Accept have a new album coming out titled “Blind Rage”, so we talked to guitarist Wolf Hoffmann about the new songs as well as their first ever tour to Australia.
Metal-Roos: Congrats on the new album, Blind Rage. It’s kind of an amalgamation of Accept’s two previous albums; the band seems re-energised and still very capable of churning out great albums?
Easy, very easy, thankyou! Our very first #1 Entry in the Sales Charts in some countries! We are so happy, so grateful that our fans worldwide have welcomed us so enthusiastically. We are full of ideas and energy. Living the dream!
Metal-Roos: Mark Tornillo’s vocals have been an integral part of the ‘new’ Accept. How have you personally viewed his involvement?
Peter and I are the writing team since we formed Accept when we were just 16 years old, over 35 years ago. Nothing will ever change that. Mark inspires us to try and find our limits, go where we have not been before and yet – you will find ACCEPT staying in familiar territories, but always pushing our boundaries. I believe his voice is expanding according to what we deliver. I guess he is the best match for us.
Metal-Roos: Andy Sneap has again produced the album; it seems Sneap and Accept go hand in hand these days with the recording process?
Not only these days, from the beginning. Andy Sneap and I have grown together in a very comfortable way. He is there when needed and he gives way when needed and yet he delivers an ideal environment for me and for Peter and Mark. Yes, he fits and it is interesting to see how we have grown together over time.
Metal-Roos: The riffs from all three return albums are phenomenal, I mean there is some stellar work coming from the band and the past 3 albums are featured heavily in end of year Top 10 lists for many websites since ’09. Do you think it has just been a ‘pent up’ creativity burst or just experience across the years that have helped with Accepts reincarnation?
Thank you for saying that. Honestly, we are as stunned as everybody else is in the band. The ‘pent’ up idea has been discussed between Peter and I. Everything came totally spontaneously and we had no reason to believe that after 15 years break for me what would come out. But it was like opening the flood gates, and that is ongoing since 2010. I have to pinch myself to make sure that I am awake sometimes. We are pumped up and ready to go anytime.
Metal-Roos: Could you of imagined when you did reform back in 2009 that Accept could command the type of crowds you’ve been getting in Europe and around the world?
Of course not. We did not even dare to hope. That is totally the reason that we are unbelievable happy on stage. We would never have gotten to this point on our own, to be honest. We are as good as the audience is and our luck has been that they were that good from our first show on. New York May 8th 2010 Gramercy Theatre! Our first, very first show with Mark and it was a sold out show. Just two days ago, we did some US warm-up shows and the last one as a gift to our fans we played again at the Gramercy. It was a stunning night, sold out again, but this time they even had to close the doors to prevent overselling and many fans screamed bloody murder and had to stay outside. When we started, they opened the doors again so the fans could listen. When the sweat is dripping from the ceiling, we are on fire. It was awesome!
Metal-Roos: Of these festivals and shows played in the last few years, has there been a stand out show or a festival that you’ve only dreamt of playing at that you’ve now ticked off?
No, we are so busy, and we can only do one after another. Biggest Festival for us, has been just this summer at Woodstock, Poland – they say 750 000 music fans have been there. We could not even see them or for that matter grasp the enormity of it. On the same weekend -we did Wacken – the Disneyland for Metal Fans. We are on a roll…Life is good!
Metal-Roos: The upcoming Australian tour, your ‘virgin’ tour down under, you must be super excited?
Australia – how did that happen? And the biggest knock out for us is: Australia has called in the first SOLD OUT SHOW of our Blind Rage tour – a few days before we sold out in New York. THANK YOU, FANS! THANK YOU!
Metal-Roos: Besides the obvious AC/DC, are there any other bands from Australia that you’re a fan of, both now and the past?
AC/DC, AC/DC, AC/DC! INXS, Midnight Oil and Airbourne, I am sure there are many, many more great Australian Bands though.
Metal-Roos: I imagine you’ve been rehearsing for this upcoming tour in Australia, any surprises in store for the fans in the Australian set list and what are we likely to see from the band?
Wait and see. You bring the fans and we bring the music and than let’s see how we do! If you give us what we need, we give you what you need.
Metal-Roos: To your home country, Germany. It seems the metal scene has gone through a ‘turning of the wheel’ in the last decade, with band’s like Accept, Kreator, Destruction, etc reinventing themselves or at the very least being discovered by the new generation of metal heads? Is that fair to say?
I believe so. But we have lived in USA since the 80’s and even if I always had a home in Germany, we did not experience first hand what happened over the past decades. I can only say, that Kreator and others came a bit later and especially Kreator does have a slightly different audience. They are doing very well and we toured with them and it worked very well. But Accept does have a broader appeal to a different audience, we are categorized very differently.
Metal-Roos: Everything about Accept screams classic heavy metal, however, do yourself or any other band members for that matter get involved or gravitate towards any other genres musically or personally?
As I said, Peter and I have been doing this for so long, I believe the possibility that we “stray” is pretty slim. What you think of us is what you get and we are not even trying to be different, just better with every album and every show.
Metal-Roos: Thanks for your time Wolf, Metal-Roos will be there to see your shows when in town!
Thanks for having me… was fun! Let’s Rock together soon!
Interview Date: 2014-09-18
Interviewer: James Birkin
