Accept are a German heavy metal band from the town of

Solingen Solingen (; li, Solich) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located some 25 km east of Düsseldorf along the northern edge of the region called Bergisches Land, south of the Ruhr area, and, with a 2009 population of 161,366 ...

, formed in 1976 by guitarist

Wolf Hoffmann Wolf Hoffmann (born 10 December 1959) is a German musician, primarily known as the guitarist and last remaining original member of heavy metal band Accept since 1976. His work in Accept influenced the development of speed metal genre. He is als ...

and former members

Udo Dirkschneider Udo Dirkschneider (born 6 April 1952) is a German singer and songwriter who rose to fame with German heavy metal band Accept. After leaving the band in 1987, he formed U.D.O., with which he has also enjoyed commercial success. Biography F ...

(vocals) and Peter Baltes (bass). Their beginnings can be traced back to the late 1960s, when the band got its start under the name Band X. Accept's lineup has changed over the years, which has included different singers, guitarists, bassists and drummers. Their current lineup consists of Hoffmann, vocalist

Mark Tornillo Mark Tornillo (born June 8, 1954) is an American singer and songwriter best known for serving as the frontman of heavy metal band Accept. He joined the band officially in May 2009 as Udo Dirkschneider's replacement. He also became the main lyri ...

, guitarists

Uwe Lulis Uwe Lulis (born 6 December 1965) is a German guitarist. He is the key member and producer of heavy metal band Rebellion since 2000 and is currently one of three guitarists of German band Accept. He also played guitar in Grave Digger for about 13 ...

and Philip Shouse, drummer Christopher Williams and bassist Martin Motnik. Before arriving at their current lineup, Accept has undergone numerous lineup changes, being Hoffmann the last remaining original member since its inception, and he is the only band member to appear on each album. Accept played an important role in the development of

speed In everyday use and in kinematics, the speed (commonly referred to as ''v'') of an object is the magnitude Magnitude may refer to: Mathematics *Euclidean vector, a quantity defined by both its magnitude and its direction *Magnitude (ma ...

"Accept : Biography"
Spirit of Metal. Retrieved 11 December 2008. "In many ways this album 'Restless and Wild''was a milestone in Accept's career. With the thundering double bass drum attack of the song 'FAST AS A SHARK,' they helped to spark a genre which would soon be called 'Speed Metal.'" and

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...

,Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Accept | Biography"

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

. Retrieved 8 August 2013. and they were part of the German heavy metal scene, which emerged in the early to mid-1980s. They have also been cited as an influence or inspiration by a number of acts, including Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Pantera, Testament, Anthrax, Guns N' Roses, Mötley Crüe,

Alice in Chains Alice in Chains (often abbreviated as AIC) is an American rock band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1987 by guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell and drummer Sean Kinney, who later recruited bassist Mike Starr and lead vocalist Layne ...

Soundgarden Soundgarden was an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1984 by singer and drummer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil (both of whom are the only members to appear in every incarnation of the band), and bassist Hiro Yama ...

, Overkill,

Exodus Exodus or the Exodus may refer to: Religion * Book of Exodus, second book of the Hebrew Torah and the Christian Bible * The Exodus, the biblical story of the migration of the ancient Israelites from Egypt into Canaan Historical events * Ex ...

, and Annihilator, as well as fellow Germans such as

Helloween Helloween is a German power metal band founded in 1984 in Hamburg by members of bands Iron Fist, Gentry, Second Hell and Powerfool. Its first lineup consisted of singer and guitarist Kai Hansen, bassist Markus Grosskopf, guitarist Michael Wei ...

Blind Guardian Blind Guardian is a German power metal band formed in 1984 in Krefeld, West Germany. They are often credited as one of the seminal and most influential bands in the power metal and speed metal subgenres.

Doro Doro may refer to: * Doro (musician), rock singer, former vocalist of the German heavy metal band Warlock ** ''Doro'' (album), a 1990 album by Doro * AKA (rapper) (born 1988), South African hip hop recording artist * Dorothy Bush Koch, often call ...

