Many, many things have changed in the world since
Udo Dirkschneider first belted out
Accept's theme song,
"Balls to the Wall," back in 1983. Communism was abolished all over Eastern Europe, apartheid ended in South Africa,
Rudy Giuliani enabled Times Square to become a lot like Disneyland, and the Internet created a whole new generation of technology-minded entrepreneurs. Then there are all the musical changes that took place -- thanks to the
Nirvana/
Pearl Jam/
grunge upheaval that occurred in the early '90s,
alternative rock became
rock's primary direction. But some things haven't changed much since 1983, and
Dirkschneider is a prime example.
Mastercutor is a 2007 release that parties like it's still 1983;
Dirkschneider remains firmly, stubbornly committed to old-school power
metal, and this 50-minute CD is totally oblivious to post-'80s developments in
metal. But if
Mastercutor sounds dated, that doesn't make it any less inspired. While few surprises occur,
Dirkschneider has no shortage of passion on melodic but hard-driving tracks like
"Vendetta," "The Instigator," "Walker of the Dark," and
"Crash Bang Crash" -- all of which sound like they could have appeared on an
Accept album back in the day. Some veteran headbangers have changed with the times;
Tommy Lee, for example, embraced alternative
metal and
rap-metal after leaving
Moetley Cruee and launching his
Methods of Mayhem project in the late '90s. But on
Mastercutor,
Dirkschneider refuses to leave the '80s behind -- and given how solid this album is, that is probably just as well.
Dirkschneider sticks with the type of
metal he does best, and the result is an enjoyable disc that falls short of essential but will please the German headbanger's die-hard fans. ~ Alex Henderson
