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)
Black Heart
U.D.O. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Black is the colour - icy and cold
It is the power - forever wrong
All the burning inside - all the other rotten ways
Blinded minds - all the time - it happens all again
You know we all need some friends
The freedom we will defend
Don't need a devil - don't need a devil inside
Black heart - dark mind
The seeds of evil will grow in time
Black heart - dark mind
Hail the devil and bless the crime
Over and over - the stories' been told
Whole generations - have been sold
All the wrong directions - paid with innocence and fear
Danger times - twisted crimes - revenge is always near
(BRIDGE)
(CHORUS)
Hail - hail,.....
(CHORUS)
The lyrics to "Black Heart" by U.D.O. are a commentary on the darker aspects of human nature. The opening lines describe the color black as representing coldness and power that is forever wrong. The burning inside refers to the darkness that lies within us all, including the other rotten ways and blinded minds that perpetuate evil in the world. Despite our need for friends and the freedom we defend, the song suggests that we do not need a devil inside of us.
The chorus repeats the phrase "black heart, dark mind" to remind us that the seeds of evil grow in time and hail the devil and bless the crime. The stories have been told over and over, and whole generations have been sold on the wrong direction, paid for with innocence and fear. The danger times and twisted crimes suggest that revenge is always near, and the bridge builds on this idea, emphasizing the importance of confronting evil head-on.
Overall, "Black Heart" paints a bleak picture of humanity and warns against the temptation to give in to the dark urges within us all. The song encourages us to fight against the darkness, to defend our freedoms, and to resist the devil inside.
Line by Line Meaning
Black is the colour - icy and cold
The color black is symbolic of evilness, and it has a cold and icy nature that represents danger and negativity.
It is the power - forever wrong
Blackness represents power, but that power is inherently wrong and negative because it promotes evilness in the world.
All the burning inside - all the other rotten ways
The intense feelings of hate and evil that exist within someone can lead them towards other negative behaviors and thoughts that are destructive.
Blinded minds - all the time - it happens all again
People are often blinded by their own ignorance or lack of knowledge, leading them to repeat the same mistakes over and over again.
You know we all need some friends
Having friends is important for everyone's well-being and happiness.
To save this broken world
Friends can help to make the world a better place by supporting each other and working towards a common goal.
The freedom we will defend
It is important to fight for our freedom and rights, and this can be achieved by supporting and defending each other.
Don't need a devil - don't need a devil inside
There is no need to embrace evil or negativity in life, and it is important to reject these negative influences to lead a happier and healthier life.
Black heart - dark mind
A black heart symbolizes evil intentions and desires, while a dark mind is filled with negative thoughts and impulses.
The seeds of evil will grow in time
Negative actions and thoughts can manifest and grow over time, leading to an even more dangerous and destructive path in life.
Hail the devil and bless the crime
A negative mindset can lead someone to glorify or support evil actions and crimes, which is dangerous and destructive for society.
Over and over - the stories' been told
Throughout history, stories of evil and negativity have been told, but people often fail to learn from these stories and instead repeat the same mistakes.
Whole generations - have been sold
Entire generations of people have been influenced and persuaded by negative ideas and beliefs, leading to a perpetuation of evil and negativity in society.
All the wrong directions - paid with innocence and fear
People who follow the wrong path in life often end up paying the price through the loss of their innocence or increased fear and negativity.
Danger times - twisted crimes - revenge is always near
During dangerous times, people may resort to twisted and dangerous actions, leading to a cycle of revenge and negativity that is difficult to break.
Hail - hail,.....
This is the repeated chorus of the song, which again emphasizes the idea that people should not embrace evil or negativity in their lives, but instead strive to lead a positive and peaceful life.
Contributed by Callie A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@sambamachineryrecords6498
KING UDO IS ALWAYS CREATING MORE METAL ... DIVINE QUALITY
@dravenquinn264
My favourite U.D.O. Lineup is from 2004-2012 with
Udo Dirkschneider lead vocals 1987-1992 1996-present
Stefan Kaufmann guitars 1996-2012
Igor Gianola guitars 1999-2013
Fitty Wienhold bassist 1996-2018
Francesco Jovino drums 2004-2014
@aitechnasus1041
Black Heart Is An Absolutely Awesome Excellent Great Fantastic Killer Song By UDO And Totally Rocks It Needs To Be Fully Cranked Up All The Way Up To Full Maximum Volume When Listening To This Wonderful Masterpiece By UDO Dirkschneider.
@High_Caliber
Agreed.
@filizozdogan2188
yeah🤘