Accept: Russian Roulette

The last release in what may be considered Accept's golden era,"Russian Roulette" is certainly a highly debatable album. Not just among Accept fans, but within the metal community in general. May people will point that the album is far more suited toward mainstream success or being an accessible album to those who do not dwell in the metal circles. Although I will not disagree with those notions, I will say in the album's defense; so what? Sure, the music may not be as AC/DC sounding as it has been in the past and the overall speed metal vibe is nowhere near as prominent, but in my eyes that's a good thing. There's nothing wrong with a little deviation from the norm, especially when a band has been an establish name and major influence in the metal community. Is it a complete overhaul? No, but the sound is certainly geared more toward a classic baseline heavy metal sound with more hard rock overtones.

With that out of the way, let's look at the music itself. To be honest, the usually catchy riffs and well executed melodies are not as present as they have been on their previous albums. The solos are at a minimum and the speed is not constant throughout the album. That being said, I feel the music fits the sound Accept was trying to accomplish on "Russian Roulette"; a fun, hard rocking album with just enough of their trademark sound, but with some new element added. Songs like "Walking in the Shadows" and "Monster Man" have that simplistic musical overtone, but the chorus and simple riff make them more than memorable. "T.V. War" has the vibe of the Accept of old, but has more the commercial edge mention earlier. One thing that is not lacking however, would be Udo's vocals. They may have adjusted to fit the overall sound of the album, but they are as potent as ever, which I feel is the major this album is not an absolute wash in the eyes of the "they went mainstream" crowd.

At the end of the day, "Russian Roulette" may not be a speedy as "Restless and Wild" or as much of a metalized AC/DC as "Balls to the Wall", but I still enjoyed the album overall. I’ll admit, there may be a few less than stellar tracks on the album, but even Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden have put out a few iffy albums over time. I won't fault Accept for trying to change their sound a little bit, but as I said, it wasn't as though they completely changed genres or anything. If their intention was to attract a new base, then this album would be a fine attempt to do so, to which they could then digest their previous albums. It may not be my favorite album, but I still include it in my recommendations of Accept albums.

Highlights: "Monster Man" "Aiming High" "T.V. War"

Rating: 3.5