, Sodom, Rage, and

Grave Digger A gravedigger is a cemetery worker who is responsible for digging a grave prior to a funeral service. Description If the grave is in a cemetery on the property of a church or other religious organization (part of, or called, a churchyard), ...

. Accept achieved its first commercial success with their fifth studio album ''

Balls to the Wall ''Balls to the Wall'' is the fifth studio album by German heavy metal band Accept. European label Lark Records released the album in December 1983, but its United States release was delayed until a month later in January 1984 as to not compete ...

'' (1983), which is the band's only album to be certified gold in the United States and Canada, and spawned their well-known hit "

". Accept have broken up and reformed multiple times. They first split up in 1989, several months after the release of '' Eat the Heat'' (which was their only album with Dirkschneider's initial replacement

David Reece David L. Reece is an American singer who has been active in the heavy metal rock scene professionally since the late 1980s, recording with several bands in diverse genres including Bonfire from January 2015 to July 2016. He is best known for hi ...

), but reformed in 1992 and released three more albums before disbanding again in 1997. After briefly reuniting in 2005, Accept announced their third reunion in 2009, with former

T.T. Quick T.T. Quick is an American heavy metal music, heavy metal band from Osbornsville, New Jersey, formed in 1979. They are best known for their 1986 album ''Metal Of Honor'' and vocalist Mark Tornillo who has been the frontman for German heavy metal b ...

frontman

replacing Dirkschneider (who declined to participate), and the band has recorded five albums with him: ''

Blood of the Nations ''Blood of the Nations'' is the twelfth studio album by German heavy metal band Accept. It is the band's first studio recording since 1996's ''Predator'' and the first album to feature vocalist Mark Tornillo and drummer Stefan Schwarzmann. It is ...

'' (2010), '' Stalingrad'' (2012), '' Blind Rage'' (2014), ''

The Rise of Chaos ''The Rise of Chaos'' is the 15th studio album by German heavy metal band Accept, released on 4 August 2017. This is the first Accept album with guitarist Uwe Lulis and drummer Christopher Williams, replacing Herman Frank and Stefan Schwarzmann ...

'' (2017) and ''

Too Mean to Die ''Too Mean to Die'' is the sixteenth studio album by German heavy metal band Accept, released on 29 January 2021. It is the first Accept album to feature Martin Motnik, who replaced original bassist Peter Baltes in 2019, and rhythm guitarist P ...

'' (2021); each of those albums renewed Accept's popularity in Germany and entered the top ten charts there.

Biography

Early years (1968–1982)

Accept's beginnings can be traced back to 1968 when

and

Michael Wagener Michael Wagener (born 25 April 1949) is a German former music producer, mixer, and engineer from Hamburg, best known for his work with many top glam metal and heavy metal bands in the late 1980s. He is particularly renowned for his multi-amping an ...

formed a local band called Band X, which eventually changed its name to ''Accept'', influenced by a record of the same name by Chicken Shack. For many years, Accept went through numerous line-up changes. This instability essentially kept the band on an amateur level, making sporadic appearances in festival concerts. Accept's professional career began in 1976, with Udo Dirkschneider, Wolf Hoffmann, Gerhard Wahl, Peter Baltes, and Frank Friedrich, when they were invited to play at one of the first

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm a ...

festivals in Germany — Rock am Rhein. Following the festival, the band were offered a recording deal. Their first recording was the self-titled ''

Accept Accept may refer to: * Acceptance, a person's assent to the reality of a situation etc. * Accept (band), a German heavy metal band ** ''Accept'' (Accept album), their debut album from 1979 * ''Accept'' (Chicken Shack album), 1970 * ACCEPT (or ...

'' album, which was released in 1979, but did not achieve much commercial success. The first stable line-up of Accept was composed of vocalist Udo Dirkschneider, guitarists

and Gerhard Wahl, bassist Peter Baltes and drummer Frank Friedrich. Friedrich and Wahl quit the band after the release of ''Accept'' and were replaced by Stefan Kaufmann and

Jörg Fischer Jörg Fischer (born 4 July 1957) is a German guitar player, primarily known for his work with the German band Accept. He joined the band at the end of the recording sessions for their self-titled debut and plays on the albums '' I'm a Rebel'' and ...

