ACCEPT
ACCEPT “Humanoid”
By Iron Sheik
ACCEPT are back in full force with another slab of metal with heart. “Humanoid” is album number seventeen for these Teutonic warriors, and it is an album rooted firmly in their 80s sound although still sounding fresh in 2024. Clean and crisp production via Andy Sneap has surely given this album that neo-retro sound throughout, and “Humanoid” is Sneap's sixth straight produced ACCEPT album. ACCEPT has locked into a winning formula since 2010s “Blood Of The Nations” reunion album with Mark Tornillo as their new lead singer.
Many lineup changes have taken place over ACCEPT’s forty-eight year existence, but the sound remains the same. This album was recorded as a five piece vs the six piece band. Wolf Hoffman on guitar, Mark Tornillo on vocals, Uwe Lulis on guitar, Martin Motnik on bass, and Christopher Williams on drums are the men behind the metal. Let's dig into this monster of an album.
“Diving Into Sin” opens and closes with an Eastern musical touch reminiscent of “Metal Heart” and further embodies that classic sounding ACCEPT... Heavy and incorporating familiar gang vocals. This track has that midtempo groove they are known so well for. “Humanoid”, which is the first single is a warning against AI. Rocking with a “Balls/Heart” vibe throughout. "Welcome to the future" Mark sings telling the listener we are indestructible, and that he is a "man of metal." “Frankenstein”, the current single, brings a new spin on the classic Mary Shelley story. "Lightning, strapped in, not a monster, yet so alive." A creation who is "forever free." It is one of the faster tracks.
“Man Up” shifts back into the midtempo pace. "Everything has changed, and you don't know why." Excellent soloing as always. “The Reckoning” is about the end of days. A slightly faster paced track. Guitars are calling "one and all". “Nobody Gets Out Alive” is a story of "one destination". No matter which way we go, which road we take, how we love or hate it ends up the same for all. I never imagined a song about mortality would be so kickass, but this song is. “Ravages Of Time” is a telling story of growing old. It's the ballad of the album. At moments it made me think of “Seawinds” and moreso of “Amamos la Vida”. A classic heavier power ballad that only ACCEPT could pull off. It is perfectly timed and placed as the albums middle track.
“Unbreakable” comes roaring in to kick off the back half of the album. It is another faster track. A song about the band’s endurance with Mark singing of it being destiny. Its guitar solo is split by a small section of vocals which is done very effectively. “Mind Games” is about chaos and fear. "Something is coming to get you". Soloing sounds reminiscent of something off the “Balls To The Wall” album. "The nightmare has just begun." Tricks of the mind are explored. "Am I losing my mind?" takes us into a solo that is another top notch piece. “Straight Up Jack” begs to "give me the 100 proof". It would fit nicely as an AC/DC rocker about drinking. Envisioning Bon Scott singing this is easy and spot on. Quite the homage, if ever there was. “Southside Of Hell” bring us to the end of the album all too soon. "It's a long road to Heaven from..." Begging the question of “Is Heaven there where Hell is?" One of the more uptempo tracks also and the fastest of the album. A great ending leaving the listener wanting more of the great music ACCEPT never fail in delivering.
Of “Humanoid”'s eleven tracks my favorites are the trifecta of “Unbreakable”, “Mind Games” and “Straight Up Jack”. A perfect run on an album that could proudly stand alongside “Balls To The Wall” and especially “Metal Heart”. Listening to it repeatedly, having a reference to “Metal Heart” in the cover artwork and music, I lean towards thinking it could have been titled “Metal Heart II: Humanoid”.
Although the references all throughout the music and lyrics will take the listener into ACCEPTs world of AI, aging, and drinking, mostly familiar territory, it all still sounds fresh. Instantly familiar in its unfamiliarity makes “Humanoid” that much more fun. Hearing the obvious initial nuances of 80s ACCEPT, and the deeper passages into that 80s sound upon repeat listens brings the “Metal Heart” memories screaming into the present with the men of metal on “Humanoid”.