Udo Dirkschneider has been one of my favorite metal singers for as long as I can remember. His shrill, powerful delivery played a major role in making Accept one of the premiere metal bands of the 80s. Their output is so legendary that one tends to forget Dirkschneider has been fronting his own namesake band, U.D.O., for nearly 35 years. While U.D.O. has remained stylistically consistent throughout the course of their existence, carrying on the grand Accept tradition of explosive drums, mega riffage, and Dirkschenider’s signature vocals, their overall catalog tends to get a bit spotty. And while Game Over is a welcome to return to the traditional metal sound, especially after last year’s questionable foray into symphonic metal, We Are One, it’s got some great songs, some good songs, and lots of filler.
Let’s start with the “great”. Game Over starts out rather strong with the high energy “Fear Detector”. It boasts all the classic Accept traits I mentioned in the first paragraph, which have since become associated with Teutonic metal as a whole. “Holy Invaders” is executed with fire and precision, showcasing the midtempo swagger of the Metal Heart era, while “Prophecy” is chock full of memorable euro riffs and leads. Other highlights throughout include the melodic hard rock sheen of “Midnight Stranger, as well as the AC/DC inspired “Kids and Guns” which singlehandedly proves my point that Udo would’ve been a better replacement for Brian Johnson than Axl Rose.
Cuts like the straightforward “I See Red” and high speed “Like a Beast” are good, but lack that extra firepower to elevate it into the “great” category. The same can be said for the anthemic “Metal Never Dies” and “Empty Eyes”, the latter of which I questioned a bit. If you were to take out Udo’s vocals, this would be just another run of the mill modern hard rock/groove metal song, but Udo’s presence is what makes all the difference, proving that he can make even the most insufferable of styles entertaining.
As Game On progressed, I couldn’t help but ask myself, “Did this really have to be nearly 70 minutes long?” The answer is a resounding “no”. “Metal Never Dies” checks off the Wacken singalong box. We don’t need “Marching Tank” or “Time Control” which essentially follow in the same copy/paste manner. There’s also no need for “Don’t Wanna Say Goodbye”, an acoustic ballad that admittedly isn’t half bad, but just sounds out of place. “Winterdreams” it is not. The rest of the songs just kind of float about indifferently: not good, not bad, but definitely not needed.
If Game Over were cut in half, it’d be a killer old school metal album resembling the finest moments of Accept and U.D.O. Instead, it comes off as yet another bloated product contractually obliged by the record label. When will these executives learn that quantity doesn’t equal quality? Back in the 70s and 80s, all bands needed were 40 minutes to get down to business. We need to get back to that format and stat. The practice of “filling the CD” is senseless in an age where only a select few buy CDs to begin with. Now if you excuse me, I’m gonna put on the conveniently 40 minute Metal Heart.
5 out of 10
Label: AFM Records
Genre: Heavy Metal
For fans of: Accept, Judas Priest, Saxon