. This line-up recorded ''

I'm a Rebel ''I'm a Rebel'' is the second studio album by German heavy metal band Accept, recorded in 1979 and released in 1980 (see 1980 in music). It was the first of three consecutive Accept records to utilize Dirk Steffens as producer. The album find ...

'' in 1980. The

title track A title track is a song that has the same name as the album or film in which it appears. In the Korean music industry, the term is used to describe a promoted song on an album, akin to a single, regardless of the song's title. Title track may a ...

originally was written for AC/DC and recorded by the band but never released by them. The album brought some media attention, the band being invited to make a televised appearance. In 1981, their next album, ''

Breaker Breaker may refer to: Objects * A breaking wave on water, or a "breaker", a shallow over which waves break * Circuit breaker, an electrical overload switch * Breaker (hydraulic), a percussion hammer attached to an excavator People * Breaker Mo ...

'', was released, and the band employed manager Gaby Hauke. Accept also joined Judas Priest's

World Wide Blitz Tour The ''World Wide Blitz Tour'' was a 1981 concert tour by English heavy metal band Judas Priest where the band toured in Europe and North America from 13 February to 14 December 1981 in support of the album '' Point of Entry.'' Overview Europe ...

and obtained attention outside of Europe for the first time. ''

Restless and Wild ''Restless and Wild'' is the fourth studio album by German heavy metal band Accept, released in 1982 in Continental Europe and in 1983 in the US and UK. It was the first Accept album not to be recorded at Delta-Studio, since the band had moved t ...

'' was released in 1982, although Jörg Fischer quit the band a short time before the recording took place.

Jan Koemmet Jan Koemmet (born 18 August 1961) is a German guitar player and an international designer. He joined the heavy metal group Accept between their albums ''Breaker'' and '' Restless and Wild''. He was preceded by Jörg Fischer and succeeded by Her ...

was hired as guitarist, but departed from the band before the recording of the album. ''Restless and Wild'' saw an evolution in the band's sound, which incorporated characteristics defining the genre later dubbed

speed metal Speed metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that originated in the late 1970s from new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM) roots.K. Kahn-Harris, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'' (Berg Publishers, 2007), , p. 31. It ...

. Gaby Hauke was credited as "Deaffy" on two of the tracks.

Mainstream success (1983–1987)

Accept's next album, ''

'', was released in 1983, now with guitarist

Herman Frank Herman Frank (born 20 January 1959) is a German heavy metal guitarist best known for his work with Accept and Victory. In 2009, he released his first solo album called ''Loyal to None''. Frank has also recorded with Hazzard, Sinner, Moon'Do ...

(ex- Sinner). The album was more conceptual and included lyrical themes about

politics Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that stud ...

, sexuality and human relationships. For example, "

" refers to slaves revolting against oppressing masters, while "Fight It Back" is about social misfits fighting against conformity. All songs were credited to Accept and "Deaffy". Deaffy was manager Gaby Hauke's pseudonym as the band's lyricist, although she did not officially claim ownership until the band had broken up for the second time. During a 1983 show in their hometown, the band met Jörg Fischer by chance and on Hauke's insistence, Fischer rejoined the band. A world tour followed through 1984, including the

Monsters of Rock Monsters of Rock was an annual hard rock and heavy metal music festival held in Castle Donington, England, from 1980 to 1996, taking place every year except 1989 and 1993. It later branched into other locations such as the Netherlands, Poland, ...

festival. By this time, the band was supported by

Bad Steve Bad Steve was a German Heavy metal music, heavy metal band, composed of former Accept (band), Accept members Jan Koemmet, Frank Friedrich and Dieter Rubach, as well as former members of more obscure bands Kanaan and Sin City. They supported Accep ...

