Accept (posebni gost: Phil Campbell And The Bastard Sons)
subota, 9. 11. 2024.
Beč (Wien) / Simm City / Austrija
for an English version please scroll down the bar:
Accept su legende svjetskog heavy metala, stara škola, zapravo živi relikt onoga što se događalo na prijelazu iz sedamdesetih u osamdesete. U mnogočemu vječno inspirativna skupina koja je svojom aktivnošću temeljno utjecala na izgled i procvat razvojnih putova metala u svim oblicima. Skupina djeluje i danas. Vodi je jedini član iz onih slavnih davnih dana, gitarist Wolf Hoffmann, koji nakon reaktivacije 2009. predstavlja njezin pogonski motor, a Accept su u razdoblju od 2011. do ove godine nanizali podosta nove autorske glazbe (6 studijskih albuma). Dakle, cijela stvar ne polaže nade samo u status legendi i staru slavu, nego Hoffmann s ekipom cijelo vrijeme ostaje silno kreativan.
Tako je početkom ovogodišnjeg travnja izašao i 17. studijski album naslovljen “Humanoid” (RockLine recenzija). Nova turneja je tu! I to europska. A nakon trinaest godina otkako su odsvirali svoj zadnji headlinerski koncert usred Beča, Accept su se vratili tamo na novi ‘pravi’ koncert. Prostor je bio u potpunosti rasprodan.
Poseban magnetizam, odnosno privlačnost nove Accept turneje dodala je potvrda posebnog gosta turneje. To je Philip Campbell, nekadašnja Motörhead gitara, koji i nakon ‘pokopa’ znamenitih željeznih pankera rock’n’rolla ostaje aktivan sa svojim sastavom Phil Campbell And The Bastard Sons. Ovi imaju tri albuma u džepu, a posljednji među njima, “Kings of the Asylum”, izašao je prije godinu dana. Kako i nalaže ime sastava, zastupa ga naravno poznati Phil, a društvo mu prave tri sina: basist Tyla, još jedan gitarist Todd i bubnjar Dane. Samo vokalist Joel Peters dolazi iz drugog gnijezda. A stil? Ne previše daleko od onoga što je Phil radio s Motörheadom. Bend je izašao na pozornicu u osam sati i u dobrih pola sata, kako se i očekivalo, dijelio udarac za udarcem. Pritom je u repertoaru obradio materijal iz sva tri studijska albuma, koji je domišljato začinio s četiri Motörhead klasika i iznenađenjem sa Campbellova solo albuma “Old Lions Still Roar” (2019), a to je skladba Straight Up. Publika se brzo našla na istoj valnoj frekvenciji, a vrelišne dijelove nastupa naravno su predstavljala sva četiri Motörhead klasika (Going To Brasil ubrzo na početku, fenomenalni Bastards klasik Born to Raise Hell u sredini, neizbježni Ace of Spades pred kraj i finalni tornado s Killed By Death). Odlična uigranost, odličan zvuk, rušilačka žestina i pakleni žur. Phil Campbell pak ostaje isklesana rock’n’roll legenda. Zanimljivo je promatrati i sina Todda (također gitarista), koji svojom višnjevocrvenom Framus gitarom gotovo oponaša očeve legendarne scenske pokrete i teatar koji karakteriziraju Phila, i ovaj put s obaveznom žvakaćom gumom, još od osamdesetih, otkad se pridružio Motörheadu. Na stalcima je čašu piva zamijenila voda. To dolazi s godinama. Ukratko, izniman izbor za uvodno zagrijavanje uz koje je vježbao cijeli prostor. Čovjek je usred jedne od skladbi opasao Framusovu WH-1 gitaru (slične koristi Wolf Hoffmann) da malo odmori svoj standardni Les Paul.
