Photo courtesy of acceptworldwide.com

By Allan Grusie

We’ve all seen the Phoenix Effect before in the world of classic rock bands. Bands rise from slumber, put together an album, sometimes good, sometimes bad, hit the road, … the end.

Then, there is the story of Accept. Seldom has the rock scene witnessed what has happened with this legendary band. Totally by coincidence, 2010 found the core of the band connecting with former TT Quick singer Mark Tornillo, releasing the magnificent Blood Of The Nations (hands down, my album of the year for 2010) followed by a successful tour. In 2011, they are on the road again, proving to fans that this is indeed a revitalized Accept, with purpose. I caught up with guitarist, and founding member, Wolf Hoffmann prior to their sold out Toronto show.

So, bring our readers up to date with how the reformation of Accept came to be.

“Well, it is really one of those funny stories in life which started as a big coincidence,” says Hoffman. “The short version is that, about a year and a half ago we met Mark Tornillo and loved the way he sang. It wasn’t planned out at all. We were not auditioning for a singer or anything. We just happened to meet during a jam session. Peter (Baltes) and I were spending a day just jamming some old riffs. Somebody suggested we call Mark and have him sing along with some old songs. We realized he has a killer voice which was suited perfectly to our old material. The idea to reform was born in that moment. Within about a minute and I half Peter and I just looked at each other and we knew we had to do something.”

The promotional blitz leading up to the release of Blood Of The Nations was second to none. From the initial press teasers, the video for Teutonic Terror, right to the release of the album and subsequent tour was professional and dare I say, Genius!

“Well, really the credit for all the goes to Gaby (Hoffmann, who manages the band too!). She looks after all those aspects. In a way, it was a risk, because we had nothing at the time. No songs, but we just knew that this would work. On the idea of the video, a good friend from Los Angeles, Dave Blass had mentioned a long time ago that if we ever needed to film a video he would do it. So, he arranged us to shoot at a tank graveyard, and the video turned out great.”

What were your expectations going in this time around?

“I really didn’t have any expectations. I just wanted to make the best album I could and show the world that we can do it. People were making comments online saying things like, ‘it’s not going to work, it’s gonna suck, don’t even bother, etc’, so we kind of had this attitude that we will have to try twice as hard to prove that we could do it. So, I knew everybody would take the record under a microscope, and really dissect it to find any weak point, either because Udo is not in the band or just to say I told you so. We knew internally that the guys who wrote the songs are in the band still. People assumed, incorrectly, that the singer writes the songs. I mean, I had people even argue that point with me. So, even with a different singer, we felt that there is no reason that it shouldn’t work, since we wrote the songs anyway.”

On why the difference with Mark on vocals compared with David Reece on the Beat The Heat album.

“The idea behind Beat The Heat was that we were trying to take the band in a totally different direction. The fans were not really ready for that and we never had the right chemistry. With Mark, we have the perfect chemistry and know exactly what we want to do with Accept. It was just meant to happen.”

The first tour for the new Accept was a big success, surprising many, including some cities that did not take a chance on them first time around. This time the tour is expanded including many places that Accept has not played in for nearly 20 years!

“We really want to re-establish the band for the fans. Canada is a perfect example. We haven’t been here in over 20 years. The initial step is always the same, show our faces, deliver a quality show, and getting everybody excited about the band.”

By the way, they did that and more at the Toronto show, playing new songs and classics, delivering great attitude & obvious enjoyment. The audience picked up on this positive energy, with the guys earning the respect of all who attended!

“A lot of people miss this old school of metal, as there are not too many of us left,” says Hoffmann. “Scorpions and Judas Priest are doing their last tours, and we’re just getting warmed up. We love to do this, and if ever there was a time, let’s do it now. This is our passion and what we live for.”

The comeback of Accept is an undeniable success, which begs the obvious question, What’s Next? Without hesitation Wolf offers up these comments.

“Album number two will start to happen in the second half of 2011. I mean, here I am again, announcing that the album will happen and we don’t have a shred of music written. (sounds familiar!) As soon as this tour is over in July, we will have to force ourselves to quite touring. Otherwise we’ll never get an album out (laughs). I can’t write on the road, so we need to shut this machinery down, lock ourselves into a room for weeks on end, and then the magic happens. After the album, we’ll be on the road again next year.”