, a band which was led by former Accept and Band X members

Dieter Rubach Dieter Rubach (born 28 April 1955 in Solingen) is a German bass player, composer, engineer and producer. Life and career In the early 1970s, Rubach joined the heavy metal band Accept, first on keyboards, later on bass until he left in 1978 a ...

and Frank Friedrich. The band also opened for

Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harri ...

on their

World Slavery Tour The World Slavery Tour was a concert tour by the heavy metal band Iron Maiden in support of their fifth album, ''Powerslave'', beginning in Warsaw, Poland on 9 August 1984 and ending in Irvine, California on 5 July 1985. Background The tour w ...

. ''

Metal Heart ''Metal Heart'' is the sixth studio album by German heavy metal music, heavy metal band Accept (band), Accept, released in 1985. Although the group had recorded before at Dierks-Studios, this was the first album produced by Dieter Dierks himsel ...

'' was released in 1985. Produced by

Scorpions Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the order Scorpiones. They have eight legs, and are easily recognized by a pair of grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back and always end ...

producer

Dieter Dierks Dieter Dierks (born 9 February 1943) is a German record producer, sound engineer, music publisher, studio owner and musician. He became well known as producer of the rock band Scorpions who were signed to him between 1975 and 1988. Before that ...

, it presented the band's creative peak. Accept toured the world supporting the album, and documented the live shows with the live mini-album ''

Kaizoku-Ban ''Kaizoku-Ban'' is a live EP by German heavy metal band Accept. It was recorded in Nagoya, Japan, on 19 September 1985, and released on vinyl the same year. It was later re-released as ''Live in Japan'' in 1992. Though this is an official releas ...

''. The follow up, '' Russian Roulette'', was released in 1986. In 1987, Udo Dirkschneider was fired from the band, and later decided to embark on a solo career. According to Wolf Hoffmann, Dirkschneider was never fired but it was rather a mutual decision within the band to part ways. Supporting this decision, the songwriting team in Accept wrote his entire solo album, released in 1987 as ''

Animal House ''National Lampoon's Animal House'' is a 1978 American comedy film directed by John Landis and written by Harold Ramis, Douglas Kenney and Chris Miller. It stars John Belushi, Peter Riegert, Tim Matheson, John Vernon, Verna Bloom, Thomas Hu ...

'' under the band moniker

U.D.O. U.D.O. is a German heavy metal band founded by lead vocalist Udo Dirkschneider in 1987. History Following Udo Dirkschneider's departure from Accept in 1987, he formed his own band called U.D.O. He recruited guitarists Mathias Dieth and Peter ...

David Reece period and first hiatus (1988–1991)

Parallel to work on ''Animal House'', Accept started to audition vocalists. The band tried out a few singers, including Michael White,

Ken Tamplin Ken Tamplin (born December 11, 1963) is an American vocal coach, YouTuber, and former Christian rock performer. Founder of Ken Tamplin Vocal Academy, Tamplin is known for his vocal range and vocal training methods. He has contributed to his ...

, and

Baby Tuckoo Baby Tuckoo was an English hard rock band, formed in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England in 1982. Their name is taken from the first sentence of the James Joyce novel ''A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man''. They were generally considered ...

singer Rob Armitage, whom they even featured in promo photos and metal magazine interviews, and also recorded demos with. Armitage also performed live with the band and one of the shows with him was reviewed by ''

Metal Hammer ''Metal Hammer'' is a heavy metal music magazine and website founded in 1983, published in the United Kingdom by Future, with other language editions available in numerous other countries. ''Metal Hammer'' features news, reviews and long-form ...

'' magazine. However, American vocalist

was chosen and this new line-up recorded and released '' Eat the Heat'' in 1989. Accept toured in support of the album that year with bands like

Metal Church Metal Church is an American heavy metal band. They originally formed in San Francisco, California in 1980 and then relocated to Aberdeen, Washington the following year and briefly using the name Shrapnel. Led by guitarist and songwriter Kurdt ...

, W.A.S.P., Danzig and Armored Saint. Accept's career came to a sudden halt, when Stefan Kaufmann sustained a serious injury to his back during the tour in support of the album. He was briefly replaced by

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

drummer

Ken Mary Ken K Mary is an American musician who has worked as a drummer, producer, engineer, singer, record executive and writer on over thirty-five albums that combined have sold over five million copies worldwide. He has worked in genres from heavy roc ...

for the remainder of the US tour. By the time the tour ended in late 1989, the band decided that without Kaufmann, and with differences surfacing with Reece, it was time to cease their activities for the time being.

Reunion with Dirkschneider (1992–1996)

The live album ''

Staying a Life ''Staying a Life'' is a double live album by Accept, released in 1990. It was recorded in Osaka, Japan, in 1985. It was released in 1990, shortly after the band's first breakup. It was mixed by Uli Baronowsky at Dierks Studios, Stommeln. Live f ...

'', recorded in 1985, was released in 1990 as a souvenir celebrating their career. A few years later the ex-members met with Dirkschneider and decided to relaunch the band with core members Hoffmann, Kaufmann, Dirkschneider and Baltes. Their comeback album, ''

Objection Overruled ''Objection Overruled'' is the ninth studio album by German heavy metal band Accept, released in 1993. It is the first to feature Udo Dirkschneider on lead vocals since 1986's '' Russian Roulette''. It was recorded at Dierks-Studios in Stomm ...

'', was released in 1993 and was a qualified success in Europe and the United States. A world tour followed, and another album, entitled '' Death Row'', was released in 1994. Kaufmann became unable to play once again due to his recurring back injury and Stefan Schwarzmann became the temporary replacement. ''

Predator Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill th ...

'' was recorded in 1996, in Nashville, with Udo's long time (school) friend and producer Michael Wagener at the helm and with

Michael Cartellone Michael Cartellone (born June 7, 1962) is an American musician and artist. He was a founding member of Damn Yankees and is the current drummer of Lynyrd Skynyrd since 1999. Biography Michael Cartellone was born on June 7, 1962, in Cleveland, ...

(from

Damn Yankees ''Damn Yankees'' is a 1955 musical comedy with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop, music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story is a modern retelling of the Faust legend set during the 1950s in Washington, D.C., dur ...

) guesting on drums. Accept's tour supporting ''Predator'' took place in North America, South America, Europe and Asia, with their last concert in Tokyo, Japan.

Second hiatus and brief reunion (1997–2005)

Between 1997 and 2005, all the members continued working on their own projects. In 2005, Accept received an invitation from various European promoters for a short summer European Festival tour with Accept's classic line-up (Hoffmann, Baltes, Dirkschneider, Frank and Schwarzmann). These festivals turned out to be a stunning success, with the last show on 27 August 2005 in

Kavarna Kavarna ( bg, Каварна ; ro, Cavarna), is a Black Sea coastal town and seaside resort in the Dobruja region of northeastern Bulgaria. It lies northeast of Varna, from Dobrich on the international road E87 and south of the border with R ...

, Bulgaria, at the

Kaliakra Rock Fest Kavarna Rock Fest was a Bulgarian rock festival that took place every year at the Kavarna Stadium in Kavarna. Until 2010 the festival's name was Kaliakra Rock Fest. 2006 The first edition of the festival was on the 25 August 2006. The festival wa ...

. Asked in May 2007 by Lords of Metal if Accept were planning on writing and recording new material in the near future, Dirkschneider replied: On 14 May 2009, Udo Dirkschneider officially announced that he would not be participating in the rumoured Accept reunion.

Return with Mark Tornillo and ''Blood of the Nations'' (2009–2011)

At the end of May 2009, rumours again surfaced of a possible Accept reformation, when bassist Peter Baltes revealed he spent a weekend at his house in Pennsylvania "shredding away" with guitarist

. "Something amazing is in the works", Baltes explained. "As soon as I can, I'll let everybody know. Let's make the 'Metal Heart' beat again." A coincidental meeting between Accept and former

singer Mark Tornillo at this informal jam session meant shortly after Tornillo was announced as the new vocalist. A new album was written and recorded with

Andy Sneap Andy Sneap (born 18 July 1969) is an English guitarist, record producer and composer with over 100 albums to his name, most of which have been produced at his Backstage Recording studios in rural Derbyshire. Some of the most critically acclaime ...

