being released at the time by those pathetic american pop metal groups.

MetalHeart 10/10, the opening track is one of the heaviest songs they ever wrote,very classicaly influenced and prophetic lyrics about mankinds future.

MidNightMover 10/10, the grooviest track on the album. It was a hit single and it got a video that made you puke from being dizzy.

Up to the Limit 10/7, an average song by Accept standards that is still pretty good.

Wrong is Right 10/11, WOW! this is the fastest song on the album! Udo's bloodcurdling scream kicks it off and it is the closest song to being almost thrash in structer.

Screaming for a Love-bite, 10/9 a infectious song with weird lyrics.

Too High to Get it Right, 10/6 This sounds just a little too much like AC/DC for my taste.

Dogs on Leads, 10/8 a very good song with a slow moody build up that turns into a flat out anthemic rocker.

Teach us to Survive 10/8 not a bad song at all, has some interesting toe tapping beats and the bass gets funky at times.

Livin for Tonight 10/10 Awesome song, it sounds like the Scorpions Big City Nights. It is a strait out @ss kicker with some raspy vocals courtesy of the Tank.

Bound to Fail 10/10 the last song on the album goes out with a bang. From the killer street gang chants in the background to Hoffmanns amazing solo, this is one of the stongest songs on here and a perfect way to close a perfect album.

Accept doesn't get much credit and that is a shame, not many people know about them. It's been twenty years almost since this was released, so why not go pick it up and discover a true metal classic? Accept have also recenty reunited, so that should be a very welcomed reunion indeed. In this age of Linkin park, Slipknot, Jessica Simpson, Black Eyed Peas, Ipods and countless other trendy crap that pollutes the braindead masses, i think this world needs an Accept reunion and tour.

We are glad to have The Tank and his soilders back once again to crush the opposition.

Peace out.

This album really made a difference to ACCEPT. For the first time in their carreer they became superstars. The "Metal Heart" album shows a band that can turn to where the wind blows. And by 1985 that wind was called the commercial wind. To survive in the showbiz of heavy metal you had to go for the bigger audience and the bigger money. So they did. ACCEPT lost a lot of devoted fans, but gained even more fans. Every so called devoted fan that turned their backs on ACCEPT in 1985 did not understand the heart and soul of the band. Their mission was to make good music. With this album ACCEPT finally got into the big league. Commercial....yes...so what!! By 1985 you had to go commercial unless you wanted to play for nickels and dimes. The music is brilliant. The album "Metal Heart" is forever carved in golden letters in the Hall of fame of 80's Heavy Metal. Buy it now, and experience a band at it's peak. The tracks are awsome..every singel one of them.

The surprise success of the song Balls to the Wall in 1984, brought into the spotlight, if only briefly, the German heavy metal band Accept. Their sound was hard, crushing, uncompromising Euro style metal. Fronted by camo-garbed vocalist Udo Dirkschnieder, the band featured the twin guitar talents of Wolf Hoffmann and Jorg Fischer.

Accept's 1985 follow up Metal Heart, features the band well within their established musical realm, but also branching out and exploring new territory. The result, is one of the best heavy metal albums of the 80's. The production is fantastic, yielding a sound is truly "heavy". The recording offers musical variety, and some outstanding songs. Vocalist Dirkschneider is effective either screeching out lyrics, or delivering them in a strained menacing growl. The guitar work is powerful, as lead guitarist Hoffmann brings virtuosity and emotion to his solos.

The music hits hard, perhaps none more so than Midnight Mover. The pattern of the main riff is unique, and catchy. Hoffmann's solo is a memorable, ascending thing of beauty. Teach Us to Survive, is another great song with an unusual structure, and haunting minor tones, that shows what this band is capable of. "Finger snapping" in an Accept song? Yes, and more thrills from Wolf on his brilliant solo. Udo's snarling vocals punctuate this dark, brooding number.

Living for Tonight has some elements reminiscent of another German band, the Scorpions, with its powerful straight-ahead approach. The midsong interlude with Udo's plaintive moans, is a prelude to another killer guitar solo and pounding outro, that should leave most headbangers satisfied. Screaming for a Love-Bite features some perky chords, taking the band into unfamiliar territory, sounding almost (gasp!) "happy". Once again, Wolf's twisting solo is another gem.

The title track, Metal Heart borrows from Beethoven, and is a pounding metal juggernaut. Somewhat in the style of Balls to the Wall, Dogs on Leads is a menacing heavy number with more Dirkschneider growls and wails. Want to rock out to a stomping groove? Then Too High to Get It Right, and Up to the Limit should fit the bill nicely.

The music on Metal Heart is some of the finest, and most progressive, produced by the band. Accept's music from the mid 80's period, is among the best examples of heavy Euro style metal. With Udo Dirkschneider, Accept's music was delivered with an attitude. Besides Accept, aficionados are also encouraged to check out the music of Dirkschneider's group U.D.O., and Running Wild, another German heavy metal band.

Released in 1985 this album is a heavy metal classic. Accept is one of the most unique power metal bands of the 80's and are well known for they're great music but if you ask me this album is they're best right next to "Balls To The Wall". I like all 10 songs on this album and my 3 favorite are "Metal Heart", "Screaming For A Love-Bite", and "Living For Tonight". Udo Dirkschneider does some of his best vocals ever on this album. This album was well put together and belongs in the hands of any true 80's metal fan.

This album is strong. From the muscular voice of Udo, the twin guitar work of Wolfmann and Jorg Fisher (where is he nowadays, by the way?), the solid rhythm work of bassist Peter Baltes and drummer Stefan Kaufmann, this album is really energetic.

Estas son las puertas al verdadero metal, un album que forma parte del viejo testamento de rock, el grupo marcaría en este punto un antes y un despues en su música.
En esta ocasión los riff de guitarra se mezclan con sintetizadores y sonidos góticos, a la par de contundentes.

Nada es prescindible en este trabajo, todo significa un gran momento de gloria y de puro sentimiento mostrando el mejor rock-metal de todos los tiempos, a destacar canciones: como la impresionante "Metal Heart", la clásica "Living for tonite", la distendida "Midnight Mover" y la épica "Dogs on Lead" entre otras

As with ALL other great metal bands of the era, Accept HAD to go commercial to survive. However, Metal Heart should be the benchmark of FINE QUALITY commercial heavy metal (other bands of their time failed to be commercially competent and went downhill, i.e. Scorpions, Judas Priest, Dokken, Crue, Krokus, Whitesnake, etc.) The vocals, drums and guitars on this album show Accept at its best. Commercial??? so what! This is still a great album.