We can hardly wait! Until then be sure to catch Accept on tour, and if you haven’t done so, grab the new album.

By Adrien Begrand

You can see the sadness and frustration in the eyes of the surviving members of Heaven and Hell as they talk about their wonderful four year run on their new DVD. After so many conflicts among Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Vinny Appice (the Live Evil battle of egos, the post-Dehumanizer shenanigans), all the nonsense of the past was set aside at long last in 2006 when Black Sabbath Mk. III reconvened after 14 years apart, and from that first Cross-Canada tour on, we could see the joy in the faces of the four members. Whether it was because of the perspective you gain in old age or the maturity to finally check your ego at the door, these guys were having so much fun onstage, and it was reflected in the music. Iommi was clearly thrilled to play more obscure material rather than crank out “Iron Man” for the bazillionth time, and Dio, well, he was Dio, the defining voice of heavy metal, sounding positively ageless, his voice conveying awe-inspiring power from the front row to the rafters.

Just when they had some serious momentum going, with a best-selling new album under their belts, poof, it was all gone, as the beloved Dio passed away quietly this past spring. It’s tragic how such a welcome comeback could be snuffed out so cruelly, but what a way for Heaven and Hell to go out: sales and attendance exceptional, everyone finally getting along, not to mention proud of everything they’d accomplished in such a short time span. And with Neon Nights: 30 Years of Heaven & Hell, we have a perfect way to cap off that magical run.

Little did anyone know at the time, but Heaven and Hell’s set at 2009′s Wacken Open Air festival in Germany would be the last filmed performance by Ronnie James Dio, but we can be thankful it was documented, for it’s yet another rousing live DVD/CD by the band. It’s a good companion piece to the Live at Radio City Music Hall DVD as well, not to mention significantly different. In contrast to the pristine, intimate indoor setting in New York, Wacken saw the foursome in front of a whopping 70,000 people on a massive stage, playing in a steady drizzle. Of course, that could hardly faze Dio and his mates, as they put on as tight and professional a show as we’ve come to expect. With a new album to support, the set list was tweaked, which was a very nice change from the “greatest hits” set of the initial tour. Three songs from The Devil You Know are carted out, the best of which being the stupendous “Bible Black”, Dio’s last masterpiece. Additionally, Dehumanizer song “Time Machine” is performed, and sounds terrific amongst the more well-known songs, as well as a tantalizing snippet of underrated Mob Rules track “Country Girl”.

Of course, we do get the usual fan favourites, such as “Neon Knights”, “Die Young”, a fiery “Mob Rules”, and the requisite epic performance of the band’s eponymous song. Captured on high definition video by the Wacken cameras, this DVD isn’t quite as high class as the Radio City DVD, as the lighting isn’t perfect and raindrops are often visible on lenses, but it’s an otherwise excellent live set, everyone, especially Dio, looking as if they could carry on, performing as magnificently as ever, for years to come. The extra features, on the other hand, are outstanding, as we’re treated to lengthy interviews with all four members, as well as brief but very touching tributes to Dio by Iommi, Butler, and Appice. The pain in the eyes of the trio is palpable, but also great happiness, that they were able to put together a run as special as this one, this late into their careers.

(Armoury / Eagle Rock)

By Matt Lewis

An ambitious disaster is how I would describe this record. As complex a record as this is, its this simplest description that sums it up.  War From A Harlots Mouth, hailing from Germany, has recorded quite possibly the “what the fuck was that” record of the decade.  MMX is a mix of technical death metal, jazz influenced melodies, stringed instruments and, last but not least, grindcore.  The band took all of it and smashed it together like two three year olds pounding their toy trucks together.

It flows, sputters and spurts like someone who just ate Taco Bell.  It is completely chaotic and, like I said before, in that what the fuck was that kind of a way.  It tries to be too many things at once: avant garde, progressive, technical and jazz all in one song, let alone one album.  The spectrum is as wide as the grand canyon, using eight-stringed guitars to violins.  You get that huge low end bursting through after a quite high end melody with a stringed section. It is annoying and jolts the listener out of sync constantly.

It seems to me that there are two possibilities here. Either MMX was done with a lot of thought and they over analyzed it or they were as fucking high as Hunter S Thompson.  Don’t get me wrong I like chaos in my music, I like jazz sometimes in my music and I even like them smashed together but underneath it all it has to make a little sense to draw the listener in.  I give the record a 10 for ambition but a 3 for execution.  Back to the drawing board for this band.

