Susemihl left the band, with U.D.O. now as a four-piece. The band shifted to a lighter approach with the third album Faceless World, which was released on 25 February 1990, achieving great success; this being their best selling album so far. It was produced by former Accept drummer Stefan Kaufmann. The fourth album Timebomb was released on 3 April 1991. It was a more heavier album than their previous releases. In 1992, Dirkschneider put U.D.O. on hiatus to reunite with Accept.
In 1996, Dirkschneider reactivated U.D.O. with a brand new line-up; Stefan Kaufmann, now undertaking guitar duties, with guitarist Jürgen Graf and bassist Fitty Wienhold from Bullet, and Stefan Schwarzmann returning to the band. They took part in the 1997 compilation album A Tribute to Judas Priest: Legends of Metal, in which they recorded the song "Metal Gods".
On 24 March 1997, U.D.O. released the fifth album Solid. It was featured on the Rock Hard magazine reader charts for more than a year after its release. The album was followed up with No Limits on 20 April 1998, featuring a similar songwriting approach from Solid. The album features a cover of the Austrian pop band Supermax's hit single "Love Machine". After the conclusion of the band's tour, Stefan Schwarzmann quit the band. New drummer Lorenzo Milani replaced him.
The seventh album Holy was released on 18 October 1999, which received critical acclaim. It was a return to the guitar-driven sound similar to the Balls to the Wall-era Accept. A world tour followed with dates in the United States and several other major countries. The band known as Vanize, fronted by Udo Dirkschneider's brother Peter, supported U.D.O. during the tour. Line-up changes occurred during the second part of the tour with Gotthard guitarist Igor Gianola replacing Jürgen Graf. The tour spawned the first live album Live from Russia, which was released on 15 October 2001, a 2-CD release featuring many of the classic Accept songs that have since become staples of U.D.O.'s set.
On 24 July 2002, the eighth album Man and Machine was released, receiving a somewhat lukewarm reception. Despite standout songs such as the title track and "Private Eye", the album was ultimately less successful than Holy. It is notable for the song "Dancing with an Angel", featuring a duet performance of Dirkschneider and vocalist Doro Pesch.
U.D.O. released their ninth studio album Thunderball on 29 March 2004. The follow-up album Mission No. X was originally due for release on 4 October 2005, but was pushed forward by one week and was released on 30 September 2005 instead. It was the first album to feature Edge of Forever drummer Francesco Jovino.
On 18 May 2007, the eleventh album Mastercutor was released. In August 2007, bassist Fitty Weinhold was unable to perform with the band due to "private reasons". He would be temporarily replaced with former Majesty bassist Marcus Bielenberg for touring purposes.
U.D.O.'s twelfth studio album Dominator was released on 21 August 2009. The next studio album Rev-Raptor was originally due for release on 14 January 2011, but was delayed until 18 March 2011 due to the recurrence of Stefan Kaufmann's back problems. It was delayed again, but was officially released on 20 May 2011.
In November 2011, Dirkschneider's son Sven supported U.D.O. on a date in Germany and became a permanent member of his father's band in February 2015. On the same year, the band was temporary renamed as "Dirkschneider" and embarked in a long tour called "Back To The Roots" where the band only performed Accept songs.
In September 2012, Kaufmann announced his departure for health reasons. He would continue to work in the surroundings of the band and produce for other bands in his own personal studio. On 15 January 2013, Russian guitarist Andrey Smirnov was recruited as the new member. A week later, Igor Gianola left the band "due to conflicts between band appointments and his private life and business." Following his departure, former Amberian Dawn guitarist Kasperi Heikkinen joined the band. The fourteenth album Steelhammer was released on 20 May 2013.
In December 2014, drummer Francesco Jovino left the band for personal reasons, joining Primal Fear in 2015. He was replaced by Udo Dirkschneider's son Sven in February 2015. U.D.O. released the fifteenth studio album Decadent on 23 January 2015.
In February 2017, Heikkinen announced his departure citing personal reasons. According to the band, no bad blood or drama were involved between the two. In March 2017, guitarist Bill Hudson was announced as the new member. On 24 April 2018, Hudson parted ways with the band "due to a difference in their individual visions for the future", according to Dirkschneider, adding that there was no "negative feelings on either side." In June 2018, Stefan Kaufmann temporarily rejoined the band only for the summer festival appearances until a new guitarist was found. The sixteenth album Steelfactory was released on 31 August 2018, with the first single "Rising High" being made available for streaming. On 19 September 2018, bassist Fitty Wienhold announced his departure from U.D.O., but stated that he would remain with the band if needed, " as a friend, as an advisor...whatever." The band soon recruited German guitarist Dee Dammers and Slovenian bassist Tilen Hudrap as their new members.
During U.D.O.'s touring in Europe in early 2019, Dirkschneider performed as a handicap after experiencing left knee pain. He vowed to continue without doctors' advice and without causing disappointment to the fans. The band was originally scheduled to perform at the Wacken Open Air festival in 2020 by performing Accept's 1985 album Metal Heart in its entirety to celebrate its 35th anniversary, with the addition of Das Musikkorps der Bundeswehr, but the festival was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, U.D.O. collaborated with Das Musikkorps der Bundeswehr to record an album titled We Are One, which was released on 17 July 2020. It reached number 8 in the official German album charts, the second highest position for any U.D.O album in 34 years, right after Steelfactory, which peaked at number 7.
A live album titled Live In Bulgaria 2020 - Pandemic Survival Show was released on 19 March 2021. It was recorded live on 18 September 2020 in front of 2500 fans in Plovdiv. The seventeenth studio album Game Over was released on 22 October 2021.
