Following Dirkschneider's departure from Accept in 1987, he formed his own band called U.D.O. The first line-up consisted of guitarists Mathias Dieth and Peter Szigeti, bassist Frank Rittel and drummer Thomas Franke. They released the debut album Animal House on 3 November 1987, which was entirely written by Accept. Szigeti, Rittel and Franke departed the band and was replaced by guitarist Andy Susemihl, bassist Thomas Smuzyszki and drummer Stefan Schwarzmann. The second album Mean Machine was released on 10 January 1989.
Susemihl left the band, leaving U.D.O. as a four-piece. The third album Faceless World was released on 25 February 1990. Its sound was a more commercial output, but achieving great success; this being their best selling album so far. The fourth album Timebomb was released on 3 April 1991. It was a heavier effort than their previous releases. In 1992, Dirkschneider put U.D.O. on hiatus to reunite with Accept.
U.D.O. performing in 2004
In 1996, Dirkschneider reactivated U.D.O. with a brand new line-up; former Accept drummer Stefan Kaufmann, now performing as a guitarist, with guitarist Jürgen Graf and bassist Fitty Wienhold from Bullet and returning member Stefan Schwarzmann. The band recorded the Judas Priest song "Metal Gods" for the 1997 compilation album A Tribute to Judas Priest: Legends of Metal.
On 24 March 1997, U.D.O. released their fifth album Solid. It was featured on the Rock Hard magazine reader charts for more than a year after its release. The album was followed up with No Limits on 20 April 1998, featuring a similar songwriting approach from Solid. It features a cover of the Austrian pop band Supermax's hit single "Love Machine". After the conclusion of the band's tour, Stefan Schwarzmann quit the band. He was replaced with new drummer Lorenzo Milani.
The next album Holy was released on 18 October 1999, receiving critical acclaim. It was a return to the guitar-driven sound similar to the Balls to the Wall-era Accept. A world tour followed with dates in the United States and several other major countries. The band known as Vanize, fronted by Udo Dirkschneider's brother Peter, supported U.D.O. during the tour. Line-up changes occurred during the second part of the tour with Gotthard guitarist Igor Gianola replacing Jürgen Graf. The tour spawned the first live album Live from Russia, which was released on 15 October 2001, a 2-CD release.
On 24 July 2002, the eighth album Man and Machine was released, receiving a somewhat lukewarm reception. Despite standout songs such as the title track and "Private Eye", the album was ultimately less successful than Holy. It is notable for the song "Dancing with an Angel", featuring a duet performance of Dirkschneider and vocalist Doro Pesch.[1][2] U.D.O. released their ninth studio album Thunderball on 29 March 2004. The follow-up album Mission No. X was originally due for release on 4 October 2005, but was pushed forward by one week and was released on 30 September 2005 instead. It was the first album to feature Edge of Forever drummer Francesco Jovino.[3][4][5]
On 18 May 2007, the eleventh album Mastercutor was released.[6][7] In August 2007, bassist Fitty Weinhold was unable to perform with the band due to "private reasons". He would be temporarily replaced with former Majesty bassist Marcus Bielenberg for touring purposes.[8] The second live album Mastercutor Alive was released on 26 September 2008.[9] U.D.O.'s twelfth studio album Dominator was released on 21 August 2009.[10] The next studio album Rev-Raptor was originally due for release on 14 January 2011, but was delayed until 18 March 2011 due to the recurrence of Stefan Kaufmann's back problems.[11][12] It was delayed again, but was officially released on 20 May 2011.[13] The third live album Live in Sofia was released on 9 November 2012.[14][15]
In September 2012, Kaufmann announced his departure for health reasons. He would continue to work in the surroundings of the band and produce for other bands in his own personal studio.[16] On 15 January 2013, Russian guitarist Andrey Smirnov was recruited as the new member.[17] A week later, Igor Gianola left the band "due to conflicts between band appointments and his private life and business." Following his departure, guitarist Kasperi Heikkinen joined the band.[18] The fourteenth album Steelhammer was released on 20 May 2013.[19] The fourth live album Steelhammer – Live from Moscow was released in May 2014.[20]
In December 2014, drummer Francesco Jovino left the band for personal reasons, joining Primal Fear in 2015.[21][22] He was replaced by Udo Dirkschneider's son Sven in February 2015.[23] U.D.O. released the fifteenth studio album Decadent on 23 January 2015.[24] The fifth album titled Navy Metal Night was released on 30 July 2015 as the band performed with a German navy orchestra (Marinemusikkorps Nordsee).[25]