(of Megadeth,

Sabbat The Wheel of the Year is an annual cycle of seasonal festivals, observed by many modern pagans, consisting of the year's chief solar events (solstices and equinoxes) and the midpoints between them. While names for each festival vary among dive ...

, BLAZE,

, Testament,

Arch Enemy Arch Enemy is a Swedish melodic death metal band, originally a supergroup from Halmstad, formed in 1995. Its members were in bands such as Carcass, Armageddon, Carnage, Mercyful Fate, Spiritual Beggars, The Agonist, Nevermore, and Eucharis ...

and

Onslaught Onslaught may refer to: Characters * Onslaught (Marvel Comics), a Marvel Comics supervillain * Onslaught (DC Comics), a DC Comics team of Quraci terrorists * Onslaught (Transformers), the leader of the Combaticons in the ''Transformers'' series ...

fame) as producer. Titled ''

'', it was the first original Accept album in fourteen years. The new line-up made their live debut on 8 May 2010 at the Gramercy Theatre in New York City, their first American concert in fifteen years. On 21 May 2010, the video for "Teutonic Terror" was number 5 on the worldwide video charts in all genres on MySpace, topping such artists as

Miley Cyrus Miley Ray Cyrus ( ; born Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her distinctive raspy voice, her music spans across varied styles and genres, including pop, country, rock, hip ho ...

Justin Bieber Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...

and

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...

. The video also topped the MySpace Global Metal Charts at number 1. Hoffmann

On 13 June 2010, Accept opened for AC/DC in Stuttgart, Germany, and on 25 June 2010, they headlined the Sonisphere festival in Romania and Turkey. With a set of over two hours, classics like "Balls to the Wall", "Metal Heart" and "Princess of the Dawn" were played along with the new album material. ''

'' was released in Europe on 20 August 2010 and made a chart debut at number 4 in the official German Media Control Charts, the band's second highest chart debut in their career. ''

'' was released on 4 September 2010 in Japan, and on 18 September in the United States. Accept spent 80 days on a summer tour traveling over 65,000 km and playing for over 450,000 fans. In October, the band appeared at the prestigious Japanese Festival LOUDPARK outside of Tokyo to 40,000 fans along with

Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...

Motörhead Motörhead () were an English rock band formed in London in 1975 by Lemmy (lead vocals, bass), Larry Wallis (guitar) and Lucas Fox (drums). Lemmy was also the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band are often considered a precu ...

and Stone Sour. Within a month of the release of ''Blood of the Nations'', Wolf Hoffmann told "Metal Asylum": "We are already thinking about and writing for the next record. We've all missed doing Accept and we realized we missed doing this. Of course we are not 20 years old anymore and not ready to do just anything to be successful, we're not that desperate. aughsWe are looking to do what makes sense and that's fun."

''Stalingrad'' and ''Blind Rage'' (2012–2014)

Accept worked with

again to produce their thirteenth studio album, completed in early 2012. Entitled '' Stalingrad'', it was released in April 2012. On 8 April 2013, Wolf Hoffmann told Chile's Radio Futuro that Accept had begun writing new material for their fourteenth studio album and would "definitely go back to the studio as soon as

hey Hey or Hey! may refer to: Music * Hey (band), a Polish rock band Albums * ''Hey'' (Andreas Bourani album) or the title song (see below), 2014 * ''Hey!'' (Julio Iglesias album) or the title song, 1980 * ''Hey!'' (Jullie album) or the title s ...

can." Four months later, on 9 August at the Bloodstock Open Air festival 2013, Wolf told Metal Shock Finland: Accept released their fourteenth studio album '' Blind Rage'' on 15 August 2014 and on their world tour, they played in Australia for the very first time. ''Blind Rage'' became Accept's first album to debut at number one on the charts in their home country.