Dirkschneider
U.D.O. performed under the name Dirkschneider for an occasion in which Udo Dirkschneider described as his "farewell to Accept", stating that he would no longer perform Accept songs again in the band's live shows. In early 2017, they performed in North America. A 2-CD live album titled Live: Back to the Roots was released on 28 October 2016. An updated version titled Live: Back to the Roots - Accepted! was released on 4 August 2017, featuring a DVD of their performance from Brno, Czech Republic.
The band continued to perform Accept songs for at least another year, due to the request from fans. They returned to North America in early 2018 after a positive reception from their first visit the previous year. In 2018, Udo Dirkschneider put his side project to a close as he did not want to cause confusion between his main band and his side project.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.D.O.
Studio albums
Animal House (1987)
Mean Machine (1989)
Faceless World (1990)
Timebomb (1991)
Solid (1997)
No Limits (1998)
Holy (1999)
Man and Machine (2002)
Thunderball (2004)
Mission No. X (2005)
Mastercutor (2007)
Dominator (2009)
Rev-Raptor (2011)
Steelhammer (2013)
Decadent (2015)
Steelfactory (2018)
Game Over (2021)
Bad Luck
U.D.O. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Never in the mood - to change his life
Nobody wants to help him - as he spirals down
But one day the wrong decision - hit him overnight
No more cocktail parties - champagne's run dry
No company take-overs - stock markets high
No more hand-jobs in the boardroom - sex is history
At last he realized - he did it wrong
Messed big time everywhere - double-dealing lies
He's going down on his bad luck - his just deserts
He's going down on his bad luck - what he deserved
His old man told him always - listen son
It's a two-way street to fortune - you gotta hit and run
Don't forget the mirror - look who's behind
And don't you come up crying - when it's faster coming down
At last he realized - he did it wrong
Messed big time everywhere - double-dealing lies
He's going down on his bad luck - his just deserts
He's going down on his bad luck - what he deserved
He's going down on his bad luck - it's his time
He's going down on his bad luck - can't rewind
Do you get the story - you know this man
Have you learned a lesson - do you understand
When all you got is crystal - you shouldn't cast a stone
So be careful when you go up - 'cause you'll meet them coming down
He's going down on his bad luck - his just deserts
He's going down on his bad luck - what he deserved
He's going down on his bad luck - it's his time
He's going down on his bad luck - can't rewind
The song "Bad Luck" by U.D.O. tells the story of a man who never wanted to change his life and ends up making wrong decisions, resulting in the loss of his wealth and status. The first verse establishes that the man had plenty of opportunities to change his ways but did not take them. As a consequence, he is left with no friends and no support when things go wrong. The second verse describes his downfall, as he loses access to the extravagant lifestyle he is used to. The chorus repeats the phrase "he's going down on his bad luck" to emphasize his deserved punishment.
The third verse reveals that the man's father had warned him about the consequences of his actions, but he ignored the advice. The lyrics emphasize the importance of self-reflection and being aware of the consequences of one's actions. The final chorus is a reminder that whatever goes up must come down, and one should be careful not to cast judgement on others when they are on top because they may find themselves in the same position one day.
Overall, "Bad Luck" is a cautionary tale about the danger of greed and the importance of being mindful of one's actions and their consequences.
Line by Line Meaning
I have to tell a story - about a man
The singer is about to tell a story about a man.
Never in the mood - to change his life
The man never wanted to make any changes in his life.
Nobody wants to help him - as he spirals down
As the man's life takes a turn for the worse, nobody is willing to help him.
But one day the wrong decision - hit him overnight
One decision that the man made had a devastating impact on him overnight.
No more cocktail parties - champagne's run dry
All the parties and fancy events he used to attend have come to an end, and he can no longer afford them.
No company take-overs - stock markets high
He used to be a high-flying corporate executive, but he is no longer successful.
No more hand-jobs in the boardroom - sex is history
The man used to have sexual encounters in the boardroom, but now he has lost his job and can no longer do so.
And no saunas, no jacuzzis - the penalties you'll reap
He can no longer enjoy luxurious amenities like saunas or jacuzzis because of the consequences of his actions.
At last he realized - he did it wrong
The man finally realizes that he made a mistake.
Messed big time everywhere - double-dealing lies
He messed up big time and lied to cover it up.
He's going down on his bad luck - his just deserts
The man is experiencing the consequences he deserves for his actions.
He's going down on his bad luck - what he deserved
He is getting what he deserves for his past behavior.
His old man told him always - listen son
The man's father always told him that there are consequences to your actions.
It's a two-way street to fortune - you gotta hit and run
To be successful, you have to seize opportunities and move quickly.
Don't forget the mirror - look who's behind
One should always be aware of the actions they've taken and the impact they've had on those around them.
And don't you come up crying - when it's faster coming down
Don't be surprised if your fall from grace happens much more quickly than your ascent to success.
Do you get the story - you know this man
The singer is asking if the listener understands the story.
Have you learned a lesson - do you understand
The singer is asking if the listener has learned anything from the story.
When all you got is crystal - you shouldn't cast a stone
If you have your own problems to deal with, you shouldn't judge others.
So be careful when you go up - 'cause you'll meet them coming down
Be careful not to judge others, as you never know when you might be in the same situation.
He's going down on his bad luck - it's his time
The man is going through a rough patch and is experiencing his downfall.
He's going down on his bad luck - can't rewind
There's no going back, the man can't undo his past actions.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Chris Overland, Desmond Child, Stephen Mark Overland
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind