German heavy metal master Accept are back once again, continuing on their late career renaissance with Mark Tornillo at the vocal helm, for their latest Nuclear Blast release titled Too Mean to Die. Alongside founding member & lead guitarist Wolf Hoffman, Tornillo again puts on a show throughout this new platter of molten metal, joined by the rest of Accept who are in 2021 guitarists Uwe Lulis & Philip Shouse (yep, a three guitar army...Primal Fear can't have all the fun, can they?), bassist Martin Motnik, and drummer Christopher Williams. As with the last few albums, Andy Sneap is again in the producers chair, so you'll get a similar sound to what we've heard on all the albums in the Tornillo era, which for some might either be a good or bad thing, but there's no denying the crisp, metallic style that Sneap brings to the table, and Too Mean To Die is indeed a huge sounding metal record. Loads of riff-o-rama and Tornillo's gravelly roar permeate strong tracks such as "Overnight Sensation", "Zombie Apocalyse", "The Undertaker", the delightfully crushing "Symphony of Pain", and the rampaging title track. "No Ones Master" easily slips into European power metal mode, and while the lyrics of "Sucks to Be You" border on juvenile, it's still a fun headbanger. That brings up what isn't good about Too Mean to Die; lyrically, the band just seem to be slipping into teenage silliness for the most part, as if this part of the songwriting process is thrown in quickly at the last minute, which is a shame as the music is absolutely top notch. Check out the instrumental closer "Samson and Delilah" for some majestic heavy metal sounds, and the lone track on the album not dragged down by laughable lyrics. I'm not going to hold this aspect too much against the band, as I'm not usually much of a lyric guy anyway, but I'd think with music this good, they'd want to spend more time crafting some stories that better suit the rest of the overall package.
In summary, another kick ass Accept album chock full of potent riffing, blazing solos, and great vocals. Just don't expect thought provoking lyrics, and you'll get plenty of enjoyment out of this one.
Track Listing
1
Zombie Apocalypse
2
Too Mean to Die
3
Overnight Sensation
4
No Ones Master
5
The Undertaker
6
Sucks to Be You
7
Symphony of Pain
8
The Best Is Yet to Come
9
How Do We Sleep
10
Not My Problem
11
Samson and Delilah
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