U.D.O. ~ Rev-Raptor (album review) ... Udo can do no wrong!

Style: heavy metal, speed metal
Label: AFM
Year: 2011
Home: Germany

Members: Udo Dirkschneider ~ vocals
Stefan Kaufmann ~ guitars/keyboards
Igor Gianola ~ guitars
Fitty Wienhold ~ bass/keyboards
Francesco Jovino ~ drums

I recently reviewed U.D.O.'s release just before this one, Dominator, & after days of non-stop listening declared: "This is a perfect slab of metal ... This is the album I've wanted so many bands to make." Having earlier listened to the classic Accept albums Restless & Wild & Balls To The Wall, which I agree are classics, I pretty much am feeling Udo has the midas touch. So, did U.D.O. follow up the perfection of Dominator? Pretty darn close to it. I'm just going to say it really does feel Udo can do no wrong, or at least in the early 2000's he is making music most metalheads would die to have their name associated with. Rev-Raptor, which is one of the strangest names for an album I've heard in a while, doesn't veer far from the template set by Dominator. At times the albums feel almost interchangeable. They both have heavy as fuck speed metal, amazingly original sounding rhythms, great singing, soaring solos, plus a few keyboard heavy power ballads. Its raw, powerful & technically intense & the energy is high for both albums. I do feel that there's less musical variety on Rev-Raptor. At times the songs seemed to blend together a bit more. That might also be to the fact I was so shocked by the power of Dominator I found myself listening a bit more closely. Here the shock has worn off. Yet, the album makes up for this weakness by cranking things just a bit harder & still retaining a perfect mix of soft & hard, calm & fury. If you like metal dripping with distortion guitar attacks & power drill rhythms than Rev-Raptor needs to meet your ears. I do think the ballads are stronger on this release, as they have an anthem-like quality that gives them a little edge. Okay, I'll confess "I Give As Good As I Get" has a great careening guitar solo that fits the song perfectly without going over the edge or taking over. That is an art in itself. The producer of these 2 albums needs kudos & your metal band should call him immediately. He finds that perfect balance between letting songs breath & creating a wall of sound that will clobber your brain. That producer is, for the record, also the co-composer & guitarist, who first joined up with Udo as the original drummer of Accept. I particularly like "Leatherhead" which features a menacing thick guitar riff, think early Marilyn Manson or Rob Zombie, but then has this almost light-weight solo that provides great contrast & gives the song added depth. U.D.O. knows how to put the pieces together perfectly. Rev-Raptor is another slice of how to do metal right.