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)
Cut Me Out
U.D.O. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Day after day
Hours and seconds to go
Dying of fright
Nothing to say
I've got no money to show
Educated reasons why I have to wear this shame
Hey you - cut me out
Come back - and put my money down
Hey you - what have I done to you
Don't - don't spread the news around
Dreams in my sleep
Are tales from the cards
I see the final countdown
Reptiles that creep
Pushing me hard
Making me go one more round
Just another night - begging for mercy
What can I do - pleading ¡®n' searching
In the night
Chorus
Bridge
Chorus
The lyrics of U.D.O.'s song "Cut Me Out" convey a sense of desperation and fear, as the singer describes their struggle to make a living and avoid getting caught up in shady activities. The repetition of "night after night" and "day after day" suggests an endless, relentless cycle of dissatisfaction and struggle. The singer's lack of money is a constant source of stress and anxiety, as they feel trapped in a "puzzle game" with no clear way out. The chorus makes use of direct address, as the singer calls out to an unspecified person, imploring them to "cut me out" and "put my money down." The urgency of the singer's plea is mirrored in the repetition of the word "don't" in the final line, emphasizing the need for secrecy and caution.
The imagery and symbolism in the song add to its impact, as the singer describes "reptiles that creep" and "tales from the cards." These metaphors suggest a sense of danger and unpredictability, as if the singer is constantly in danger of being bitten or deceived. The theme of gambling runs throughout the lyrics, as the singer refers several times to a "puzzle game" and seeing the "final countdown." This reinforces the sense of risk and uncertainty, as if the singer is always on the edge of losing everything.
Overall, "Cut Me Out" is a powerful and evocative song that speaks to the struggles that many people face in trying to make a living and avoid falling into dangerous or unethical situations.
Line by Line Meaning
Night after night
Every night passes by in the same way, without any changes or improvements.
Day after day
Every day is similar to the previous one, with nothing much to look forward to.
Hours and seconds to go
Time seems to be moving really slowly and there are still a lot of hours and seconds left to kill.
Dying of fright
Fear is consuming me from the inside and making me feel like I'm slowly dying.
Nothing to say
I feel like I have nothing to contribute to the world and no one wants to hear what I have to say.
I've got no money to show
I'm broke and don't have anything to show for my time spent working.
Picking at the bits and pieces of this puzzle game
Trying to make sense of the chaos around me and figure out how to fit in.
Educated reasons why I have to wear this shame
Understanding the reasons why I'm being shamed but feeling powerless to change the situation.
Hey you - cut me out
Asking someone to remove me from the situation I'm in and let me be free.
Come back - and put my money down
Returning to me and giving me the money that is rightfully mine.
Hey you - what have I done to you
Questioning why the person is treating me this way and trying to understand their motives.
Don't - don't spread the news around
Urging the person not to talk about me or what has happened.
Dreams in my sleep
The only place where I can still dream and hope for something better.
Are tales from the cards
My dreams seem like random stories that have no bearing on reality.
I see the final countdown
Realizing that time is running out and something needs to change soon.
Reptiles that creep
People who are sneaky and untrustworthy.
Pushing me hard
Forcing me to work harder and do things I don't want to do.
Making me go one more round
Forcing me to continue in a situation that is draining me.
Just another night - begging for mercy
Another night where I'm pleading for help and relief from the pain I'm feeling.
What can I do - pleading ¡®n' searching
Feeling helpless and desperately searching for a solution to my problems.
Chorus
The repeating chorus of the song, expressing the desire to be free from the situation and pleading for help.
Bridge
A musical interlude in the song.
Contributed by Adrian G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.