U.D.O. - review added 24th June 2009
Album Review: Infected EP (2009)
For fans of: Heavy Metal... and Accept
German band U.D.O. was founded in the late 80's by Accept singer Udo Dirkschneider. They are now into double figures with full-length releases and have another album, Dominator, coming out later this year.
In the mean time they are unleashing the Infected EP on the world. Playing on the release are Udo Dirkschneider (vocals), Stefan Kaufmann (guitars), Igor Gianola (guitars), the brilliantly named Fitty Wienhold (bass) and Francesco Jovino (drums).
For anyone who hasn't heard U.D.O., or indeed Accept, before, the band play a punishingly loud straight ahead heavy metal - the sort that's designed to make speaker stacks melt. They don't do fast, they don't do modern, they don't do doom-laden and they don't do silly devil voices. This is geezer-metal with more testosterone than a bloke with ten testicles.
Udo's voice is born from the same fire-pit as Brian Johnson's. He is as rough as diamond-tipped sandpaper. his throat sounds like it has a pine forest in it. Still, he has oodles of character in his grumble-filled high pitched crooning. If he sounded smooth the music would lose its zing.
The EP commences with the title track, a drum-rich beast of a track with a contagious chorus and intriguing guitar battles. It sounds just like something out of the early 80's, but with up-to-date power and production behind it. Udo sounds as energetic and bonkers as ever, although the Alice Cooper style harmonies are no need. 'Systematic Madness' has a cleaner sound to the music, although the singing is still as scratchy as cobbled AstroTurf. The chorus is fun, even if it does sound like they are singing "Sister Magic Madness". Maybe my ears are getting old!
'Bodyworld' is a good solid track, whilst 'Platchet Soldat' is a tad odd. Its constant pace changes mean it's very difficult to settle into. Final track 'Poezd Po Rossii' is a thoroughly insane live track that sounds like a very drunken night at a folk-based beer festival. It's a great fun track but quite unlike anything else on the album. You'll either fall in love with it or hit the stop button with force. It isn't a track that's going to attract a middling response!
This EP has some good moments and some distinctly average ones. The first couple of songs are cool, and the last one is, er, certainly something. It might be worth waiting for the full album later in the year but, if you can't, you shouldn't be disappointed with this.
Check out... The final track. Madness I tell you!
Track List:
01. Infected
02. Systematic Madness
03. Bodyworld
04. Platchet Soldat
05. Poezd Po Rossii
Label: AFM Records
Artist's website(s): U.D.O. , MySpace