Departures of two members and ''The Rise of Chaos'' (2014–2017)

On 28 December 2014, guitarist

announced that he had left Accept again. Later that day, Accept announced that drummer

Stefan Schwarzmann Stefan Schwarzmann (born 11 November 1965Larkin, Colin (2006). ''The Encyclopedia of Popular Music''. Oxford University Press. p. 189. .) is a German drummer who has recorded for Accept,Montgomery, James et al (2005)"Metal File: Korn, Motorhead, ...

had also left the band. On 12 April 2015, Accept announced new guitarist and drummer, respectively

and Christopher Williams. On 5 June 2015, prior to the band's performance at the South Park festival in

Tampere Tampere ( , , ; sv, Tammerfors, ) is a city in the Pirkanmaa region, located in the western part of Finland. Tampere is the most populous inland city in the Nordic countries. It has a population of 244,029; the urban area has a population o ...

, Finland, bassist Peter Baltes told Kaaos TV that Accept planned to begin work on a new album after the conclusion of the ''Blind Rage'' tour. Asked in a July 2015 interview about the band's future, guitarist

replied, "We will continue for a few more weeks, this run of touring, and then we'll take a little break and come back in the fall, but we're pretty much wrapping up the ''Blind Rage'' tour at this point; it's the very last phase of this whole cycle. And then the next album will have to be written and to be recorded, and how long that's gonna take and when that's all gonna happen, who knows? But it'll happen; that's all I know." Hoffmann stated that the new album would be released around July or August 2017. Like their previous three albums, the album was produced by

, making it Accept's fourth collaboration with him. On 16 April 2017, Accept announced that the album, titled ''

'', would be released on 4 August. On 2 June 2017, the band released the title track single digitally via Nuclear Blast accompanied by new artwork.

Split with Peter Baltes, ''Too Mean to Die'' and next album (2018–present)

In a September 2018 interview with The Foundry, guitarist

confirmed that Accept had begun the songwriting process for the follow-up to ''

''. He stated, "We started putting down some riffs here and there, but the majority of the stuff will happen after we stop touring, because it's really hard to do this on the road for me." On 27 November 2018, bassist Peter Baltes announced that he had left Accept after 42 years as a member. According to the band, "Peter needed a change in his life and we wish him all the best. He will always be part of the Accept family and to honor his tribute to music history, we should all wish him well." With Baltes' departure, Hoffmann remains the last member of the original lineup in the band. Baltes was filled in on bass by Danny Silvestri for the band's performance at the 2019 edition of the

70000 Tons of Metal 70000 Tons of Metal (officially stylized as 70000TONS OF METAL) is an annual heavy metal music festival that takes place on board a cruise ship. The event is a five-day festival, including one shore day at a select Caribbean destination. H ...

cruise. On 16 April 2019, former

Uli Jon Roth Uli Jon Roth (born Ulrich Roth; 18 December 1954) is a German guitarist who became famous for his work with the hard rock band Scorpions and is one of the earliest contributors to the neoclassical metal genre. He is also the founder of Sky Aca ...

sideman Martin Motnik was announced as Baltes' permanent replacement. Three days later, Accept released a special seven-inch single called "Life's a Bitch", which was their first song in two years and first one without Baltes. On 1 November 2019, Accept announced that Philip Shouse, previously a touring member, had joined the band as their third guitarist, thus converting Accept to a sextet. On 2 October 2020, Accept released "The Undertaker" as the first single from their upcoming sixteenth studio album ''

'', released on 29 January 2021. Their sixteenth studio album ''Too Mean To Die'' only narrowly missed the top of the German charts. It was recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nashville and produced by

in the UK. About their then-new album, the band said: "We are too mean to die! Weeds don't go away! Accept won't get down!" Touring in support of the album began 2 July 2021 at Penn's Peak in Pennsylvania. The touring cycle of ''Too Mean to Die'' will last for nearly two years, which will include a headlining U.S. tour in the fall of 2022 with Narcotic Wasteland, followed by a European tour in January and February 2023 with

Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons is a Welsh rock band established in 2016 by longtime Motörhead guitarist Phil Campbell (musician), Phil Campbell, following the 2015 death of Motörhead frontman Lemmy. History Debut EP (2016) In November 201 ...

