Culture
Accept founding member Wolf Hoffmann talks about adapting a classic band to a modern world and how a conversation with KK Downing led to a “perfect package” tour
By: Nicholas Kobe
Posted on:
ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) – German metal legend Accept is a key brick in the foundation of classic metal, right alongside other genre pioneers like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Saxon.
Releasing its self-titled debut in 1979, the band started off taking heavy influence from the likes of AC/DC. This quickly morphed into a heavier and faster sound as the band put out classic records through the ’80s like Balls To The Wall and Metal Heart, albums that are cited as influences on major thrash metal bands like Metallica and Anthrax.
Despite some hiatuses and lineup changes, most notably the departure of singer Udo Dirkschneider, Accept has persisted with great success into the modern age, signing with Napalm Records in 2022, and releasing a new album Humanoid earlier this year, which was received positively by fans and critics.
Now, Accept is hitting the road with KK’s Priest, bringing Accept’s only original member, Wolf Hoffmann, together with KK Downing, former guitarist of Judas Priest, for their first tour together since Accept opened for Judas Priest back in 1981.
WOUB’s Nicholas Kobe spoke with Accept founding member Wolf Hoffmann. Find a transcript of their conversation, edited for length and clarity, below.
Nicholas Kobe: My first question to you is, if you had to describe Accept in one sentence, what would you say?
Wolf Hoffmann: Old school metal with a new sound. That’s a very short sentence, but I mean, our style I would describe as a mixture. Our influences are Deep Purple, Judas Priest, AC/DC. Those main components, I would name for our style.
The band just put on a new record recently. How has the band evolved and incorporated this “new sound” into the new record Humanoid?
Hoffmann: Yeah, I mean we’ve been active since the late ’70s and ’80s and back then we had sort of a sound of course. But now with modern technology, we’re trying to keep the basic direction, we just use modern tools and we have a great producer, his name’s Andy Sneap. With his knowledge and our enthusiasm together, we create these current albums and it’s very much in the same direction. We use modern sound equipment and modern production techniques, but it’s very much old school metal. Just sort of like I said, with a new sound, it’s not really a different sound, it’s just sort of an up to date sound I would say.
When the band first started to work with this more modern equipment, as a band that’s been around and doing this for a very long time, was there a bit of a learning curve to try to adjust to what new recording technology is like?
Hoffmann: Oh, you bet. I remember when we got together with Andy Sneap in 2009, it was our first album that was our first production that was done on Pro Tools and modern digital recording stuff. I was just amazed at how different it was from the old process where you had to use tape recorders and you very often just had one shot at it. You had to make a decision, “do I record it again?” “Do I basically erase the old take, or can I do a new one?”
Now, with digital technology, you can do as many takes as you want and then just take the best one. Or you can cut and paste certain things. I mean, the possibilities are endless and yeah, that is good in a way, but it’s also, there’s a certain danger in that. I hear that in a lot of modern productions when it just overdone, it becomes a little too perfect at some point. So you got to be a little careful too, to not lose the human touch.
I’m talking to you before your shows with KK’S Priest for your fall tour this year. What has it been like to share a stage with KK and reconnect with him and kind of bring this lineup specifically to the fans?
Hoffmann: It’s been nothing short of amazing. I think, well, we call this tour the Full Metal Assault, which that’s really what it is. I mean, we are two bands or two guys that have been around for a long, long time and we both make kind of similar music. I mean it’s a similar style, and whoever likes Judas Priest or KK’s Priest will most likely like Accept at the same as well. So it’s a perfect match. I think it’s a perfect package and the camaraderie between us two bands is just phenomenal. We really get along well, because sometimes on tour it can be a little, I dunno, it’s not always like this. It’s very fun to be around KK and his people and we share the same stage every night and have a ball.
Is there anything about the camaraderie with KK that kind sets it apart from some of those other experiences that you talked about?
Hoffmann: Yeah, I would say so. I mean, the whole thing started because I met KK a few months ago when we did a metal cruise ship together and I walked up to him and said, “Hey man, remember me from all these years ago?” because Accept toured with Judas Priest back in the early ’80s. I said “man, it’s been forever. Do you remember me?” And of course he did. And we said,” well, we should tour one day. We should tour the US together.” Here we are, a few months later we’re actually doing it. So it all started with a simple hang, we were just chatting away and it actually, that was the spark that initiated the whole thing. And yeah, it’s going great, I see him every night and we have a nice little chat and we’re really friends. It’s great.
Looking at the wider landscape of, I guess just metal as a whole, what would you name as the biggest thing about just the metal scene in general that has changed since the last time you toured with KK and even when Accept started?
Hoffmann: Oh my God, what hasn’t changed? I mean, the whole musical landscape has changed for sure. I mean, the way that we distribute and make recordings, the way that people consume music has changed. The business model in music has changed completely. Everything has changed. But the one thing that has not changed is the life experience. I mean, it’s pretty much like it was all these years ago when you get your gear in a truck, you have your tour bus and you show up at the venue and you play in front of a bunch of people. And so that experience and that routine in a way has remarkably stayed the same where everything else has changed.
And as a musician who’s been doing this for a while, even though that routine of touring has stayed the same, what keeps you coming back?
Hoffmann: There’s nothing like being on stage in front of an audience and feeling that energy. I mean, we play worldwide, we go all around the globe. We go to South America, Japan, North America, Europe, of course our home base is basically Europe. But I mean, sometimes we play these gigs and it’s just the energy that you feel on stage when you’re out there. It’s just amazing. There’s nothing in the world that can replace that. It’s just an adrenaline rush and the positive vibes you get. Sometimes I just start a riff and everybody recognizes the song and it’s like, “whoa. It’s really amazing.” And it’s hard to describe. It’s almost like once you’ve experienced it, it’s really hard to let go and forget about it. It’s why they say once a musician, always a musician. I mean, no matter on what level you are, whether you’re a superstar or just a beginning band or whatever in your neighborhood club, it’s the same. You can’t let go.
Absolutely. And for this specific tour, although we’ve kind of already hit on it, what’s it been like to take Humanoid out on the road? How has that been to kind of translate that record into the live setting?
Hoffmann: Wow. Yeah, phenomenal. I mean, this brand new album Humanoid is so well received. We can actually play every song of this album live. So far we’ve just played a selected few every night and we change ’em up slightly, but I can tell you every one of these tracks on the album is a great live track. And as the tour progresses, we’ll probably introduce some new ones as well because we like to not always play the exact same set list every night. I think it keeps us on our toes and it keeps it interesting for people who are serious, who see us more than once. Or also nowadays people check out the internet before they even go to the show. So a lot of times they already know what the set will be like. So it’s always nice to surprise fans a little bit.
Looking back into the Accept catalog a little bit, are there any records or albums that you feel are either underrated or wish you could play a little bit more often?
Hoffmann: I mean, we have so many albums out that yeah, of course there’s some that are more prominent than others. I mean, in the early ’80s we made some great albums that we still play a lot off songs of, like Restless and Wild and Balls To the Wall and Metal Heart. Those are the albums that had the most attention back in the day and they still do, but we also, we did some other stuff in the ’90s that we don’t play so much anymore.
And that was mainly because the ’90s were a very weird time for heavy metal. Everybody thought heavy metal is over and maybe it’s time to switch styles up or to look for a new direction. So, those albums are generally not considered. So they’re basically a little overlooked. They didn’t get that much attention. But then since we got together again, since 2009 when we started working with our current singer, Mark Tornillo, every album is dead on target and we play tons of those songs and people love them.
I guess the only question I have left for you is what’s next for Accept? Obviously you guys are coming up on 50 years here shortly.
Hoffmann: That’s going to be a big deal. Yeah, 50 years. I can’t believe it’s really been 50 years, but it has been because I still feel like I’m 16 years old sometimes when I got up there on stage or when I play guitar. I can’t believe it’s been 50 years that I’ve joined this band. So what we’re going to do, we’re going to have basically a celebration of all these years and play some stuff that we’ve never played before.
We’re going to have some guest appearances and we will make it in a completely different tour event. It’s going to be something that you definitely would want to see if you’re an Accept fan. If you’re into the style of music, then definitely you should come out. But that’s two years down the road or a year and a half down the road. For now, we’re just focusing on the Humanoid tour, of course and promoting this album.