U.D.O. – Decadent (2015)

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One of the most unique vocalists in the history of Heavy Metal may also be the most prolific, and yet Udo Dirkschneider gets far less credit for pioneering and defining the genre than he deserves. After two decade plus fronting Accept, Dirkschneider went solo forming his own band U.D.O. and since then has released thirteen studio records and five live albums.
“Decadent” it’s U.D.O. brand new album for 2015.

Udo Dirkschneider always will be ‘the voice of Accept’. Period.
I love his albums with Accept, which defined a genre, a sound, a style. To be honest, I don’t like it much his later work with U.D.O., a quite miss and hit lifeless (for me) metallized mud.
Dirkschneider has the chops, the broken voice, all the experience and he clearly knowns what real headbanger fans want, but somehow (again in my opinion) U.D.O. never worked.
The man just need good songs, a more hard rockin’ / hard n’ heavy sonic approach and bright production, all things pretty absent on most of his U.D.O. records.

Well, “Decadent” restored my faith in Udo Dirkschneider.
Packing the best songs he has composed in the las 20 years, a cool production job, and a fitting, dynamic band – including bassist Fitty Wienhold (ex-Bullet) and Edge of Forever / Hardline drummer Francesco Jovino – “Decadent” rocks.
Indeed, with these guys with a Hard Rock pedigree in the rhythm section, now U.D.O. sounds much more bouncy, groovy, almost catchy.
Yes, “Decadent” has a pretty Accept feel, and this is what old-school fans want. The twin guitar attack is not as sharp as Accept (but the spirit is there) but this is logical, U.D.O. needs to sound more updated, modern.
And both factors, the old & the new, combined together, work really well in “Decadent”.

Each and every track stood out in their own unique way. From the adrenaline fuelled “Untouchable” to the captivating ballad “Secrets In Paradise”, each song had a story to tell and it suited every mood.
Title track is filled with socially accurate lyrics, and then “House of Fake” is no nonsense, take no prisoners classic heavy metal, now called ‘classic rock’
“Mystery” sports a bloodcurdling menace, while in “On Pain” Dirkschneider’s anger at those who dictate modern society is feverishly evident. A giant middle finger is raised throughout.

Dirkschneider’s barbaric bark and Smirnov & Heikkinen‘s melodic riff work, fuse brilliantly on “Breathless”. If you suffer from a severe build up of wax in your ears “Under Your Skin”, will act as the perfect antidote. This full blooded metal track has the whole band in feral mode, especially drummer Francesco Jovino, who batters his toms with savage gusto and groove.

“Decadent” marks a return for Udo Dirkschneider to classic metal stuff.
The material feels elaborated, some with a complex song structure, meaningful lyrics and chunk heavy riffs in the traditional heavy metal style.
For this record, many of U.D.O. members are new to the fold, and you can hear the difference revitalizing the whole thing.
If you never liked U.D.O. (as me), you should try “Decadent”. It’s a dynamic, groovy rocking record recapturing some of the magic of Udo Dirkschneider’s Accept years.
ROCKS.

1. Speeder
2. Decadent
3. House Of Fake
4. Mystery
5. Pain
6. Secrets In Paradise
7. Meaning Of Life
8. Breathless
9. Let Me Out
10. Under Your Skin
11. Untouchable
12. Shadow Eyes

Udo Dirkschneider – Vocals
Andrey Smirnov – Guitars
Kasperi Heikkinen (ex- Gamma Ray live) – Guitars
Fitty Wienhold (ex- Bullet) – Bass
Francesco Jovino (Edge of Forever, Hardline) – Drums

BUY IT !
shop.afm-records.de/en/u-d-o-en/u-d-o-decadent-en.html
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