Blood of the Nations

Nuclear Blast

If there ever were an album that embodied the true and pure spirit of Heavy Metal in an almost mystical way, it would have to be the latest release from re-activated German Metal vets Accept. Without a doubt the 14 years spent in retreat away from the studio has left them with more than enough pent up emotion, aggression and overall attitude to “plug a bomb in everyone’s ass” and give the Metal community a divine wake up call. Blood of the Nations marks a milestone for the band as they venture forth without vocalist and founding member Udo Dirkschneider, and welcome to the fold former TT Quick frontman Mark Tornillo.

At first spin it is extremely evident that these guys are every bit the seasoned professionals we’d expect them to be, out to prove you can’t keep a good band down and thus they are prepared to have their music kick the living shit out of every Metal fan from here to Timbuktu! Calling on the fierce talents of producer extraordinaire Andy Sneap (Megadeth, Exodus, Testament and Arch Enemy) Blood of the Nations ranks high in over the top production value, giving the band the edge they need to compete with today’s audio standards. New vocalist Mark Tornillo is outright astonishing and fits perfectly with the classic Heavy Metal precision of guitarist Wolf Hoffman and company. There has been speculation that if he continues to abuse his voice in such a manner as what is found here, he will undoubtedly forfeit it in the not too distant future. Whether or not that notion becomes a reality remains to be seen but fans are sure to eat up every last crumb in the meantime.

Kicking things off is the prolific in your face assault of “Beat the Bastards Down” in which we are given but a mere glimpse of what is to follow. “Teutonic Terror” is the first single from the CD and is a powerhouse of angst ridden aggression giving fans the fuel to continue on. Surprisingly Tornillo has a softer side to his scorching rasp which comes through delightfully on “Kill the Pain”. “Shades of Death” is probably the most authentic representation of classic Accept with that unmistakable riffing provided courtesy of Mr. Wolf Hoffman. “Pandemic”, Bucket Full of Hate” and the title track round out this remarkable achievement making Blood of the Nations a prime contender for Metal album of the year.

-Priest