Dvadeset minuta nakon devet navečer svjetla se ponovno zatamne. Vrijeme je za metal s jedinim i neponovljivim Accept. Tko je pratio Accept na nekim prošlim turnejama, zna što će dobiti. Doduše, Wolf je u posljednje vrijeme dosta pomladio svoju ekipu, tako da je, uz Wolfa, čovjek s najstarijim stažem vokalist Mark Tornillo, a slijede ga još jedan Amerikanac u skupini, Christopher Williams, i gitarist Uwe Lulis, koji je supodgovoran za najbolje albume Grave Digger, te ‘momci’ s petogodišnjim stažem, basist Martin Motnik (s austrijskom zastavom na pojasu) i treći gitarist te treći Amerikanac u skupini, Philip Shouse (poznat po suradnji s Gene Simmonsom). Dakle, njemačko-američki sekstet!
Accept ostaju scenski neprobojna tvrđava. Scenska oprema ‘oštro odjevenih muškaraca’ na najvišoj razini. Poze, iskorištavanje pozornice, komunikacija, kalibracija. Iskorištavanje prostrane pozornice proučeno do u piku. Za svaku skladbu, svaki dio skladbe. Svaki ulaz u nju. Svaki izlaz. Teatralno! I s učinkom neprestanog podgrijavanja publike, koja je koncert od početka do kraja pratila na najvišim okretajima! S bisom sve skupa sat i četrdeset minuta nezaboravne kanonade složene od klasika karijere i vrhunaca ‘Tornillo ere’ djelovanja skupine.
Zvuk i uigranost na najvišoj razini. Hoffmann ostaje izniman zapovjednik, dirigent i naravno na neki način ‘umjetnički voditelj’ današnjih Accept. Kontakt s publikom Accept imaju savršeno doteran. Postiže gotovo hipnotički učinak. U kombinaciji s magijom neprolaznih rifova i melodija, pobjedonosnost koncertnih nastupa skupine ne može izostati. Skupina je ugodno uravnotežila repertoar. S točkama novog albuma nikako nije pretjerivala, a isto tako nije bila maćehinska prema novijim albumima izdanima s Markom Tornillom na vokalu, koji je usput vrlo, vrlo dobro odradio sve vokalne zadatke. Vokal ostaje silno kompatibilan sa svime što su Accept ikada stvorili ili stvaraju, a bojom i izvedbom dovoljno odmaknut od Dirkschneidera da je nemoguće govoriti o bilo kakvoj replikaciji. Krasan nastup. I Shouse i legendarni Lulis više su puta došli do izražaja, Uwe već prilično rano i, kao i inače otkako je kod Accept, u solaži Restless And Wild. Kretanje, kad se momci postave u liniju po dva, tri, četiri, ostaje elementarni zaštitni znak skupine – ukratko, iskorištavanje pozornice je odlično i za pravi školski udžbenik.
Uigranost paklena! Ritam sekcija nauljena i kidajuća. Gitarske fraze oštre kao britva, soliranje poglavlje za sebe. Wolf Hoffmann je sam po sebi svojevrsna ikona metala – čovjek isklesan iz nehrđajućeg čelika! Minute su letjele kao sekunde. A vremena premalo. Zato je bend pripremio i medley, u kojem je iznenadio osobito uvodnom integracijom dijela odavno nesviranog klasika s “Restless And Wild”, Demon’s Night, kojeg se godinama nije laćao. Midnight Mover je skladba koja sama po sebi doziva na svaki Accept koncert! Jedna od najjačih skladbi ere klasičnih Accept. Nevjerojatno je kako se fraze novijih točaka, kao što su Shadow Soldiers, Dying Breed te osobito Teutonic Terror i Pandemic, savršeno drže uz bok starijim klasicima. Osobito potonja dva, koje je bend uštedio za finale regularnog dijela i odsvirao čak iza dvaju karijernih velikana, Princess of the Dawn i Metal Heart.