(Lifeforce America)

Rating: 3

By Sean Palmerston

You have to hand it to Tom Angelripper. Here is one musician that makes the most of everything he has. After wowing us all five years ago with the very extensive Lords of Depravity double DVD collection which chronicled the band’s first decade together, Tom has taken his time to put together another even more extensive retrospective on the group. Second time around finds the majority of the material concentrating on the current incarnation of Sodom, which also features guitarist Bernemann and drummer Bobby. This lineup has remained the same since 1997’s ‘Til Death Do Us Unite, making it the longest running version in the band’s storied history.

Again divided into two discs, the first DVD is another incredibly in-depth documentary on the band. Covering from 1997 to essentially present day, it tells the tale of the band struggling to stay alive in the not-so-metal 90s and persevering through hard work, lots of European festivals and smartly planned international touring. Who knew Sodom were quite so big in South America? This is a band that really pays attention to their fan-base, smartly touring where they are most wanted and not worrying about spending all their time trying to make record companies happy. Quite a bit of time is also invested in discussing Tom’s solo project Onkle Tom, but seeing as how essentially Angelripper is Sodom it makes sense for its inclusion. One thing that may be a negative for some fans is that the documentary is primarily in German, but thankfully the English subtitles are very easy to follow along with.

The second disc presents the band’s official 25th anniversary show at the 2007 edition of Wacken Open Air in rural Germany. It is a momentous occasion that features songs from their entire career and special guest appearances by many of the group’s former members. Like everything else Sodom, the gig is an extensive one that takes two hours to play out in its entirety. It is a real treat to see the band playing in front of a huge festival audience – something you would never see in North America, sadly – and like most released footage to come from Wacken in the past ten years this is captured beautifully on film with a multi-camera crew and not too many outrageously quick edits.

Lords Of Depravity Part II is an amazingly thorough, well-put together package but it might just be way too much for the beginner Sodom fan. With a running time of over six hours total, there is a shitload of Sodom to be had here for a reasonable price. If you are a diehard fan of the band you will want to have this in your collection. In fact chances are you probably already do. If you are on the fence about it, make sure that your Sodom album collection is up to date first and then pick this up. It is the perfect completing piece, like adding nice fresh whipped cream to a homemade apple pie, it is that extra little thing that will finish your Sodom collection perfectly.

(SPV/Steamhammer)

Rating: 9.0

By Gruesome Greg

In preparation for the arrival of the new Accept album, I dug out my old cassette copy of Eat the Heat, their last recording sans Udo. A terribly dated piece of late 80′s pap metal, their idea of replacing the pint-sized Monsterman with a more accessible singer—Bangalore Choir’s David Reece, whose gun wasn’t loaded on these recording sessions—did not go over well. Reece was a half-assed Axl Rose, generic 1989 “metal” frontman, the type you’d run into on any corner of the Sunset Strip, and the songs range from Judas Priest-lite to Night Ranger fluff. No wonder I kept this in a box at the back of my closet…

Fast forward 20 years, and David Reece is long forgotten. In ex-TT Quick frontman Mark Tornillo, Accept has found a Brian Johnson to Udo’s Bon Scott, a frontman of a mostly obscure band who sounds an awful lot like the band’s legendary singer. “Beat the Bastards” is a classic Accept chugger with some modern-day breakdowns and an ol’ school German gang chorus. Infectious single “Teutonic Terror” has another one of those great me speaks English choruses that you can’t help belting out: “We will… Give ‘em the axe!” (Apparently, a lot of the lyrics are Tornillo’s—then again, he’s from New Jersey…)

At six minutes and 54 seconds long, leadoff single “The Abyss” was clearly slated to be another epic a la “Balls…” But the backing vocals are a little too layered, sounding more prissy power metal than dirty punk rock. It also has a slow middle section that wouldn’t sound outta place on *gasp* Eat the Heat… (It’s mercifully short, but “Kill the Pain,” on the other hand, we could do without.) While Udo was known to wear combat fatigues on stage, Tornillo has taken the military fetish even further with the war imagery on this record, which he dedicates “to the Armed Forces of all countries who selflessly protect our freedom and make it possible for us to do these things.” Frankly, this gets a little old.