In February 2017, Heikkinen announced his departure citing personal reasons. According to the band, no bad blood or drama were involved between the two.[26] In March 2017, guitarist Bill Hudson was announced as the new member.[27] On 24 April 2018, Hudson parted ways with the band "due to a difference in their individual visions for the future", according to Dirkschneider, adding that there was no "negative feelings on either side."[28][29][30][31][32] In June 2018, Stefan Kaufmann temporarily rejoined the band only for the summer festival appearances until a new guitarist was found.[33] The sixteenth album Steelfactory was released on 31 August 2018, with the first single "Rising High" being made available for streaming.[34] On 19 September 2018, bassist Fitty Wienhold announced his departure from U.D.O., but stated that he would remain with the band if needed.[35] The band soon recruited German guitarist Dee Dammers and Slovenian bassist Tilen Hudrap as their new members.[36]
During U.D.O.'s touring in Europe in early 2019, Dirkschneider performed as a handicap after experiencing left knee pain. He vowed to continue without doctors' advice and without causing disappointment to the fans.[37] The band was originally scheduled to perform at the Wacken Open Air festival in 2020 by performing Accept's 1985 album Metal Heart in its entirety to celebrate its 35th anniversary, with the addition of Das Musikkorps der Bundeswehr,[38] but was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[39] Instead, they would collaborate together to record an album titled We Are One, which was released on 17 July 2020. It reached number 8 in the official German album charts, the second highest position for any U.D.O album in 34 years, right after Steelfactory, which peaked at number 7.[40]
The sixth live album Live In Bulgaria 2020 – Pandemic Survival Show was released on 19 March 2021, which was recorded live on 18 September 2020 in front of 2500 fans in Plovdiv.[41] The seventeenth studio album Game Over was released on 22 October 2021.[42]
In September 2022, bassist Tilen Hudrap got injured in Munich while playing a show during the Game Over world tour. Former Accept bassist Peter Baltes would step in as the temporary member.[43] Hudrap announced his departure from the band soon after.[44] In April 2023, Baltes was announced as the band's new bassist.[45] The eighteenth studio album Touchdown was released on 25 August 2023.[46]
Dirkschneider
In 2015, Udo Dirkschneider announced that he would embark on a special tour in 2016, stating that he would no longer perform Accept songs in the live shows. During this tour, U.D.O. would perform under the name Dirkschneider, consisting of only the songs from Udo's time in the band.[47][48] They began the Back to the Roots – Farewell to Accept tour in North America in 2017,[49] returning for a second time in 2018.[50] A 2-CD live album titled Live – Back to the Roots recorded in Memmingen was released on 28 October 2016,[51] while another live album titled Live – Back to the Roots – Accepted! was released on 4 August 2017, featuring both an audio recording and a video recording of their performance from Brno, Czech Republic.[52] They performed the songs for another year, due to the fans' request.[53] In 2018, the Dirkschneider band was put to a close as Udo did not want to cause confusion between U.D.O. and this band, opting to continue with U.D.O.[54] Due to continued interest, the band would perform under the Dirkschneider name only on an occasion.[55][56][57]
Accept is a German heavy metal band from Solingen, formed in 1976 by lead guitarist Wolf Hoffmann, singer Udo Dirkschneider and bassist Peter Baltes. Their beginnings can be traced back to the late 1960s when the band got its earliest start under the name Band X. Their current lineup consists of Hoffmann, vocalist Mark Tornillo, guitarists Uwe Lulis and Philip Shouse, drummer Christopher Williams and bassist Martin Motnik. Accept has undergone numerous lineup changes; Hoffmann is the last remaining original member, and the only band member to appear on all of their albums. As of 2024, the band has released seventeen studio albums, five live albums and nine compilation albums.
Udo Dirkschneider is a German singer who first rose to fame with the heavy metal band Accept. After leaving the band in 1987, he formed the band U.D.O., in which he has also enjoyed commercial success.
Accept is the debut studio album released by German heavy metal band Accept. It was recorded in 1978 and released in early 1979 on the West German label Brain Records. Drums on the record are played by Frank Friedrich, but he chose not to pursue a professional music career and so his place was taken by Stefan Kaufmann just prior to the album's release. Bassist Peter Baltes performs lead vocals on "Seawinds" and "Sounds of War".
Peter Baltes is a German musician, best known as former bassist of heavy metal band Accept and as current bassist of U.D.O.
Eat the Heat is the eighth studio album by German heavy metal band Accept, released in 1989. It is the band's only album with vocalist David Reece. It was recorded at Dierks Studios in Cologne from September 1988 to January 1989. Although Jim Stacey is presented as rhythm guitar player in the album lineup, the album credits also state that all guitar work on the album was played by Wolf Hoffmann. Stacey did perform second guitar live with the band.
