U.D.O.

The fourteenth full-length studio album by legendary German Heavy Metal band.
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, as well as the first without guitarist Igor Gianola since the 1999 album "Holy".
Whenever you hear ''U.D.O. is releasing a new album'', you pretty much know what can you expect! And when you also know, that the album is called "Steelhammer", you can also expect that it's gonna kick ass!! Here it is and there's no chance of speaking about a letdown. What you need to remember is that this LP was actually a test o strength for Dirkschneider. It's a first release in many years not to feature the band's long time member and co-writer, Stefan Kaufmann, and also a great guitar player, Igor Gianola. First of those two doesn't need any presentation. The legendary ex-Accept drummer has been helping his old colleague with his career since the album "Solid" from 1997, and he co-wrote some of the band's best stuff. The question is: did Udo pass the test? Hell fuckin' yeah!! The ugliest dwarf in Heavy Metal and one of the best singers of all time is back again to smash our faces to the ground!!! And "Steelhammer" is his best work since "Mastercutor".
Referring to the album cover, being 61 years old, Udo Dirkschneider still rules the Metal world with the iron fist and seems unbreakable! So let us hope for more LP's like "Steelhammer"!!
"Steelhammer" charted at #21 in Germany, #23 in Sweden, #38 in Finland and #67 in Norway during its first week.
AFM Records, a division of Soulfood Music Distribution, GmbH, 2013 (AFM 440-2). Made in Germany. Pressed in Austria. First press.


Tracklist:
1. Steelhammer 3:23
2. A Cry Of A Nation 5:40
3. Metal Machine 4:45
4. Basta Ya 4:33
5. Heavy Rain 2:24
6. Devil`s Bite 5:05
7. Death Ride 4:08
8. King Of Mean 4:07
9. Timekeeper 4:26
10. Never Cross My Way 4:23
11. Take My Medicine 5:07
12. Stay True 4:04
13. When Love Becomes A Lie 4:12
14. Book Of Faith 5:14
Total playing time: 61:31 min.

The ninth full-length studio album by legendary German Heavy Metal band.
Upon the final demise of German Metal legends Accept in 1998, the man who was its voice, the unmistakably shrill Udo Dirkschneider, pretty much stepped into the breach with his self-named band U.D.O. and sought to carry on with a sound and style that, like a sabre-toothed cat of some sort, remains frozen in time. Not that what worked in 1984 will necessarily work in 2004 "Thunderball"'s carefully orchestrated nostalgia pieces may prove to be just what the doctor ordered.
Truly, later day Accept rarely sounded as authentically '80s as "Thunderball's title cut and subsequent offerings "Fistful of Anger", "Hell Bites Back" and "Tough Luck II" — all of them packed with precisely jagged guitar riffs, thundering gang-choruses, and of course Dirkschneider's vocal power-drill slicing everything to tatters. The co-songwriting presence on all of these tracks of original Accept drummer, now guitarist Stefan Kaufmann (the man responsible for many of their greatest hits of yore) is of course crucial to their remarkable time-erasing accomplishments, and it's fair to assume that the absolutely incredible "Pull the Trigger" is guaranteed to have everyone's Balls to the Wall.
All in all, and easy comparisons notwithstanding, "Thunderball" is a great U.D.O. album at all!
AFM Records GmbH, 2004 (AFM 077-2). Made in Germany. Pressed in Austria.


Tracklist:
1. Thunderball 3:52
2. The Arbiter 4:07
3. Pull The Trigger 4:34
4. Fistful Of Anger 3:11
5. The Land Of The Midnight Sun 5:18
6. Hell Bites Back 3:09
7. Trainride In Russia (Poezd Po Rossii) 4:45
8. The Bullet And The Bomb 3:59
9. The Magic Mirror 4:56
10. Tough Luck II 3:37
11. Blind Eyes 4:20
Total playing time: 45:48 min.

The fourth re-release of the fourth full-length studio album by legendary German Heavy Metal band.
The perfect mix of Speed Metal and old school Heavy Metal. There is power and speed but there is also enough of the classic sound of traditional Metal to keep this one close to the hearts of fans of Judas Priest and Black Sabbath.
It was recorded and mixed at Dierks Studios, Cologne from November 1990 to February 1991. Album was released in April 03, 1991.
The band's most brutal album, following a light approach on “Faceless World”, it's U.D.O.'s last release before Udo Dirkschneider took part in the Accept reunion which resulted in three albums.
The perfect mix of Speed Metal and old-school Heavy Metal. There is power and speed, but there is also enough of the classic sound of traditional Metal to keep this one close to the hearts of Judas Priest and Black Sabbath fans.
The band were aided by Deaffy on lyrics. Deaffy has also appeared as author of the English lyrics on the Accept albums, and has been revealed to be a pseudonym for Gaby Hoffmann (maiden name Hauke), manager for Accept and later married to guitarist Wolf Hoffmann.
"Timebomb" is the real deal, and recommend being playing loud and often!
25th Anniversary Edition remastered re-release includes live bonus track and album-EPK video.
Breeze Music GmbH/BMG Ariola Hamburg GmbH/AFM Records, 1991/2013 (AFM 430-2). Made in Germany.


Tracklist:
1. The Gutter 1:04
2. Metal Eater 3:42
3. Thunderforce 3:39
4. Overloaded 1:04
5. Burning Heat 3:13
6. Back In Pain 3:46
7. Timebomb 3:57
8. Powersquad 4:12
9. Kick In The Face 3:46
10. Soldiers Of Darkness 4:11
11. Metal Maniac Master Mind 5:43
Bonus: 
12. Metal Eater (Live) 4:17
13. Album-EPK (Video)
Total playing time: 42:36 min.