I’d much rather listen to songs about the speed of sharks and London Leatherboys. The title track “Blood of the Nations,” and particularly its chorus, could be slotted straight into a recruitment ad for the United States Marines with Top Gun fighters circling overhead…

Despite my quibbles with the lyrical content, this album is a great piece of throwback metal, Andy Sneap harnessing the classic 80′s Accept sound and bringing it into the 21st century. Their last Udo-less effort may not have aged well, but Blood of the Nations is timeless.

Still, I hafta deduct at least one point for turning a happy-go-lucky band from Deutschland into flag-waving, arms-bearing supporters of the American military complex. Perhaps Brian Johnson isn’t the best historic predecessor for Tornillo—can you imagine if AC/DC had replaced Bon with Ted Nugent?

(Nuclear Blast)

RATING: 8.5

By Rob Kachluba

There have been some great albums by veteran metal bands in 2010. First Overkill issued Iron Bound and now German metal merchants Accept have released Blood of the Nations. These albums are the best works by both bands since their 80s heydays. Having recruited vocalist Mark Tornillo (ex-TT QUICK) you will have yourself saying Udo who? He is the perfect blend of Udo and Bon Scott but also adds his own identity. Helped by the fantastic production of Andy Sneap, you have the perfect combination of old school Accept with a modern touch. All their trademarks are here. Excellent riffs that are undeniably Accept in feel/tone, with those huge gang vocals and twin guitar attack will have you grinning from ear to ear. Opening track “Beat the Bastard Down” storms out of the gate in vintage Accept fashion followed by video single and infectious new classic “Teutonic Terror”, followed by the darkness of “The Abyss”, which features a middle section where its just a piano and Mark singing in a quiet clean voice that really works well. The rest of the album really bodes well for the listener too. This is no one trick pony as these old Schoolers put many newbies to shame. Word has it they stole the show at this month’s Progpower fest in Atlanta; be sure to catch them next month on their small US tour with Kings X.

(Nuclear Blast)

Rating: 8.5

This week, on Metal Jeopardy…

Mud: “I’ll take Bands That Got Me Into Heavy Metal for 500, Alex.”

Alex: “Which semi-obscure classic heavy metal band played a huge role in your formative years as a metal head?”

Let’s face it, we all have that one band.  Sure, I listened to all the metal gods growing up: Maiden, Priest, Sabbath, etc; but there was another band I had an obsessive appreciation for, one that didn’t belong on such a lofty pedestal–yet I put them right up there.

That band was Teutonic metal pioneers Accept.

When I was but a wee lad, I heard AC/DC on the radio, and my life changed forever.  I would not be a fan of heavy rock, or even music, had it not been for the Thunder from Down Under.  While it was Maiden who introduced me to the metal genre, after hearing an extended 12-minute live version of hit single “Balls to the Wall” on a late-nite heavy metal radio show, I knew I had a new favourite band.

Going from AC/DC to Accept wasn’t a huge leap.  Not only are their albums side-by-side in my alphabetically-arranged music collection, but there are certain sonic similarities as well; Udo Dirkscheider pulling double duty as the sandpaper-lunged vocalist and the hyperactive midget, like Bon and Angus rolled into one little ball of hate.  Accept’s first two recordings–1979′s self titled and 1980′s I’m a Rebel–are heavily influenced by the DC, albeit with much less polish than their counterparts’ Highway to Hell and Back in Black, released during that period.

It was on Breaker, their third full-length album, that Accept moved more towards a metal direction, with their following album Restless and Wild an early example of speed-metal, double-bass drumming (in ’82!) and Balls to the Wall, released in 1983, bringing the band international recognition.

They would release ten more albums in the following 25 years, including a couple live discs.  The band first broke up in ’89, following the release of the Udo-less Eat the Heat, but have reunited three times; putting out three studio albums in the mid 1990s, and doing a reunion tour of Russia, Japan and the European festival circuit in 2005.  Their most recent reunion has resulted in a come-back album, Blood of the Nations, which is due for a September 15th release.  (I haven’t heard it yet, but I have it on pre-order…)

It’s worth noting that the new record is their first in 21 years without the legendary Udo on vocals, as the diminutive frontman has opted not to take time away from his solo career, rehashing old Accept riffs with a rotating cast of power metal musicians–and Stefan Kaufmann, drummer from the glory years on lead guitar.  But in ex-TT Quick frontman Mark Tornillo, the band has found a Brian Johnson to Udo’s Bon Scott, whereas David Reece, he of Eat the Heat, was akin to replacing Bon with Gary Cherone.  (I’ve seen some live clips, and Tornillo does a pretty good Udo impression…)

Naturally, with a new album comes a need to tour, and after a summer spent across the pond, the band has booked a slate of American concert dates in late September/early October.   Perusing their website, I’m scratching my head, wondering if the person who booked the US dates speaks English any better than the dude who wrote their lyrics.

