One of the hardest working, longest running true Metal bands in the entire history of the genre, Accept came out of Germany in the late 1970s to take the world by storm. Pouring out some of the most enduring, high-quality tunes in the denim and leather universe, these steely veterans endured a hiatus that saw them reemerge with singer Mark Tornillo to take the 2010s by storm. They haven’t looked back since, and album number six since reforming has taken shape in the form of Humanoid. Coming out on April 26, 2024 via Napalm Records, it is in fact the seventeenth album in Accept’s storied history.
The albums featuring Tornillo on vocals have proven to deliver some high-octane Metal anthems with plenty of attitude and a penchant for strong solos and some gang-vocal chorus bits that the band has always used to energetic effect. For the most part this has resulted in albums with a clutch of elite tunes amid some standard fare that’s way too good to be deemed filler, but not quite the kinds of songs to truly stick in the brain.
In 2024, however, main composer and co-founding Guitarist Wolf Hoffmann seems hellbent on crafting the songs to come in hot and remain within the cerebral cortexes of their listening faithful. The pensive intro to album opener “Diving Into Sin” erupts with twin guitar goodness, as the pugilistic verses lead to classic Accept chorus featuring some menacing gang vocals. The title-track and “Frankenstein” continue in the vein of songs to lift the spirits while shouting at the sky, in this case coming to terms with the existence of rapidly metastasizing AI and what it means for mortal men as us. This is defiant, well-arranged and catchy fodder and will surprise no one who follows Accept. Both the tempo and the tone take a turn on “Man Up,” with a standard Rock ode to digging deep and finding strength when it would be easiest to let life just push you around at will.
However, where Humanoid really takes hold of you is in the album’s sterling mid-section. Following the amp-up anthem of “Man Up,” the album-highlight “The Reckoning” comes bombing along in neck-snapping cadence. Call and response gang vocal interplay embolden the verses, till a Tornillo bridge takes us to the chorus with more of the gang vocal attack. The singalong signature song of the album has to be “Nobody Gets Out Alive,” taking a wee bit of nihilism mixed with a healthier impetus to live each day to the fullest. What’s truly uncommon is a Mark Tornillo ballad, but that is exactly what “Ravages of Time” is all about. Gaining strength as it builds, this wouldn’t sound too far off on a latter-day Helloween album.
This is while riffs, power, and power chords abound on “Unbreakable” as once more Accept plays right to their strengths. Nothing apologetic or ironic here – this is Metal the way it’s supposed to be presented. A far more AC/DC inspired track in “Straight Up Jack” shows some of the Hard Rock roots the band certainly possesses. Lastly, album closer “Southside of Hell” lays down the Speed Metal pedigree we saw on “Fast as a Shark” featuring some of the best riffing on the whole album, complete with wicked trade-off soloing courtesy of Wolf Hoffman and Uwe Lulls.
Due to the strength in composition and sheer balls to the wall (pun intended) attitude on display on the album, Cryptic Rock gives Humanoid 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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