New Music Review : UDO - Steelhammer : CD Album Music Review - Dangerdog Music Reviews

December 2024

After Lapse: Pathways
Illusion Force: Halfana
Powell-Payne: Voilá

November 2024

Sunstorm: Restless Fight
Storace: Crossfire
Voodoo Circle: Hail To The King
Lionville: Supernatural
Starchaser: Into The Great Unkown
Empires Of Eden: Guardians Of Time
Lonerider: Down In The Dust
Seventh Crystal: Entity
Neal Morse & The Resonance: No Hill For A Climber
Beardfish: Songs For Beating Hearts
Impellitteri: War Machine
Brothers Of Metal: Fimbulvinter

October 2024

Casandra's Crossing: Garden Of Earthly Delights
DGM: Endless
Daytona: Garder la Flamme
Fate: Reconnect 'N Ignite
Frost*: Life In The Wires
Aries Descendant: From The Ashes Of Deceit
Fans Of The Dark: Video
Radioactive: Reset
House Of Lords: Full Tilt Overdrive
Cleanbreak: We Are The Fire

September 2024

Sinner's Blood: Dark Horizons
Serious Black: Rise Of Akhenaton
Eclipse: Megalomanium II
SteelCity: Reverence
Hydra: ReHydrated
Heartwind: III
Gabrielle De Val and the Dragonlords: Tiger
Find Me: Nightbound
The Nail: The Nail
Timeless Fairytale: A Story To Tell
Stryper: When We Were Kings
Phil Mogg: Moggs Motel
Pure Reason Revolution: Coming Up To Consciousness
Jordan Rudess: Permission To Fly

August 2024

Siege Perilous: Creation's Call EP
Paralydium: Universe Calls
Mike Tramp: Songs Of White Lion Vol. II
Bite The Bullet: Looking For Paradise
All For Metal: Gods Of Metal (Year Of The Dragon)
Hammerfall: Avenge The Fallen
Jim Peterik & World Stage: Roots & Shoots Vol. 2

[ More Music Reviews ]

UDO: Steelhammer

Heavy Metal

4.5/5.0

Website Facebook Twitter YouTube
AFM Records
by Craig Hartranft, 05.11.2013

Here's the thing: with his distinct, almost immediately recognizable, raspy grizzly bear voice, you either like Udo Dirkschneider or you don't. Some would say that his distinctive style is so constant, or predictable, to allow for little or no variation and, therefore, you need to judge each new album on the merits of the metal music. But you would be wrong, at least on the former supposition.

UDO: and band.

UDO returns with his fourteenth studio album as a heavy metal vocalist (24th if you add his Accept albums), Steelhammer. Once more Dirkschneider and company bring classic melodic heavy metal, with speed metal accents. There's few artists in the 30 plus years of the genre who understand it quite as while as UDO, and get it right almost every time.

Steelhammer gets it right from first to last; it's a fine dose of 'keep it true' heavy metal. There's a good variation in tempo across the songs, with lots of catchy melodies and hooks, and burning guitar solos. For pure heavy metal, some of the best tracks are A Cry of a Nation, a commentary on world financial politics, King of Mean, Steelhammer, the accessible Never Cross My Way, and Stay True. The most curious song here maybe the final one. Book of Faith is developed with a strong symphonic layer for an epic feel and has some interesting religious allusions.

Of course there's Udo's trademark vocal style. While that grizzly bear raspy growl remains, Dirkschneider can vary his approach. Probably the most notable is on Heavy Rain, a ballad where Udo is equally raw and smooth, not a contradiction for him. Then there's the audio effects applied in Timekeeper. Then there's his true melodic metal side in Never Cross My Way and When Love Becomes A Lie. Or the Spanish language song Basta Ya, written and performed with Victor Garcia Gonzales of Warcry.

UDO's Steelhammer is simply a very good classic melodic heavy metal album, with Dirkschneider at full strength and in fine form. Easily recommended.

UDO - Metal Machine (Official Video)

CraigHartranft.net - New fiction, crime fiction by Craig Hartranft

Note: All Amazon advertising in this review first benefits the artist, then Craig Hartranft also receives a residual. Click, and thanks for your support.