For The Metal Voice former Anthrax singer Neil Turbin interviewed ACCEPT guitarist Wolf Hoffmann in Pasadena, California USA at The Rose on September 29 2018. Wolf Hoffmann spoke about the bands upcoming plans to tour with an orchestra all over the world, new album update and their new live album Symphonic Terror Live at Wacken 2017 that will be released on November 23 2018 via Nuclear Blast.
Watch the interview here:
When asked about the new live album Symphonic Terror Live at Wacken 2017
“It’s going to be a live DVD/CD of the show we did live at Wacken with 50 piece orchestra it was incredible, I always wanted to do that and it finally all came together when we played at Wacken a 2 hour set. I also played some stuff from my solo album ‘Headbangers Symphony’ and we played a bunch of Accept songs that were never done with orchestra. I have always been a fan of classical music however I was never a classically trained musician. My solo album was more like a tribute from an outsider. I just grew up wanting to make noise with Marshall stacks. A lot of these classical pieces are beautiful and I always thought it would be so cool to have a bunch of violins on stage and combine the two worlds.”
When asked if they plan to tour with an orchestra
“The orchestra at Wacken was meant to be a one off but then everybody loved it so much and we loved it so much he decided to bring this out on the road with us somehow because that what it waere it was meant to be. So we will be performing with an orchestra next year all over the world. It will start in Europe then Russia then the rest of the world.”
When asked about details of an upcoming studio album
“We have been so busy touring and with the classical album coming out so no time yet to work on. Yes we will make a new album but when we will get started I don’t know yet. I can’t write on the road. Then will be a time when I set the time aside and focus and dig into it. The musical direction is not going to change dramatically we don’t want to, we haven’t changed our style on the last four albums.
When asked about his writing style
“I am not trying to write any different I’m trying to write in the frame of mind that we had back in the day, how we felt back then and trying to recapture that even though it’s 40 years ago. I think we found out style and we are trying to write songs that could have been written 30 years ago. We are trying to write old school songs with modern tools and technology. It sounds simple but it really isn’t. We are not trying to reinvent the wheel but we want to build on what we have.
Heavy metal pioneers ACCEPT will celebrate their newest album’s live premiere exclusively tomorrow at Wacken Open Air, “Night To Remember” which makes it very special. Our Mohsen Stargazer Fayazi had an interview with the legendary Wolf Hoffmann, they talked about “The Rise Of Chaos”, Wacken, his plan for retirement and much more.
I’d like to compare you with Jimi Hendrix, or better say you are the Jimi Hendrix of Heavy Metal.
W: (Laughs) I never thought of myself that way, it’s only one Jimi Hendrix. But Thank you very much!
I’d like to know your opinion on your guitaring skills and if you have any methods?
W: “I don’t think I really have a method – it really comes as second nature to me at this point in life. I guess I’ve been playing for so long and writing songs for so many years, it’s nothing I actively think about much any more. For me, the challenge is always to come up with something that I find exciting and if I find it exciting, then hopefully other people would too. You know, after you’ve written hundreds of songs in your life, of course it doesn’t get easier to come up with something that’s totally typical, but at the same time something new that you find yourself exciting.
So that’s why it sometimes takes many weeks and months to write these songs. In this case it took us the better part of last year, Peter and I were sitting there for months at a time.”
How does a song come together?
W: “It’s a little different each time. The Rise Of Chaos for instance for the longest time was just an empty riff song. It was just really almost like a jam session with a bunch of riffs and I had this just sitting there for a long, long time never really knowing what to do with it and I tried several other approaches. First of all where to sing and what to sing. And finally we came up with that line The Rise Of Chaos and it seemed to fit the spirit of these riffs, because they’re all very wild and a bit crazy in parts.
