The only thing that actually is different from the other three records ("Blood of The Nations", "Stalingrad", and "Blind Rage") is the line-up. We got two newcomers in drummer Christopher Williams and guitarist Uwe Lulis, and they both do a solid days of work here. It is still Wolf Hoffmann who runs the show though, with his endless supply of magnificent riffs and kick ass solos. Almost fifty year into his career, and he still delivers such quality, it is god damn impressive.
Musically, there is no revolution here, it is just classic German heavy metal at its finest. It is straight forward, and simple in its approach, but still very easily likeable, even if you have heard it a hundred times before. It is hard to explain why this still works, but one reason could be the quality behind it, both in production and execution. I have already talked about the guitars, but Mark Tornillo and his fantastic vocals deserves a shout out too, just because of his unique delivery. There simply is no one like him, and to be honest, I could not imagine the band without him now.
The album feels almost a little too perfect, like it is too nice to get gritty. We do not get any true mauler in this album, a "Hung, Drawn And Quartered" or "Stampede" that picks up the pace and rattles your bones. Even the opener "Die By The Sword" is surprisingly calm and collected, and while it is a really great track, it is not the start that I would like. And once again, with a title like "The Rise of Chaos", you would almost expect some real chaos in here (to be fair, the title track does have the most adrenaline). Instead, we get more light hearted songs with more comedic meanings, like who in their right mind would think that "Koolaid" would be a good serious title? The comedy is not all bad though, like in "Analog Man" (or the alternative title "We Are Old"), a song that might have my favourite lyric line of the year in "My cellphone is smarter than me".
Ultimately, I do not find many wrongs with "The Rise of Chaos". It is good heavy metal, just what we would expect from the seasoned veterans. The production is great, the riffs are many and of high quality, and close to all songs are enjoyable. However, I do not get a spark with this album, it is a little too monotone for its own good. The band does not really play it safe or anything like that, but it is such a solid creation that its density is its own weakness. Out of all the four albums of the new Accept era, "The Rise of Chaos" is definitely the weakest of the bunch, but it is still a very good record that has some to offer. Simply put, it is Accept, you know it is good.
Songs worthy of recognition: The Rise of Chaos, Die By The Sword, Analog Man, Race To Extinction
Rating: 7/10 Koolaids
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More reviews of Accept
Blind Rage
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