(Before Joe Schlared or another megafan jumps on my back, I know it’s the same person, and she’s not a dude.  Simmer down, now!)

While the band is hitting NYC, Dallas, and the bustling metropolis of Baltimore, the rest of the gigs on their nine-date tour are in places that you couldn’t find on a map unless you lived nearby.  Instead of Detroit, they’re playing Mt. Clemmens, Michigan.  They’re playing Reading, PA instead of Pitt or Philly.  And their only gig in Upstate New York isn’t Buffalo, Rochester or Albany, but Poughkeepsie.  Where the fuck is Poughkeepsie!?

One date that caught my eye was October 9th, a Saturday.  They’re playing St. Charles, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago.  The town even has its own airport.  Only problem is you can’t fly into DuPage without a private plane.  Less than one per cent of its arrivals are commercial flights, and there aren’t any from Toronto.  (I’ve checked…)  Meanwhile, O’Hare Airport is 34 miles–or a two-and-a-half-hour subway, bus and train ride away.  I might go that distance to see Udo, but not for Mark Tornillo.

Baltimore on a Friday might be manageable, but I’m holding out hope that they’ll fill in those seven unscheduled dates between Mt. Clemmens and St. Charles with a gig that’s a bit closer to home.  I’m not getting my hopes up for a Toronto date, but I would definitely travel to Barrie, Hamilton or Kitchener to see ‘em!

(According to Myspace, they’ve added gigs in Cleveland and the bustling metropolis of Middleton, WI.  I’d go to Cleveland if I have to, but I think I’ll wait and see…)

Compare this to the Sleep tour that gets underway tonite.  L.A., Englewood, Colorado(!?), Philly, Chicago, Austin, Portland, with two dates each in NYC and San Fran.  Something tells me they’ll sell more merch than Accept will in Sayerville(NJ), Foxboro(MA), Reading, Mt. Clemmens and Poughkeepsie!  Unless that Foxboro gig’s next to Gillette Stadium on game day…

On that note, it’s seven more sleeps till Sleep for yours truly.  To say I’m looking forward to seeing ‘em in Portland would be an understatement.

Peace,

Greg

P.S.: I’ll be spinning Sleep’s Holy Mountain in its entirety on Smokin’ Green tonite.  Be sure to tune in from 1 till 3 am at 88.1 fm on yer radio, channel 947 on yer TV or www.ckln.fm on yer computer!

By Jason Wellwood

At The Edge of Time is a power metal/fantasy fiction nerd’s dream. Intro song ‘Sacred Worlds’ was originally written for a video game (Sacred 2: Fallen Angel) , the second track is based on Michael Moorcock’s Eternal Champion series, and it just continues from there. Including 2 tracks based on Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series (‘Ride Into Obsession’ and ‘Wheel of Time’), 2 based on writings by John Milton and 2 based on George R. R. Martin’s writings. It seems a little pretentious and over the top but…Blind Guardian deliver an incredible album! It’s absolutely HUGE sounding and powerful from moment one. The orchestral beginnings of ‘Sacred Worlds’ slowly builds to full gallop which, in true Blind Guardian style, brings you right to the brink of standing on your seat to shout along….only to stop dead, pause for a moment and slowly bring you back up again, revisiting the main theme, a little flute trill, a slow fade and BOOM back into the metal again with the next track. ‘Tanelorn (Into The Void)’ is that song where you can imagine yourself in Hansi Kursch’s spot live on stage bringing the entire audience to their feet as they all sing along and pound their fists into the air as you chant ‘cry for Tanelorn’.

