The other week, I saw Accept play at KK’s Steel Mill. The late running and biblical rain that had been pouring through the venue couldn’t dim the skill, poise and sheer brilliance of their songs.
They are a little like Saxon in that regard—or Testament in relation to thrash’s Big Four. Accept sometimes seem to be overlooked when they have every right to reside in metal’s Premier League.
Here, they celebrate their 50th anniversary in quite stunning fashion, inviting 50 guests to help create new versions of 19 of their most famous songs. Sixteen of them were played in Wolverhampton, either in full or as parts of medleys.
If we discussed every contribution, this review would run to thousands of words. It is probably easier to assume that almost everybody who has ever played on a metal record turns up somewhere.
“Fast as a Shark,” for example, features Phil Anselmo, Kirk Hammett, Billy Sheehan and Mikkey Dee—and it is a quite stunning version. Hammett clearly relishes delivering the classical-style solo, while hearing Rob Halford sing “Balls to the Wall” is a genuine treat.
Thrash royalty arrives for “Aiming High,” with Chuck Billy, Gary Holt and David Ellefson helping to beef it up considerably. “Run If You Can,” meanwhile, brings together Todd La Torre, Ola Englund, Chuck Garric and Roy Mayorga. It is astonishing how many brilliant musicians appear across this record.
Never mind the famous names, though: something like “Hellhammer” is simply a fantastic song. That track also illustrates the breadth of the contributors, while “Metal Heart” brings in Joel Hoekstra from the more melodic end of the spectrum and the superb voice of Dino Jelusick.
Hansi Kürsch has one of those voices capable of adapting to almost anything within classic metal, and Paul Gilbert brings his customary sense of fun to “Losers and Winners.” “Save Us” then finds Tobias Forge adding some unmistakable theatricality.
John Bush is one of my personal favourite vocalists, so anything featuring him is worth hearing. He is magnificent on “Up to the Limit,” but the key lyric arrives during “Wrong Is Right”: “We were young, we were wild.” That could sum up the last half-century, never mind the song.
Ralf Scheepers handles that one, before Joseph Michael fronts “Starlight.” Backed by former Machine Head guitarist Phil Demmel, he helps turn it into one of the album’s finest moments. It is pure heavy metal.
Bumblefoot—not Buckethead, as I initially wrote in my notes—appears on “Fight It Back,” and you can hear the enjoyment in the performance. “Love Child” brings together Billy Corgan, David Ellefson and Tommy Aldridge. I wasn’t expecting Corgan to sound like a natural fit for this kind of metal, but he is tremendous.
“Breaker,” featuring Girish Pradhan and the Drover brothers, Glen and Shawn, is perfect. Bobby Blitz supplies his unmistakable screams to “Demon’s Night,” one of the few album tracks Accept didn’t play in Wolverhampton, while Joe Lynn Turner sounds unbelievable on “T.V. War.”
Sebastian Bach gives “London Leatherboys” a genuinely sleazy groove, before “Monsterman” finds Jeff Scott Soto trading vocals with Mark Tornillo. It is wonderful.
K. K. Downing turns up at the end, joining Chris Jericho, Billy Sheehan and Ray Luzier for “Restless and Wild.” Given that KK’s was the perfect venue to see Accept celebrate their anniversary, it provides a neat connection between the album and that unforgettable night.
For Accept to reach 50 years is impressive. To celebrate it in this fashion is even better. There is a very real case for saying that Teutonic Titans 1976–2026 might be the greatest greatest-hits album ever released.
Rating: 9.5/10
