Creative bottleneck - UDO running in place

About two years after his Chartbreaker "Steel Hammer" (No. 21 in Germany) to Metal veteran Udo Dirkschneider is back in January 2015. "Decadent" is now his 15th solo album. It is the second after the era Stefan Kaufmann and like its predecessor, it can return a little perplexed.

Sure, the usual hallmarks of a UDO disk exist, but the whole lacks the extraordinary. Experienced songs, which one notices that there are by far not Dilletanten at work, but not just on the other side give rise to joy dances. An example is the single "Decadent" led. Absolutely useful Teutonic Stampfriff, but the chorus is too transparent. Sung without fire and also come equipped with strange, truncated digital hi-hat. Worried me at first not because UDO Singles often times no heroics (see especially "Leatherhead"). Unfortunately, the rest of the album is also advised only mediocre.

The big ideas in vain. Hardly a song gets stuck on the first pass. Actually, if I am completely honest, only the very traditional "Untouchable" with his fat-speed Chorus and the groovy bonus track "Let me out" (my favorite) in the melody-oriented 80s style. "Faceless World" (1990) Greetings from.

The two young guitarists Andrey Smirnov and Kasperi Heikkinen do their thing, after all, well, cut down punchy riffs and ingenious solos out. You can tell that they are hot and like to play for UDO. Too bad that their attractive power sinks into some bad staid tracks.

"Under Your Skin" as sawed huge, but the chorus is less than lukewarm. At least lyrically manages the payroll with Dirk Schneider's former Accept-colleagues. The mega boring second bonus track "Shadoweyes" leaves shrug. "Rebels of the Night" convinced only by his unbridled musical backbone and sinister choirs. The chorus can be forgettable. "Speeder" mocks itself, is only pseudo-fast therefore.

A harsh judgment, which already had to apply for many titles of "Steel Hammer". "Decadent" is at least a trace of imaginative and harder. Ultimately, however, shine especially the more commercial titles such as "Breathless", "Pain" or "Words in Flame".

A mishap, however, is the only ballad "Secrets in Paradise". Actually quieter songs are a great strength of Udo, both in terms of singing and Arrangement. In said title is true only the latter. I do not know why Dirkschneider must croak the chorus so. Yes, his raspy voice is his trademark, but just in ballads he sounds then most impressive when he uses his clean vocals. See, for example, the atmospheric "I give as good as I get" (2011) or the sad "Blind Eyes" (2004). Even the Accept-evergreen "Winter Dreams" from 1983 fascinates precisely why. Without the Geraspel would "Secrets in Paradise" a real firecracker.

Despite all the criticism - to award only two stars would be unjust reason alone because the somewhat weaker "Steel Hammer" has already received three of me. The controversial discussed Cover is for me the way no downside. You have to not like it, but it fits the album title.

Finally, it must be noted that UDO is still clearly noted the loss of rhythm guitarist and writing partner Stefan Kaufmann. Although the production sounds fortunately natural, but the melodies have their weaknesses. If you want to be very bad, one can even speak of B-side quality much. Even if one would grab the best songs from "Steel Hammer" and "Decadent" on a CD, not a masterpiece come out of it. Fortunately pleased the 62-year old Udo Dirkschneider good health and is still stoking one or the other album. So he can make everything better. That he is to continue to be able to remain uncontested.