So The Rise Of Chaos was something that grabbed our attention. Other times it’s hook lines, like we’re talking about with Analog Man. It’s a saying that’s been around the band for years ’cause Mark has always been bitching about technology when things go wrong. He’s always been saying ‘I’m an analog man trapped in a digital world’, so we thought ‘wow that’s cool, we should just write a song’. So, with that in mind you sit there and think how you can sing that, what’s a good phrasing, what’s a good tempo, what’s a good riff to go with it.
But most of the time it’s the music first, where you have some sort of riffing and some groove and a drum beat. And you find that exciting and then you start thinking what to sing on that, ’cause it goes hand in hand. One without the other doesn’t help at all.”
How was working with Andy Sneap again?
W: “Oh it’s great! He’s like an old brother, he’s part of the team at this point. We didn’t really want to change any of that because we knew it works. We really wanted to concentrate on the songs and the material and not on any of the peripherals.”
Indeed on The Rise Of Chaos you were loyal to the ACCEPT traditional metal style, but I can say that you made it a little different this time with some elements – it’s more melodic, especially in the riffs and solos and song structures.
W: “It really just so happens. You can never go out and say to yourself ‘ok I want to make an album that’s 20% different and 30% the same’, it just doesn’t work that way. You just write the best songs you can and they shape up in a certain way. It just takes on a life of its own and leads you to do different things, until one day you arrive at something that you like. And you do that many times over until you have a complete album.
It’s only now the album is finished and people hear it with fresh ears and they’re telling me it’s this or that and I always have to say ‘ok I have to take it for what it is’, it wasn’t planned that way.”
Since 2010 when you returned to the business, it’s obvious that your lyrics are now more adult, more serious and more about the world today in a direct manner unlike the days of ‘Fast as a Shark’.
W: “It’s usually Peter and myself together exchanging ideas, demo stuff. It can be quite funny sometimes (laughs). Sooner or later we’re looking at lyrical content and what inspires us. We have a cheat sheet of many hook lines and ideas and we go through that and see what’s best.
Those are usually based on stuff we find interesting that comes up in conversation and stuff we see on the news. We’re not doing fantasy because we have no interest in fantasy. Actual events or occurences right now.”
So let’s talk about the lyrics….
“Mark writes the lyrics, Peter and I usually just have a title or a hook line then we say ‘we’ve got a song called The Rise Of Chaos, here it is Mark. Write whatever comes to mind, whatever it means to you.’ I’m not involved in the actual writing and meaning of the lyrics that much.”
So let’s talk about the ‘Night to Remember’ at Wacken – are you excited about it?
W: “Very excited – this is the first time we’re gonna be onstage with an orchestra, it’s gonna be crazy.
It’s the first time that I’m gonna play songs from my solo album Headbangers Symphony. And it’s the first time you’re ever gonna hear Accept songs that you’ve heard before, but they’re gonna be completely differently arranged for the orchestra. I think it’s gonna sound killer.”
Accept seems to be built to create flames on stage and I know very well that you love to be on it, so can you tell me what is magical about it and if you have particular memories?
W: “It’s just something that’s unlike anything else in life. Just being out there in front of people and just playing songs and everyone reacting to them. It’s an unforgetting feeling, it’s almost like a drug – once you’ve had it, you want it again and again and more of it, it’s crazy man. I don’t know that there’s anything else in life that compares to it, at least I haven’t found it.
It’s an amazing feeling to start a riff and everybody recognises it and arms are flying in the air, people are singing along – it’s goosebump material right there. It’s just an amazing feeling.
I’m not interested in perfection, I’m just trying to get there and realising that nothing ever can be perfect, you take it for what it is. It’s why people like live shows – we’re not trying to have the kind of show where everything is choreographed and scripted and everything runs off a laptop, because there are performers nowadays where everything is basically run by a computer and they’re just lip synching along and moving to a scripted show. Not so much in metal. I think metal is something that’s made by humans and humans have their own characteristics and they perform slightly different every night – that’s why not every show is 100% the same.”
My next question might sound a bit silly, but it’s something that concerns me – do you think about retirement?
