Band:	U.D.O.
Album:	Touchdown
Style:	Heavy metal
Release date:	August 2023

01. Isolation Man
02. The Flood
03. The Double Dealer's Club
04. Fight For The Right
05. Forever Free
06. Punchline
07. Sad Man's Show
08. The Betrayer
09. Heroes Of Freedom
10. Better Start To Run
11. The Battle Understood
12. Living Hell
13. Touchdown [feat. Stefan Pintev]

Can the heavy metal veterans U.D.O. pull off another touchdown performance after 36 years with their balls to the wall? Or should we Accept another squandered opportunity?

There's no denying that U.D.O. have been around for some time now (36 years, in fact), with this latest offering, Touchdown, being their whopping nineteenth release to date. More to the point, is there any sign of the legendary U.D.O. frontman Udo Dirkschneider (former Accept vocalist) slowing down after all these years at the helm, despite reaching 71 years of age this year? Well, judging by his miraculous performance on this latest offering, I will have to say: probably not just yet. 

Joining the team for this latest effort is Udo's former Accept bandmate Peter Baltes on bass. The remaining line-up is left unchanged since 2018's Steel factory: Andrey Smirnov and Dee Dammers (guitars), Sven Dirkschneider (drums), as well as guest performer Stefan Pintev with a spot on the violin. Now, with such a lengthy discography, U.D.O. haven't been the most consistent over the years, with many releases suggesting to me that recycled Accept material has been a key feature in their songwriting. But, I'm sure you'll be glad to know that Touchdown is a step in the right direction this time and is, in fact, one of their strongest efforts for some time. So, since you know the relatively unhinged line-up, what is it that makes this album a strong one compared to their previous outputs, exactly?

Now, there's one thing for sure: the energy levels and heavy metal spirit have well and truly returned in full swing. The songwriting and performance are back to a high standard, and the loud, fresh, modern production only helps matters. Here you're presented with an impressive total of thirteen fast-paced, energizing, headbangable tracks, all of which contain memorable hooks: catchy leads, traditional melodic riffs, strikingly heavy bass lines, powerful rhythmic drumming, and the all-important catchy arena-pleasing choruses performed at an exceptional standard for a 71-year-old who's been belting out those trademark screeches for over half his life! Of the thirteen tracks, there are very few that I can honestly say are skippable, and, for the first time in years, I can honestly say this is a U.D.O. album that sounds like a genuine throwback to the early days of Accept (in particular, Restless and Wild) without coming across as a total rip off or a band who are fresh out of ideas.

Well, before I move on, I can't go without mentioning the cover art. How often do you recall seeing a sport-themed album in metal? Very rarely, I suppose. It just tends to be an area you don't want heavy metal to be involved in. Admit it, the whole concept of sports and heavy metal colliding sounds cringe-worthy to you, doesn't it? Now, I have to shamefully admit I don't know the first thing about American football. Myself, I'm more of a soccer fan to be honest (that's the English in me, I guess?). But this album is far from an encyclopedia of knowledge in the sport of American football — take the cover art and American football theme with a pinch of salt, so to speak. In fact, the only track that is lyrically based on American football here is the closing title track ("Touchdown"). This is one of the album's fastest and catchiest tracks and acts as a great, memorable closer. Its main structure is actually taken from Accept's "Fast As A Shark", and the lyrics are inspired from a time when the band were hanging out at a sports bar in Brazil, watching an American football game on TV. 

There are also several lyrical themes that delve into various situations that many of us ourselves can relate to. "Isolation Man", for instance, talks about the grim situation the musicians found themselves in during the global pandemic. The backdrop behind "The Flood" tells the story of when Udo's son and band drummer, Sven Dirkscheider, had his house flooded in Germany during the heavy rainfall. "Fight For The Right" tells that the experiences guitarist Andrey Smirnov had during the Russian invasion of his homeland, Ukraine, where he was living at the time with his family.

I always believe consistency is what makes an album great, and that is where many heavy metal albums tend to fail. You maybe get one, two or three stand out tracks on a heavy metal album that features as many as thirteen tracks, these days. However, it's genuinely hard to pinpoint standout tracks on Touchdown, simply because there aren't many that fall into the average or below average category. No tracks here are what I'd consider classic heavy metal material, none I believe that will be remembered for years to come. But I do believe the album as a whole will be looked back on and may well stand out as one of U.D.O.'s finer moments in their long, ever-growing discography.