Today’s review marks the end of the second leg of the tour, and the first half of my music review festival. So, to conclude the “Artists I Haven’t Reviewed” section, I wanted to go for a classic album. Something that’s macho. Going through my music catalog, I saw one album that was ready to step up to the plate, and hit it out of the park. With that said, let’s put on our leather jackets, and look at Accept’s only Gold certified album in the United States, Balls To The Wall. Get to it!
The American edition of Balls to the Wall was released in January 1984, while the European edition was released on December 5, 1983. The reason for the U.S. delay was because Accept’s previous album, Restless and Wild, was released in early 1983, and they didn’t want the two records to compete. A fair reason, to be sure.
Perhaps what helped the success of the album in the U.S. was the “Gay Metal” controversy that rose up after Balls to the Wall was released in the states. Specifically, it came about as a result of the album’s title & front cover being considered “homoerotic” by some, along with “London Leatherboys” and “Love Child” having lyrics that appear to concern homosexuals. Many member of the band have expressed their opinion on this. Guitarist Wolf Hoffman said years after the album came out: “You Americans are so uptight about this. In Europe it was never a big deal...we just wanted to be controversial and different and touch on these touchy subjects, because it gave us good press and it worked fabulously, you know”
Drummer Stefan Kaufman also said some things about the controversy. He stated that some of the themes of Balls to the Wall were about oppressed minorities, with London Leatherboys about bikers, and Love Child spoke of oppressed homosexuals (The only song that actually talked about gay people). As he said in an interview with French magazine Enfer in 1983:
“It's a phenomenon that should be taken into consideration. Because it exists on a wide scale and should be demystified. In fact, this is a phenomenon of society that needs to be taken as such. For a long time gay people have been considered as sick or insane. And yet, it's time to respect these people, open our minds which are often closed.”
Gaby Hauke, Hoffman’s wife and lyricist, also had some things to say about the gay issue:
“Let me answer this and (the next) question in one, ok? I have been very rebellious and by no means I would have written anything 'normal'! Never! The sexual question about the context of certain lyrics are mind games and pure interpretation from outsiders. This is a band who has as individuals -so little to do with controversy and absolutely nothing in particular with anything but being VERY straight”
It should also be noted that the signature song off this album, Balls to the Wall, has been covered a few times since it’s release. The band Fozzy (Fronted by WWE star Chris Jericho) cover the song, along with Amon Amarth as a bonus on their Surtur Rising CD from 2011.
Songs
Balls To The Wall (“***”): Of course this album starts off with the title track!
Let me say that if one were to come up to me, and ask “What is Metal?”, I would point that person to this song. Accept was one of those bands back in the day (And perhaps now) that got the genre, and it shows in Balls to the Wall. Brutal drums, heavy guitars, and Udo Dirkschneider’s singing is just laced with cyanide & steel (This would also serve him in the band he formed after he left Accept, but that’s for another day). If I had any complaint about this song, it would be that it sounds a little archaic, but even then I forgive it because of it’s importance to the genre. Damn good song!
London Leatherboys (“***”): Considering that London Leatherboys is about bikers, it has to have a fierceness to it, and it doesn’t disappoint. Instrumentation that sounds like it was made alongside the bikes, singing that sounds like the roar of the engine, and a “Fuck you, we’ll be ourselves”attitude come together to create a song that’ll get people’s attention. London Leatherboys is the song you listen to when you’re on the road, on top of your steel & gas-fueled horse.
Fight It Back (“***”): Prepare for some whiplash!
In a change of pace from the first two songs (The first two were a little on the slow side), Fight It Back is played & sung much more quickly. The guitars & drums come at you fast & furiously, but there isn’t a point where either one of them trip up. Udo’s singing is much the same, although there’s a scream from time to time that is a little painful on the eardrums (Whether it actually him or not, I’m not sure). A good song if you’d like something a little faster
Head Over Heels (“***”): More whiplash!
Head Over Heels goes back to the slower speed that Balls To The Wall & London Leatherboys established. This isn’t necessarily bad, as this song isn’t quite as slow as the previously mention tunes. It’s got more of an upbeat tempo, the instrumentation is a little faster, and the singing roughly matches the speed of the instruments (Although I find that Udo Dirkschneider’s singing is a little weaker in this song, but not that much). If you’d like a metal song with a little more sensuality and feeling, then listen to Head Over Heels.
Losing More Than You’ve Ever Had (“***”): Another metal song with feeling, Losing More Than You’ve Ever Had is the kind of song you listen to when you’re with someone. The tune plays along a little more quickly that Head Over Heels Did, and feels like Fight It Back in this regard. The guitars & drums seem practically intertwined, as they never seem to skip a beat. Udo Dirkschneider’s singing is also sped up, and accompanied by the rest of the band, creates some rather intense energy.
Love Child (“***”): The final of the three songs that were targeted by the gay controversy, Love Child sounds like it would be a more sorrowful tune (Based off of the title), and indeed there is some tragedy within. However, there’s also a feeling of triumph over adversity, as if you’d overcome an obstacle in life. To complement this feeling, you have the guitar work taking center stage, blasting out some great riffs. Along with drumming that sounds like the beating of a heart, and singing that shifts between hopeful, sensual, and despair at the drop of a hat, and you have another Heavy Metal classic.
Turn Me On (“***”): Yet more whiplash!
After the fast-paced sensuality that was Love Child, I expected Accept to keep going with the faster speed. Instead, they scale it back once again, but they at least keep the speed like in Losing More Than You’ve Ever Had. If I had a complaint about this song, it would be that Udo Dirkschneider’s singing sounds a little more like yelling. Though this is mainly during key points rather than the whole song, it is still a little grating on the ears. As far as vocals are concerned, this is the weakest on the album.
Losers And Winners (“***”): A very intense song, Losers & Winners is a song that belongs on the streets. Feeling rather similar to London Leatherboys, this tune comes at you fast & furious. You’ve got the previously mentioned song’s instrumentation and “Fuck You” attitude, but Udo Dirkschneider sings more about relationships rather that bikers. He keeps the London Leatherboys’s tone & attitude, but tries to add a little more feeling, and it works for the most part.
Guardian Of The Night (“***”): I was a little confused by the beginning of this song. The first couple chords come out like Accept was going to do a ballad, and the guitar sounded slightly like a medieval lute. Sadly, after the beginning chords, it slides right into a non-ballad song. I’m really disappointed, since there isn’t a single metal ballad on here!
With that said, there really isn’t anything bad in here. The guitars and drums are great, and the singing is wonderful. Just know that if you’re expecting a metal ballad, you’ll be deceived in an instant.
Winter Dreams (“***”): Now this was the ballad I was expecting earlier!
This is actually a good song to end this album. It’s more laid-back than anything else on this album, and really does feel like something wintery, thanks in part to the church bells/chimes that accompanies the other instruments. Udo Dirkschneider takes his singing in a different direction in Winter Dreams, as he favors a more softer voice that rarely gets loud. Dare I say this, but Winter Dreams is a song that’s great for the holiday season, or maybe just for the snowy months.
Overall Impression & Rating
Balls To The Wall deserves every positive comment that comes it’s way. Despite having a short coming here and there, Accept created a heavy metal classic with this album. If you’re a die-hard metal fan that hasn’t come across this release, or you want to get into Heavy Metal, then get your balls (or ovaries) to the wall!
Balls To The Wall gets a 8 to 9 out of 10.
See you all next week, when the second leg of the review tour ends, and the break begins. Until then, stay Otaku!
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