W: “No – because I’ve been retired already. I came out of retirement to start this whole thing again. I know what retirement is like and this is much more exciting, why would I look forward to retirement? (laughs)”
I would like to know what is the most interesting thing about heavy metal for you?
W: “It’s the fan connection I believe. It’s a very unique metal thing, where you have such a strong (or we as metal bands) loyal followers.In our case, they’ve been following us for years and years, decades really. I think it’s something quite unusual in the music world, where a lot of times it’s here today and gone tomorrow. The metal community is so loyal and so long term and this is something quite unique. I’m very aware of it and I think it’s fantastic.
It’s such a gratifying feeling to see that fans are listening to albums or songs we wrote thirty or forty years ago. If we make an album today, The Rise Of Chaos, who knows, it might be around twenty or thirty years from now, people might still be listening to it.
That’s why we have such a respect for what we do and for the fans, because it’s got such a long staying power. So we wanna be super careful not to release something that won’t stand the test of time.”
Heavy metal pioneers ACCEPT are back in the game with a new studio album! The record entitled “The Rise Of Chaos”, will be unleashed on August 4th, 2017. The band’s 4th studio release through Nuclear Blast will continue the tradition of its three predecessors – “Blood Of The Nations”, “Stalingrad”, and “Blind Rage” – with grandeur and precision.
The band have released their third album trailer in which Wolf Hoffmann explains the album title and why it fits so perfectly in today’s world. If you want to find out about the connection between the new ACCEPT album and the rise of chaos in our world, watch the clip here:
Wolf states: “The more you look at the news nowadays, the more the album title fits because times get pretty chaotic these days. Things seem to be getting more and more extreme. Violence and terror will often result in even more violence. Stephen Hawking or somebody once said that in a hundred years from now, there won’t be any more people on this planet. We will be all extinct one day because we might have killed ourselves. Who knows? But it’s certainly an interesting thought…”
“»The Rise Of Chaos« is something I have been thinking about often. Wherever we go – there is some hidden as well as some visible destruction and it kind of changes the world we know. What was there today – can be gone tomorrow and it’s somehow irritating, because it happens on so many levels and no one knows what comes next. The cover portrays our last stage set-up – but now clearly “destroyed” – like… after a catastrophe”, explains Wolf Hoffmann.
“The Rise Of Chaos” is available in the following formats:
DIGI
CD
BOX (DIGI, 2LP PIC, slipmat, poster, photo card)
2LP 180g (black) in gatefold
NB Mailorder EXCLUSIVE:
2LP 180g (red) in gatefold
2LP (orange+red splatter)
2LP 180g (NB anniversary green) in gatefold
2LP Gold vinyl (framed)
Silver Mirror Board BOX
Below is the track list for »The Rise Of Chaos«:
01. Die By The Sword
02. Hole In The Head
03. The Rise Of Chaos
04. Koolaid
05. No Regrets
06. Analog Man
07. What’s Done Is Done
08. Worlds Colliding
09. Carry The Weight
10. Race To Extinction
The cover artwork of the new record was created by the Hungarian artist Gyula Havancsák.
It’s Christmas time and a time for celebrating, even if you’re alone! Aside from watching films and making love, we all love listening to our favourite music at full volume. Our Chief Editor has made a flammable list for you to rock with your loved ones, friends or even by yourself!
“I’ve made this for almost everyone – for those who have fallen in love this year or those who are still together after many years, those who lost their loves or friends or family members, those who are apart from each other and those who have new family members. And for those who are tired of this sad and horrible year and wish a brighter and better 2017. So here you go, rock it and don’t forget you love your neighbours, so rock it louder!
Merry Christmas!
Mohsen Stargazer Fayazi.”