Na bisu se na pozornici pojavi Tornillo s napuhanim morskim psom kojeg baci među publiku, bend udari s Fast As A Shark, a za njim slijedi dugo iščekivani klasik željeznog repertoara Balls To The Wall, te zaključi vrtlogom savršenog odapinjanja klasika s albuma Breaker, I’m A Rebel, i odvede koncert do točke apsolutnog vrelišta! Sav taj intenzitet kipuće oštrine arsenala neprolaznih rifova, sve strasti, sve emocije, prožete šakom zabave, to je ono po što publika dolazi. U njoj su doduše prednjačili stariji dečki koji su proživljavali svoje tinejdžerske dane u razdoblju uspona vječnozelenih Accept, no pogled na pripadnike mlađih generacija bio je osobito ohrabrujuć, jer to znači da renesansa i novo proljeće te legendarne skupine još traje i traje. Neka tako i ostane.
Autori: Edita Klemen & Aleš Podbrežnik
Fotografije: Aleš Podbrežnik
English version:
Accept – the resurrection of teutonic steel over Vienna (2024)
Accept (special guest: Phil Campbell And The Bastard Sons)
Saturday, 9th of November 2024
Vienna / Simm City / Austria
Accept are legends of world heavy metal. The are complete old school, in fact a living relic of what was happening at the turn of the 1970s into the 1980s. In many ways an eternally inspiring band whose activity has been fundamental in shaping the image and flourishing of metal’s evolutionary paths in all its forms. The band is still active today. Led by the sole member of those glory days of yore, guitarist Wolf Hoffmann, who has been the driving force since the band’s reactivation in 2009. And in this new period of time Accept produced a considerable amount of new original music (6 studio albums) which were released between 2011 and 2024. Hoffmann and his team remain fiercely creative throughout in period when Accept could easily rely on their days of glory in which they gain their status of being true heavy metal legends.
Thus, the 17th studio album “Humanoid” was released at the beginning of April this year. The new tour is here! European too. And after thirteen years since they played their last headlining gig in the middle of the Austrian capital, Accept are back there for another ‘real’ gig. The venue was completely sold out.
This Accept tour was especially attractive also because a very special guest! Philip Campbell, former Motörhead guitarist, who remains active with his band Phil Campbell And The Bastard Sons after the end of famous rock’n’roll bastards. Phil Campbell And The Bastard Sons have three albums in their pocket, the latest of which, “Kings of the Asylum”, was released a year ago. As the name suggests, the band is of course represented by the famous Phil, who is accompanied by his three sons: bassist Tyla, another guitarist Todd and drummer Dane. Only vocalist Joel Peters comes from a different nest. And the style? Not too far from what Phil did with Motörhead. The band went on the stage at eight o’clock and within a good half an hour, they were delivering punch after punch.
Great chemistry, great sound, smashing vehemence and one hell of a party. And Phil Campbell remains a chiselled rock ‘n’ roll legend. It’s also interesting to watch his son Todd (also guitarist), with his cherry red Framus guitar, almost mimicking his father’s legendary stage moves and theatrics that have characterised Phil, since the 1980s when he joined Motörhead (obligatory bubblegum was no exeption). Only this time on the stands, the beer has been replaced by water. All in all, a great choice for the opening warm-up to which the whole venue was on its feet. Phil used also Framus WH-1 guitar with ‘Snaggletooth’ during one of the songs (Wolf Hoffmann uses a similar one) to rest his standard Les Paul a bit.
Material from all three studio albums was included into repertoire, but to spice the things up, Bastards throw in also four Motörhead classics and a song from Campbell’s 2019 solo album “Old Lions Still Roar” called Straight Up. The crowd quickly found themselves on the same wave frequency, with the boiling parts of the show being, of course, all four Motörhead classics (Going To Brasil near the beginning, the phenomenal “Bastards” classic Born to Raise Hell in the middle, the inevitable Ace of Spades before the end and the final tornado with Killed By Death). Would you ask for more?
Twenty minutes after 9pm, the lights dim again. It’s time for metal with the one and only Accept. Anyone who has followed Accept on some of their past tours knows what to expect. Well, Wolf has rejuvenated his team quite a lot in recent few years. The man with the longest serving status remain (besides Wofl) l vocalist Mark Tornillo, followed by another American in the band, drummer Christopher Williams, and guitarist Uwe Lulis (a man responsible for the best Grave Digger albums), while basist player Martin Motnik (especially for this show – with the Austrian flag on his belt) and the third guitarist and third American in the band, Philip Shouse (known for his work with Gene Simmons) became a part of recent line up five years ago. A German-American sextet!
