Date: 2020
Total Time: 75:50
Label: AFM Records
Udo Dirkschneider, a “symbol” of the German old school Heavy Metal, who has nurtured generations of fans, an artist “hard as steel” and with a huge “metal heart” that fits them all! With an extensive discography that begins with the legendary ACCEPT and continues to this day through his solo career. Our “cool” Udo proves once again, through his “airs and graces”, that he is unique! Authentic above all, without compromises and safety belts, as the title of the album “suggests”, as well as the lyrics of the song of the same title! Moreover, the “big player” is still “Alive ‘n’ Kickin’” and he confirmed it, whether we saw him in Chania or at the Piraeus Academy last year!
After creating a great old school album in 2018, “Steel Factory”, which brought him under the spotlight again, he came to secure his place again in the Metal industry and beyond. I say this because the album is a Speed Metal storm combined with a symphony orchestra and classical music. Forget what you knew about U.D.O. so far, because this album will stand out as one of the best “alternative” albums in this year and, without exaggerating, in his whole career.
The album is a concept and UDO’s unfulfilled dream since “Navy Metal Night” in 2015. To compose the songs, UDO joined forces with former ACCEPT members Stefan Kaufmann and Peter Baltes, Colonel Christoph Scheibling and other composers of the German Army Philharmonic, Guido Rennert and Alexander Reuber! The album is of course a concept. Lyrically, it conveys social, political and environmental messages and is mainly positive and unifying.
The atmosphere created by listening to this album is “transcending”, which takes you directly to other times. One moment you imagine Lawrence of Arabia or the Prince of Persia and the very next Jack Sparrow and Indiana Jones! No, we are not talking about amusement parks, but very well-crafted and imaginative compositions, through a complete coherence and flow between the fifteen songs on the album. As a sound, it is a mixture of the liveliness of METALLICA’s “S / M” with the magic of THERION and BLIND GUARDIAN and all this “refined” through the industrial power of RAMMSTEIN and “exploited” by the voice of UDO.
UDO, of course, remains unchanged in interpretation, arrogant and ready to offer us moving moments such as the thrilling “jewel” and timeless “Neon Diamond”. The songs are one better than the other with highlight moments, the opening “Pandemonium”, the next fantastic “We Are One”, the “prophetic” “Future Is The Reason Why” as well as the “revolutionary / anniversary”, for 30 years since the unification of Germany, “Rebel Town” (because UDO and “rebel” go together anyway). Even the epic pompous instrumentals play a decisive role and we would not say that they are exclusively fillers. At the end of the day, the good thing about UDO, is that he releases albums that “stick” and you, at least, want to hear some songs over and over again, something like an addiction.
If UDO’ s previous album was the great awesome “comeback”, this one is the “consolidation” of its establishment, with all this quality in sound, compositions and atmosphere. U.D.O. are dynamically back, with their highly “satisfying” 17th studio album, “We Are One”. An enchanting album. Some will say that this move by UDO is risky, I think he innovated, dared and succeeded, because usually luck is with the bold..!
Rating: 8/10
Editor: Nikos Mathiopoulos
Related Link: U.D.O. – Official Page