1. Royal Hunt – ‘Heart On A Platter’ (“Devil’s Dozen” 2015) 2. Wolf – ‘Love At First Bite’ (“Ravenous” 2009) 3. Twilight Force – ‘To the Stars’ (“Heroes Of Mighty Magic” 2016) 4. Kingdom Come – ‘Loving You’ (“Kingdom Come” 1988) 5. Myrath – ‘Through Your Eyes’ (“Legacy” 2016) 6. Wolf Hoffmann – ‘Symphony No. 40’ (“Headbangers Symphony” 2016) 7. Judas Priest – ‘Between The Hammer & The Anvil’ (“Painkiller” 1990) 8. Iced Earth – ‘Watching Over Me’ (“Something Wicked This Way Comes” 1998) 9. Gamma Ray – ‘Rebellion In Dreamland’ (“Land Of The Free” 1995) 10. Accept – ‘Shadow Soldiers’ (“Stalingrad” 2012) 11. Black Sabbath – ‘Heaven And Hell’ (“Heaven And Hell” 1980) In memory of Ronnie James Dio R.I.P. 12. Queen – ‘The Show Must Go on’ (“Innuendo” 1991) In memory of Freddie Mercury R.I.P. 13. Motörhead – ‘Ace Of Spades’ (“Motörhead” 1980) In memory of Lemmy Kilmister R.I.P.
With the sad news today, we would like to remember Rick Parfitt from the legendary Status Quo, R.I.P.
As their fans know very well, metal giants ACCEPT never rest on their laurels! The band are in the middle of recording their highly anticipated next album and are also set to release a brand new live package “Restless And Live” on 13th January via Nuclear Blast. This package will include the entire show ACCEPT played at Bang Your Head Festival 2015 on Blu-ray/DVD plus two live CDs, with different recordings from during the European tour.
Metal Shock Finland Senior Manager Alison Booth, recently celebrated the fourth anniversary of her radio show Blackdiamond’s Metal Mayhem on http://www.totalrock.com. Metal veteran, guitarist Wolf Hoffmann joined the celebrations on the show to chat about the new “Restless And Live” release, the forthcoming new ACCEPT album and much more! The whole radio show will soon be available to hear at this location, but you can hear the chat with Wolf (plus a song in between!) on the audio player below, along with a few excerpts to read:
Discussing “Restless And Live”:
“We wanted to have our own production featured as much as possible for the DVD, we didn’t really know how it was going to turn out. We just watched the footage afterwards and thought ‘wow, it’s awesome!’ looks really good, the edits are really cool, so we decided to release it. We figured it’s a good time for a live DVD.
What I think is important to mention too was that we didn’t just do the cheap way and did the audio CD from the exact same footage as the DVD – no, we used recordings from all over the world and across Europe. There’s a lot of material on the audio CD’s that’s completely different from the DVD part. Andy Sneap mixed them all, it took him forever, it’s a lot of different tracks! ”
Talking about the forthcoming tour with SABATON:
“I think this is gonna be a fun experience for us. It’s one of those things we spontaneously agreed to because it also gave us a chance to leave the studio for a while. We’ve been locked up in the studio working on the new Accept album for some time now. We can actually leave all that, go on the road, have a little bit of fun! It’s not our tour, it’s really Sabaton’s tour – we can just go out there and enjoy playing for a while in front of audiences, then go back to the studio and finish what we started.”
Working with Andy Sneap and the new ACCEPT album:
“This is the fourth time in a row with the same producer, it’s a world record for Accept for sure! Every time we work together it turns out fantastic, we love what the final result is. We have a great working relationship, so why change it if it works, right?“
“The only thing I can tell you is that it feels as Accept as ever. It feels maybe a slightly bit heavier for now, but these things are always hard to say when you’re in the middle of it. Man, it’s gonna sound like Accept as always, there’s not gonna be any weird surprises – we’re not gonna go soft, we’re not gonna go jazz! We’re really just trying to get better at what we already do.
We’re trying our best to get it done in time for next year, July or August. We’ve got a bunch of basic tracks done, a lot of vocals are done, so we’re looking pretty good at this point.”
