Love him or loathe him, you gotta tip your hat to Udo Dirkschneider for his perseverance and consistency. After recording ten studio albums with ACCEPT and ten more with his own U.D.O. outfit, he's back with his eleventh U.D.O. album in the form of "Mastercutor", and the news here is as good as one can expect: not a damn thing has changed. The old formulas are still being recycled, but you ain't gonna get any complaints here.

For anyone who's heard any U.D.O. or ACCEPT album from the past ten years or so, the production sounds exactly the friggin' same, with the pseudo-cyber guitar distortion and drum triggers. The songs themselves should feel familiar too: rockers like "The Instigator", "The Devil Walks Alone" and the metal anthem "We Do - For You" have the bounce and drive that Udo's been delivering for almost 30 years. There are, however, a few shining moments of experimentation. "The Wrong Side of Midnight" has some very effective breakdowns with synth pads that sound like they're coming from an old vinyl record, and the digital effects on "Master of Disaster" and "Walker of the Dark" are a nice change of pace. On the other hand, the fake game show intro at the very start of the album is a major annoyance, and like all sappy U.D.O. ballads, "Tears of a Clown" is a track to skip over.

Now while Igor Gianola holds his end up with his flashy guitar work, the selling point is obviously Udo himself. His trademark croak is still intact after all these years, and no matter how many times he re-records "Balls to the Wall" under a different name, his mere presence adds a significant level of awesomeness to his discs. This, of course, brings up an important point: a signature voice is a powerful tool that can give a band considerable leeway, whether it's U.D.O. or ACCEPT. And yes, I understand that Wolf Hoffmann was the brains behind ACCEPT, but does anyone have fond memories of "Eat the Heat"? Didn't think so.

While "Mastercutor" is nowhere near "Restless and Wild" (or even other U.D.O. discs like "Holy"), it's still a solid metal album that serves as a refresher for those who may not have heard Udo's voice in a while… or even for those who have.

- Cardona

OFFICIAL SITE: www.udo-online.de

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