Solid is the fifth studio album by German heavy metal band U.D.O. It is the first in six years, when frontman Udo Dirkschneider put the band on hiatus and reunited with Accept. Accept's drummer Stefan Kaufmann joined U.D.O. as a guitar player on this album. Guitarists Fitty Weinhold and Jürgen Graf from Bullet were hired as new members.
Holy is the seventh studio album by German heavy metal band U.D.O. It was recorded and mixed by Stefan Kaufmann at Roxx Studio in Pulheim and is the band's first album with guitarist Igor Gianola, who had played with Ronni Le Tekrø in Wild Willy's Gang. The band recruited drummer Lorenzo Milani after the release of the album; in the liner notes "guess who" replaces the name of the drummer.
Mission No. X is the tenth studio album by German heavy metal band U.D.O., released on 30 September 2005 via AFM Records. The original release date was announced for 4 October, but was pushed forward by one week.
Mastercutor is the eleventh album by German heavy metal band U.D.O., released on 18 May 2007.
The discography of Accept, a German heavy metal band, consists of 17 studio albums, five live albums, nine compilations, 25 singles, four video albums and 11 music videos. Formed in Solingen in 1976, Accept originally consisted of lead vocalist Udo Dirkschneider, lead guitarist Wolf Hoffmann, rhythm guitarist Gerard Wahl, bassist Peter Baltes and drummer Frank Friedrich. The band signed to Brain Records and released their self-titled debut album in 1979, which failed to chart. After Friedrich was replaced by Stefan Kaufmann, I'm a Rebel, Breaker and Restless and Wild followed over the next three years, the last of which gave Accept their debut on the UK Albums Chart when it reached number 98.
"I'm a Rebel" is a hard rock song written by Scottish musician Alex Young, that has been recorded and released by Accept and U.D.O.
Dominator is the twelfth studio album by German heavy metal band U.D.O., released via AFM Records on 21 August 2009.
Rev-Raptor is the 13th studio album by German heavy metal band U.D.O., released on 20 May 2011 via AFM Records. It is the final album to feature Stefan Kaufmann and Igor Gianola.
Steelhammer is the 14th studio album by German heavy metal band U.D.O., released on 24 May 2013 via AFM Records. It is the first album with guitarist Andrey Smirnov. Second guitarist Kasperi Heikkinen joined the band after all recordings were completed. It is also the first album without Stefan Kaufmann as guitarist since the 1997 album Solid, as well as the first without guitarist Igor Gianola since the 1999 album Holy. Steelhammer charted at #21 in Germany, #23 in Sweden, #38 in Finland and #67 in Norway during its first week. Music videos were made for "Metal Machine" and "Heavy Rain".
Decadent is the 15th studio album by German heavy metal band U.D.O. It was released on 23 January 2015 in Europe and 3 February 2015 in the United States through AFM Records. On 12 December 2014, "Decadent" was released as the first single. It is the last album to feature drummer Francesco Jovino as well as guitarist Kasperi Heikkinen.
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, respectively. It is also their final studio album to feature bassist Peter Baltes, who left Accept in November 2018. Like their previous three studio albums, The Rise of Chaos was produced by Andy Sneap, making it the band's fourth collaboration with him. Guitarist Wolf Hoffmann has stated that the album's title refers to the human-caused chaos in the world.
Steelfactory is the sixteenth studio album by U.D.O., released on 31 August 2018 by AFM Records. It is the first album to feature Udo Dirkschneider's son Sven as the new drummer. The first single "Rising High" was made available for streaming on 15 June 2018. A music video was made for "One Heart One Soul". A lyric video was made for "Make the Move". Steelfactory is the final album to feature bassist Fitty Wienhold when he announced his departure in September 2018.
The discography of U.D.O., a German heavy metal band, consists of 18 studio albums, six live albums, three compilations, 17 singles, six video albums and 19 music videos. Formed in 1987 by eponymous vocalist Udo Dirkschneider following his departure from Accept, the group originally included guitarists Mathias Dieth and Peter Szigeti, bassist Frank Rittel and drummer Thomas Franke. Shortly after the release and promotion of their debut album Animal House, Dirkschneider dismissed all band members except Dieth, and rebuilt the group with guitarist Andy Susemihl, bassist Thomas Smuszynski, and future Accept drummer Stefan Schwarzmann. Mean Machine, released in 1989, reached number 31 on the German Albums Chart. Susemihl was subsequently replaced by Wolla Böhm.
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