“Headbangers Symphony” fan reaction:
“I didn’t know how it was going to go, but everybody loves it, it’s amazing! People are much more open minded and into this kinda stuff than I thought they would be.”
On more future classical work:
“There might well be, there’s a time and a place for all that. Right now I’m working on the new Accept album and when that’s done and we’re touring with it, maybe by that time I start thinking about new ideas for another classical project, I’d love to do it. First and foremost I’d like to do some shows with it though, that would be the more immediate thing for me to think about, to perform this stuff live on stage and get some shows under our belt. That would be fantastic and what I’m really looking forward to because this music’s really meant to be played live, I can’t wait for that to happen!
There are some definite plans next year, I can’t tell you yet. I can officially tell you it will happen.”
Wolf Hoffmann will celebrate his birthday on 10th December, so we wish him a very Happy Birthday!
For more information on Blackdiamond’s Metal Mayhem, visit the official Facebook page here and the official website at this location.
Metal icons, ACCEPT, recently made the release of their new live package called “Restless And Live”, public. This package will include the entire show ACCEPT played at Bang Your Head!!! Festival 2015 on Blu-ray/DVD plus two Live CDs with different recordings during the European tour. The release will be available in stores from January 13th, 2017 (Nuclear Blast). To provide you with a taster of this new masterpiece, the band led by axe man Wolf Hoffmann presents their first trailer for their upcoming Blu-ray/DVD today. In this clip, Wolf and ACCEPT producer Andy Sneap talk about the setlist and about new as well as old classics from ACCEPT. If you don’t want to miss this stimulating discussion.
“When you do a live show you obviously have an opener and an ending, and in between you only have a certain amount of songs that you can choose from, because especially at festivals you only get a limited amount of time to play. When we do headline shows we have a little more room to play with and we can pick a few more songs.”, comments Wolf Hoffmann. “What is interesting to me is, that when you listen to the stuff back to back there doesn’t seem to be any discrepancy between the stuff that we recorded or wrote 30 years ago and our more recent material! And the fans tell me the same thing, it really blends together rather well.”
Blu-ray / DVD
01. Stampede
02. Stalingrad
03. London Leatherboys
04. Restless And Wild
05. Dying Breed
06. Final Journey
07. Shadow Soldiers
08. Losers And Winners
09. 200 Years
10. Midnight Mover
11. No Shelter
12. Princess Of The Dawn
13. Dark Side Of My Heart
14. Pandemic
15. Fast As A Shark
16. Metal Heart
17. Teutonic Terror
18. Balls To The Wall
CD1
01. Stampede
02. Stalingrad
03. Hellfire
04. London Leatherboys
05. Living For Tonite
06. 200 Years
07. Demon’s Night
08. Dying Breed
09. Final Journey
10. From The Ashes We Rise
11. Losers And Winners
12. No Shelter
13. Shadow Soldiers
14. Midnight Mover
CD2
01. Starlight
02. Restless And Wild
03. Son Of A Bitch
04. Pandemic
05. Dark Side Of My Heart
06. The Curse
07. Flash Rockin’ Man
08. Bulletproof
09. Fall Of The Empire
10. Fast As A Shark
11. Metal Heart
12. Teutonic Terror
13. Balls To The Wall
4LP (140g, 33 RPM) Side A
01. Stampede
02. Stalingrad
03. Hellfire Side B
01. London Leatherboys
02. Living For Tonite
03. 200 Years
04. Demon’s Night Side C
01. Dying Breed
02. Final Journey
03. From The Ashes We Rise Side D
01. Losers And Winners
02. No Shelter
03. Shadow Soldiers
04. Midnight Mover Side E
01. Starlight
02. Restless And Wild
03. Son Of A Bitch
04. Pandemic Side F
01. Dark Side Of My Heart
02. The Curse
03. Flash Rockin’ Man Side G
01. Bulletproof
02. Fall Of The Empire
03. Fast As A Shark Side H
01. Metal Heart
02. Teutonic Terror
03. Balls To The Wall
