UDO: Steelfactory (AFM)

I’m pretty sure Udo Dirkschneider is the hardest working man in heavy metal. In the three years since the last UDO release, he’s released three live albums and relentlessly toured the world (under the Dirkschneider banner) performing Accept classics. You’d think a guy in his 60s would want to take some time off, but Udo and company are back with a new UDO release, titled Steelfactory.

You can tell spending a few years singing nothing but Accept classics made an impact. I mean, UDO albums always sound like Accept to some degree, but Steelfactory has that classic Accept vibe down pat. It’s their 16th album, but it’s as vital and high energy as those early albums were. Udo sounds fantastic as always, with his instantly recognizable rasp, and the songwriting here is surprisingly strong for a band with such an established formula. “In the Heat of the Night” is a fantastic anthem and headbanging monsters “Raise the Game,” “Blood on Fire” and “Hungry and Angry” are just ridiculously heavy. Cap it with a perfect production/mixing job by Jacob Hansen, and you have an instant UDO classic.

I have to admit I wasn’t expecting to be blown away by this one, but Steelfactory is probably the best UDO album in a decade, if not longer. It can go head-to-head with the latest Accept album, and may even come out on top. If you loved the classic Accept and UDO albums, Steelfactory is a must-have.

Edition Notes: The deluxe physical edition of Steelfactory comes in a digipack and includes a pair of bonus tracks. They’re new studio cuts, not demos or live tracks, so they’re actually worthwhile.