U.D.O. – The Legacy
U.D.O. – The Legacy
AFM Records
Release Date: 18/11/2022
Running Time: 150:43
Review by Richard Oliver
7/10
“The Legacy” is a massive two disc and 33 song retrospective of the solo career of Udo Dirkscheider and his solo band U.D.O. Udo himself has one of the most recognisable voices in German Heavy Metal having been the legendary frontman for Accept in their classic years and his solo band was formed in 1987 upon his departure from Accept. The band has been on and off in the intervening years as has Udo’s time with Accept but for many years U.D.O. has been his primary project with a whopping 18 albums released between 1987 and present day as well as numerous E.P.’s and live albums. 2022 is the 35th anniversary of the formation of the band and as such AFM Records are releasing a massive retrospective of the band with material taken from every album as well as a handful of rarities.
Unlike most career retrospectives which tend to regurgitate the same and most obvious songs from a band’s discography, “The Legacy” picks some less obvious song choices as well as ensuring no era of the band is missed out. The album starts with the most recent material and works its way back starting with songs from the latest album “Game Over” and ending with the debut album “Animal House”. Song choices include ‘Decadent’, ‘Dominator’, ‘Man And Machine’, ‘Holy’ and ‘Independence Day’, ‘Break The Rules’ and ‘Pandemonium’ from the “We Are One” collaborative album with Das Musikkorps Der Bundeswehr. On the first disc there are some rare songs which would not have been heard by a good chunk of the U.D.O. fanbase having been released either as Japanese bonus tracks such as ‘What A Hell Of A Night’ and ‘Dust And Rust’ or released on a special AFM Records compilation such as ‘Falling Angels’. The second disc is the strongest in my opinion featuring songs off the older albums which are more my preference though there are some heavy metal bangers on the first disc.
“The Legacy” is an apt title for this compilation showcasing Udo Dirkschneider’s career post-Accept and a monstrous feast of German Heavy Metal. With a running time of 2.5 hours and 33 songs it is a lot to digest in one sitting, but it works as a great introduction for anyone who has yet to check out any U.D.O. material. For the long term fan there is little here apart from the 4 rarer songs but this is a great collection of material to celebrate the 35th anniversary year of the U.D.O. band and highlights some lesser known songs from the band.
‘Dust And Rust’ Official Audio
TRACKLISTING:
Disc 1:
01. Fear Detector
02. Metal Never Dies
03. Wilder Life
04. Pandemonium
05. One Heart One Soul
06. Make The Move
07. What A Hell Of A Night
08. Pain
09. Decadent
10. Falling Angels
11. Metal Machine
12. Steelhammer
13. Dust And Rust
14. I Give As Good As I Get
15. Rock ‘n’ Roll Soldiers
16. Dominator
Disc 2:
01. Mastercutor
02. Vendetta
03. 24 7
04. Blind Eyes
05. Man And Machine
06. Like A Lion
07. Shout It Out
08. Holy
09. Freelance Man
10. Independence Day
11. Metal Eater
12. Future Land
13. Blitz Of Lightning
14. We’re History
15. Break The Rules
16. Go Back To Hell
17. They Want War
LINKS:
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