. The latter tour was initially scheduled to take place in January and February 2022, but the COVID-19 pandemic meant that it would be postponed to a year. On 17 February 2022, Accept announced that they had signed a worldwide deal with

Napalm Records Napalm Records is an Austrian independent record label focused on heavy metal and hard rock. Originally, Napalm focused on black metal bands, such as Abigor and Summoning, and folk metal bands, such as Falkenbach and Vintersorg. The label l ...

. In July, Hoffmann announced that the band has begun working on new material for the follow-up to ''Too Mean to Die''.

Band members

Current members *

– lead guitar, backing vocals *

– lead vocals *

– rhythm guitar * Christopher Williams – drums *

Martin Motnik Martin Motnik (born 10 November 1972) is a German bassist and studio musician, best known as the bassist for the Heavy metal music, heavy metal band Accept (band), Accept. He has also played in Darkseed (band), Darkseed, Eisbrecher. Motnik has ...

– bass * Philip Shouse – guitar

Discography

;Studio albums *''

'' (1979) *''

'' (1980) *''

'' (1981) *''

'' (1982) *''

'' (1983) *''

'' (1985) *'' Russian Roulette'' (1986) *'' Eat the Heat'' (1989) *''

'' (1993) *'' Death Row'' (1994) *''

'' (1996) *''

'' (2010) *'' Stalingrad'' (2012) *'' Blind Rage'' (2014) *''

'' (2017) *''

'' (2021)

In popular culture

In the second season of '' Justified'', the character Coover is frequently seen with an Accept shirt on. In season four of Stranger Things, Eddie Munson wears an Accept pin on his vest.

Accept songs in other media

; Songs from ''

'' album * The German 1982 movie ' included an excerpt of "Starlight" as well as a glimpse of the album cover for ''

'' as the female lead puts the record on. "Run if You Can" is also featured in the film, and both songs appeared on the soundtrack album. ; "

Fast as a Shark "Fast as a Shark" is a song by German heavy metal band Accept and a single from their 1982 album ''Restless and Wild''. Its fast double bass drumming is recognized today as reaching a new level in the development of the subgenre of speed and po ...

" * Italian film ''

Dèmoni ''Demons'' ( it, Dèmoni) is a 1985 Italian horror film directed by Lamberto Bava, produced by Dario Argento, and starring Urbano Barberini and Natasha Hovey. Its plot follows two female university students who, along with a number of rando ...

'' (1985) * Film '' People Like Us'' (2012) * Action/adventure video game ''

Brütal Legend ''Brütal Legend'' is an action-adventure video game with real-time strategy game elements created by Double Fine and published by Electronic Arts for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The game was released during October 2009 in North America, ...

'' ; "

" * PlayStation 2 game '' Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s'' * PSP/PS2 game '' Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories'' * Downloadable content for the multi platform guitar teaching game ''

Rocksmith ''Rocksmith'' is a music video game produced by Ubisoft, released in October 2011 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 platforms in North America. ''Rocksmith'' was released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 during September 2012 in Australian and Europ ...

'' * Film ''

The Wrestler The Wrestler may refer to: * ''The Wrestler'' (1974 film), an American film directed by James A. Westman * ''The Wrestler'' (2008 film), an American film directed by Darren Aronofsky * "The Wrestler" (song), a song from the 2008 film written and ...

'' (2008) * Film ''

'' (2011) directed by

Penelope Spheeris Penelope Spheeris (born December 2, 1945 or 1946; sources differ) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. She has directed both documentary and scripted films. Her best-known works include the trilogy titled '' The Decline of ...

* TV show '' Beavis and Butt-Head'' episode "Tornado", in which the title characters ridicule the video

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Accept German hard rock musical groups German heavy metal musical groups German speed metal musical groups German power metal musical groups Musical groups established in 1976 Musical groups disestablished in 1989 Musical groups reestablished in 1992 Musical groups disestablished in 1997 Musical groups reestablished in 2005 Musical groups disestablished in 2005 Musical groups reestablished in 2009 Musical groups from North Rhine-Westphalia Nuclear Blast artists Articles which contain graphical timelines Brain Records artists