Make no mistake, this is POWER metal. The songs on At The Edge of Time are arranged with a classical ear, the attention to detail on this album cannot be denied. From the lyrical content, to Andre Olbrich’s melodic and powerful solos, Hansi Kursch’s vocal performance is stellar and you’d swear that Frederik Ehmke had been spelled to have a metronome for a heart and 8 arms. The man is a monster drummer! Marcus Siepen also does an incredible job on rhythm bringing a subtle flavour to the compositions that helps to whisk you off to the places Kursch is singing about. Adding in a little bit of prog flavour here and there, some flute, percussion, bagpipes, keyboards and huge choral backing vocals, Blind Guardian have created a power metal masterpiece.

Blind Guardian has created these incredible fantasy based songs without a trace of pretension, and not a wink and a nod either. Blind Guardian are unapologetically power metal and after hearing this record, no one would hold that against them.

(Nuclear Blast)

Rating: 9.9

By Jonathan Smith

There’s not a great deal that can be said about Germany’s Lantlôs and their sophomore release that can’t be explained by pointing to the man who makes up half of the band. .neon will ring a bell with those who are familiar with vocalist Neige‘s recent body of work (Alcest and Amesoeurs, just to name a few acts). That’s a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your feelings regarding the busy performer’s musical output. If you’ve enjoyed his recent work and are attracted to “post rock” spins on black metal sounds, there’s little reason you won’t enjoy the solid material found on .neon. There are few surprises on offer instrumentally that truly distinguish the record from Neige’s other recent releases, but if it’s the comfortable familiarity of alienating vocals and a world-weary vibe that you crave, you’ll find it here.

.neon, with a sound that is labelled as “black metal/post-rock,” is a less ambient offering than Alcest’s most recent release, but it still relies on the melodic, distorted, thin-sounding tremolo riffs and manic drumming that sub-genre fans can expect. Opening track “Minusmensch” starts the record off with an almost jazzy feel, taking its time to wallow in single note progressions and restrained drums before building up to Neige’s high-pitched but guttural vocals and the cutting buzz of the full instrumental ensemble. “These Nights Were Ours” sounds like an album opener but, while perfectly enjoyable, isn’t anything we haven’t heard before. “Neige de Mars” is characterized by some entertaining tempo changes that keep it from becoming too predictable. “Coma” and the title track are straight-forward mid-tempo “rockers,” with the latter featuring an distorted, intercom-esque voiceover. It is the little touches, including the brief suggestions of jazz, that do conjure up a thematic sense of isolation within modern times. While this is indeed a different vibe from the more nostalgic, fantastical vibe given off by Alcest’s albums, Lantlôs remains very similar in feel. This fact alone should be enough to help one decide whether or not .neon is worth pursuing.

(Prophecy Productions)

Rating: 7.0

By Jason Wellwood

My first listen to this record had me tagging it as a possibility for my album of the year, my second listen had me not too sure about it, but my third, fourth and fifth brought me right back around to my original opinion. Strings To A Web may well be Rage’s finest. The record kicks off with a galloping romp entitled ‘The Edge of Darkness’, leading into ‘Hunter and Prey’ and ‘Into The Light’…all three tracks very reflective of Rage as a musical entity: straight ahead, galloping metal with HUGE sing-a-long choruses. Peavy Wagner has never sounded this good, the use of both ends of his range (mid-range melodic and low end growl) compliments every song perfectly. The appearance of Blind Guardian’s Hansi Kursch adds interesting highs to the background on some songs as well.

‘Empty Hollow’ kicks off the four song centrepiece of Strings To A Web, leading to a slight divergence in sound for Rage: prog! Victor Smolski is at his best here: the songs structured classically with enough melody to make you remember every part for hours afterwards. Overall, the writing of the record and performances of all involved makes Strings To A Web feel like a career peak. The material is strong and Peavy and company have created a traditional metal masterpiece. I do, however, thing the pseudo-blues opening of ‘Hellgirl’ is a little cheesy, (baby cries, guitar answers, baby cries, etc.) but it works very well with the record as a whole. It sounds like the band is having fun, and the fun comes through in the music.

Included with the Canadian release of Strings to a Web is a DVD featuring Rage’s live set from Wacken Open Air 2009 as well as some bonus live footage from Masters of Rock 2009 and a live track from Sofia. Live, the band absolutely shines. As amazing as this album is, when you put it up against the live material on the DVD you can see the band absolutely commands on stage. As a three piece they still fill the stage and every single voice is singing along. Astounding! Maybe Strings To A Web is the album that will bring them that much love on our side of the pond. Buy this, NOW!

(Sonic Unyon Metal)

Rating: 9