Accept – Blind Rage

Since Mark Tornillo joined the band 5 years ago, Accept has become a heavy metal institution. Playing balls to the wall old-school heavy metal, this band has perfected the art of writing catchy, simplistic, fun music. “Blind Rage” is their third such release in this timeframe, and, like the two before it, the album delivers high-quality tunes. Accept kicks things off with the charging “Stampede”. The riffs are as furious as the bull that adorns the album cover. Additionally, the lead playing on this track is fantastic; from the melodic reoccurring lead to the guitar solo itself, the guitar work really enhances the song. While this song is certainly the strongest on the record, the band doesn’t let up there. “Dying Breed” likewise contains strong riffs, and again shows how Accept masterfully uses gang vocals in their choruses. This is a common theme on “Blind Rage”. “Dark Side of My Heart” again brings the riffs, though it gets a bit tamer than the other two tracks.

As you might expect, “Blind Rage” is a fantastic sounding album. The kick drums are punchy, and accentuate every tempo well, be it a mid-paced pounder or a fast almost thrashy tune. The guitars are perfectly crunching, making those already headbang-inducing riffs even heavier. Tornillo’s voice is great, and mixed perfectly with the rest of the album. It’s hard to find a flaw with how good the production is on this record.

The album continues on the vein of the opening tracks with few twists and turns. You know what you’re going to get with Accept at this point: solid songwriting, heavy riffs, and stellar leadwork. In fact, the guitar playing greatly increases the quality of this record. With that said, the middle of the album can get a bit tired. “Wanna Be Free” is the only song that is weak, but some of the others lack enthusiasm. “Fall of the Empire” is another slow to mid-paced song, but unlike the ones before it, it isn’t as convincing. You have to give it to Accept for knowing how to do a tracklisting though; the final three songs once again reach the quality of the opening trio. Both “The Curse” and “Final Journey” in particular are fantastic. This prevents the album from truly getting boring, because it starts and ends on a great note. Nearly an hour of this style is absurd, especially because the band could have easily cut it down by 3 songs and lost little of value. Nonetheless, if you like this style, you certainly won’t be disappointed. Accept is one of the strongest bands around at writing traditional heavy metal, and “Blind Rage” is another testament to that fact.

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Highlights

"Stampede"

"Dying Breed"

"The Curse"

Final Rating

4.0/5 or 80%. 

Written by Scott