Having an entire month dedicated to early albums from well-known heavy metal artists gives an opportunity to take a second look at records released with limited publicity. No album is better represented of this view than Accept’s self-titled debut. The German metal band is best known for Restless And Wild and Balls To The Wall, and these two albums were the first taste of Accept for most American listeners.


When it was released in 1979, only Europe paid any attention to Accept’s first album. Even then, it only sold a few thousand copies. In today’s music-buying culture, that figure would be respectable for a metal album, but back in the late ‘70s, it was a terrible response. The content isn’t as consistent as later albums, and the band’s live shows ignoring the album a couple of years after its release didn’t help keep the memory alive.

For all the ways Accept tried to avoid the album once they hit it big in the mid-‘80s, the songs here are important in the overall progression of the band. These songs have the ingredients of a classic Accept tune: Udo Dirkschneider’s screeching wails, the killer solos, and riffs that catch the ears’ attention.

“Lady Lou” was the only single, and while it doesn’t hit as strong as “Helldriver” or “That’s Rock ‘N’ Roll,” it was the right choice to get people accustomed to Accept. No wonder the band chose to have it as the opening track as well. “Tired Of Me” worked up the nerve to bring out a chorus that only seems to work under the lights of thousands of fans screaming along.

Guitarists Wolf Hoffmann and Jorg Fischer have plenty of chances to team up and shred for the fences on “Glad To Be Alone.” This would be the only album with this duo involved, and while it wasn’t as tight and Hoffmann and Herman Frank would become, it did its job for this record. Dirkschneider is the best part of this album; even when the songs don’t do much, his vocals keep the listener wanting to hear which high notes he hits next.

Dirkschneider isn’t the only one to get in on the singing. As would be the case on several Accept albums, bassist Peter Baltes gets the lead vocal spots on “Seawinds” and “Sounds of War.” While not an awful singer, his voice didn’t have the range of Dirkschneider. Both songs are much more introspective and driven by feelings of longing on the former and bloody horror on the latter. It’s a different side from the more fun-living/derivative love ballads that make up the other eight songs.

This self-titled album is definitely one of the band’s weaker outputs, though had a lot more going for it than most debut albums. Dirkschneider’s vocals are not polished, and that makes for some hair-raising screeches and falsettos. The songs are mostly light, catchy heavy metal tunes, though a few lengthier cuts show potential for something deeper. For allowing Accept to get their name out in Europe and take the first steps towards success in the ‘80s, Accept gets the nod for this week’s Retro Recommendation.

“Lady Lou” Video