677. Accept / Balls to the Wall. 1983. 3.5/5

If you grew up in the 1980's, and you listened to heavy metal, then you know the song "Balls to the Wall" by Accept, because it was one of those songs that whenever they had heavy metal videos played on music video television, it was always one of the first songs played. Whether you knew anything else of this album is another question entirely. Many did not follow up knowing the single to checking out the album. I was not one of those people.

While for many who grew up with this album it has become an all-time classic, one which they will judge all other albums in history against, having first come into this album in the early 1990's I don't have the same stars in my eyes it regards to its attachment. There are unmistakable homage's to Judas Priest throughout, sometimes just a vocal or a guitar lick, but they are there nonetheless. You can also catch stretches of AC/DC both lyrically and musically, and given that Accept are of a similar vintage to both of these bands it shouldn't come as such a great surprise.
The album follows a solid hard rock/metal line in most of these songs. The anthemic qualities of "Balls to the Wall" have helped to make it a crowd favourite. This is similarly true of songs like "London Leatherboys" and "Fight It Back" and "Losing More Than You've Ever Had", where the double chorusing on vocals lends the song that air of singing along with fists pumping the air.
The terrific melodic lead breaks in the middle of "Turn Me On" really highlight that song. "Losers and Winners' is perhaps the paciest song of the album with a tracking drum beat and gunning guitars matched by Udo's vocals. "Guardian of the Night" returns the album to its normal service.
"Winter Dreams" for me is a very strange way to conclude the album. I am not a fan of the power ballad at the best of times, but I find it a bit strange to end an album with one. Sure, you can't slow the momentum of an album if there is nothing to come following that song, but you can kill the mood the album is giving you by doing so. Not a fan.

These kind of albums are the ones that, if you grew up when they were released and listened to them hundreds of times, over and over, you will rate at the top echelon of the scale, because they are catchy songs, which will inevitably remind you of those days. However, if you came into these kinds of albums after this stage of your life, you are more likely to think it is a solid album, but more in the mid-range kind of rating. In other words, the same album, but grabbing onto people at different times in their lives. I find for me this is especially true with Balls to the Wall. I can see myself loving this album to death had I been listening to it since 1983, However, having found it about a decade after this, I still think it is a great album for the era, one with a lot of positives, but my rating won't agree with the devotees of the band.