• New Music Reviews
• |
• Archives
• |
• News
• |
• Submissions
• |
• About
• |
• 
• |
• 

November 2024

• 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: Steelfactory

Heavy Metal

4.0/5.0

Website Facebook Twitter YouTube
AFM Records
Released: 31.08.2018
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 29.08.2018

What can be said of Udo Dirkschneider that has not been said. He's the reigning king of German heavy metal. If Germany had a monarch, Dirkschneider would have been knighted, by said king or queen, as Sir Udo, Knight of the Heavy Metal realms. After revisiting his Accept roots over the last year or so, Dirkschneider returns with his namesake UDO band and sixteenth album, Steelfactory. While playing with his father since 2015, this is the first album to feature his son Sven on the drum kit.

UDO

As much as Dirkschneider is a heavy metal icon, so his voice and music are unmistakable. To the former, you know his raspy, yet melodic, vocal presence; to the latter, he's always delivers "keep it true" classic and traditional heavy metal. All UDO tunes are loaded with his assertive vocals, large riffs and guitar harmony, speed and rock groove from the rhythm section, and always an abundance of killer guitar solos. With this in mind, you basically know what to expect from another UDO album and you will not be disappointed.

Much the same can be said for the songs within Steelfactory. You have some heavy metal speed monsters with Tongue Reaper, Eraser, and Rising High. UDO dials up the groove for essential heavy metal rock with Raise The Game, Make The Move, and Hungry and Angry, with Sven's strong drum beat at the center. There's some milder, so to speak, heavy metal with the more moderate pacing of the anthemic One Heart One Soul and Blood On Fire, which features a juxtaposing of lighter and angrier vocals. But, later, Dirkschneider turns into a heavy metal pussycat with the acoustic ballad, The Way.

As said earlier, with Udo Dirkschneider and UDO, you get exactly what you expect: Steelfactory delivers classic melodic heavy metal in the best tradition. Recommended.

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

With Udo Dirkschneider and UDO, you get exactly what you expect: Steelfactory delivers classic melodic heavy metal in the best tradition. Recommended.

Alphabetical Index

eviewing my archives, I was pleased to find that I have had the privilege to review every Lionville since their self-titled debut in 2011. Formed by Stefano Lionetti, a songwriter, singer and guitarist based in ... [ Read More ]