U.D.O.
U.D.O. – “Touchdown”
By Colonel Angus
If you read any of the my older reviews here at Wormwood Chronicles, you will see that I haven’t given U.D.O. a fair amount of my time until 2021’s “Game Over” which I thought was a great release. That record only had one small misstep but it made me wake up and I started purchasing more of his back catalogue and while everything is not gold, there is quite a lot of great German metal to be found within all that material. And speaking of material. If my math is accurate, this new album “Touchdown” is their eighteenth studio release which by any standards is quite impressive.
One of the reasons that made the anticipation of this disk so great for me was that the band now features Peter Baltes who many of you know as one of the architects of ACCEPT. When you look at the writing credits of some of those classic ACCEPT records, you see that Baltes is all over that material. So now that the two of them are back together, my expectations were high and they certainly did not disappoint. When I run down the list of U.D.O. releases, I would put “Touchdown” in the top three for sure. Right now, I have it at number two because “No Limits” holds a special place in my heart but that may change as I “live” with this record over time.
This disk starts in fine U.D.O. fashion with “Isolation Man” which all the hallmarks of classic Dirkschneider led material. It has those chugging riffs, his trademark gruff vocals, and those fist-pumping gang vocals on the chorus. If there was any doubt that this was just another U.D.O. album, then that feeling is quickly dispelled with just the first track. Luckily, the great songs continue throughout the whole record. “The Double Dealer's Club” has a great upbeat riff that reminds me of Udo’s earlier output with his previous band. It has a sound that would have fit perfectly on the “Balls to the Wall” record. Things speed up on “Fight For the Right” which has a JUDAS PRIEST “Freewheel Burning” vibe about it until the chorus which is pure U.D.O. The other faster track on the disk “The Battle Understood” has this awesome groove and swagger that really plays to the band’s strengths; great melodic riffs, powerful thumping rhythms, and strong vocal melodies.
Quite honestly, “Touchdown” is full of top-shelf material and unlike “Game Over” which had “Don’t Wanna Say Goodbye”, this disk is 100% metal from start to finish. You can’t go wrong with any of the tracks from “Punchline”, “The Betrayer” all the way to “Living Hell” and the title track which closes the album. There is not one mediocre song in the bunch and while some may complain that the band is not moving forward musically, I say that U.D.O. has a sound that does not need adjusting/maturing/progressing. They are like AC/DC and MOTÖRHEAD in that there is a certain comfort in knowing what you are getting before you hear one note. And like those two bands I just mentioned, there are times when they come up with a collection of tracks that exceeds our expectations. This is one of those times where Udo and U.D.O. delivered something that will be remembered as one of their classics.
As mentioned previously, Peter Baltes is on bass and by the sound of the material, he must have had writing input as this whole record smacks of classic ACCEPT-like metal. I hate bringing up that band because U.D.O. is a different band altogether but Baltes and Dirkschneider helped create that sound and it is so unique that it’s hard to describe it without referencing that name. Andrey Smirnov and Dee Dammers continue providing great guitar work and I’m always amazed that these guys can come up with some many great riffs within the confines of “the sound”. Both put in such powerful performances that I can’t imagine the band without them. Their catchy. melodic riffs and soaring solos soar are all over “Touchdown”. Choose any track and you will have picked a winner. The line-up is completed with Udo’s son Sven on drums and while I’m sure some idiots out there might claim nepotism, Sven is a top-notch drummer and any band would be lucky to have him. He is solid as they come and combines with a seasoned bassist like Baltes, they make for a solid rhythm section.
The only things that I don’t quite get is the cover artwork and title. While U.D.O. has its share of fans in the United States, I would be correct in thinking that they are more of an international band where they are popular all over the world. Football as it is represented on the cover, is very American so I’m not quite sure how it all connects to their legacy. Either way, I do like the ice-blue visuals of the cover and musically, this record truly is a touchdown.