Accept remain a bullet-proof fortress on stage. The stage presence of the ‘sharp-dressed men’ is of the highest level. Poses, stage presence, communication, calibration. Exploitation of the vast stage. Every second of the gig was carefully studied. And all six people exactly knows which are their roles in every part of the show! Theatrical! And with the effect of constantly inciting the audience. With the addition of an hour and forty minutes worth of unforgettable cannonade combined from the classics of the band’s career and the highlights of the ‘Tornillo era’.
Sound and execution at the highest level. Hoffmann remains the outstanding commander, conductor and, of course, in a sense, ‘artistic director’ of today’s Accept. The Accept’s contact with the audience is perfected. It achieves quite a hypnotic effect. Combined with the magic of the undying riffs and melodies, the triumph of the band’s concert performances cannot fail. The band has nicely balanced the repertoire. It has by no means overdone the points of the new album, nor has it remained macho towards the more recent albums released with Mark Tornillo on vocals, who has done all the vocal duties very, very well. The vocals remain highly compatible with anything Accept have ever done or are doing, and in terms of timbre and performance just not to close to Dirkschneider. Tornillo is a vocal beast in his own right and it’s impossible to speak of any replication. A great performance from Mark. There is of course this unforgettable movement when the guys line up in twos, threes, fours! It remains an elementary hallmark of the band! In short, the exploitation of the stage is excellent and for a real school textbook.
A match made in hell! The rhythm section is oiled and ripping. Razor-sharp guitar phrases, soloing a chapter in itself. Wolf Hoffmann is a kind of metal icon in his own right – a man carved from stainless steel! The minutes flew by like seconds. And time is (always) to short. That’s why the band prepared also a medley, where they surprised especially with the opening integration of a part of the missed “Restless And Wild” classic Demon’s Night, which they hadn’t tackled for many years. Midnight Mover as a song in itself is always a highlight when executed on stage! One of the strongest songs of the Accept classic era. It’s amazing how the phrases of newer songs like Shadow Soldiers, Dying Breed and especially Teutonic Terror and Pandemic hold up perfectly alongside the older classics. Especially the latter two, which the band saved for the finale of the regular part and even played them after two career giants – Princess of the Dawn and Metal Heart.
In the encore, Tornillo appears on stage with an inflatable shark which he throws into the crowd! The band hits with Fast As A Shark, followed by the much anticipated classic of the iron repertoire Balls To The Wall, and concludes with a whirlwind of a perfect kick-off of the “Breaker” classic I’m A Rebel, taking the show to an absolute boiling point! All that intensity and sharpness of undying riffs, all the passion, all the emotion, infused with a little bit of fun, is what the audience comes for. An audience where uncles and dads were dominating and who were reliving their teenage days in the heyday of the evergreen Accept, but in the same time the sight of the younger generations in the audienece was particularly fascinating, because it means that the renaissance and the new springtime of this legendary band, is still going on and on and on. May it remain so.
Text: Edita Klemen & Aleš Podbrežnik
Photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
Phil Campbell And The Bastard Sons – setlista:
1. Highway Star (taped intro)
2. We’re the Bastards
3. Freak Show
4. Going To Brasil
5. Schizophrenia
6. High Rule
7. Born To Raise Hell
8. Straight Up
9. Ace Of Spades
10. Strike the Match
11. Killed By Death
Accept – setlista:
1. The Reckoning (Extended intro)
2. Humanoid
3. Restless and Wild
4. London Leatherboys
5. Straight Up Jack
6. Midnight Mover
7. Breaker
8. Dying Breed
9. Demon’s Night / Starlight / Losers and Winners / Flash Rockin’ Man
10. Southside of Hell
11. Shadow Soldiers
12. Princess of the Dawn
13. Metal Heart
14. Teutonic Terror
15. Pandemic
—dodatek—
16. Fast as a Shark
17. Balls to the Wall Play
18. I’m a Rebel
19. Bound to Fail (taped outro)
