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)
Future Land
U.D.O. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tears running out of my eyes
Wake up and bring the truth into your life
I can't stand it anymore
All those nightmares - endless despair
Walk away from this dream
Show me the way out of the darkness
See the world with different eyes
There's something true in this life
And I start getting closer
You'd better not fall behind
Don't take me to tomorrow
Don't take me to the future land
Don't take me to tomorrow
Don't take me to the future land
And now I've had enough of this ride
Just let me out of this game
So many reasons to step out and pay
Everyday it's the same
No more hiding - deep inside me
The pictures start to be real
You'd better listen to your heartbeat again
I know I wanna be free
See the world with different eyes
There's something true in this life
And I start getting closer
You'd better not fall behind
Don't take me to tomorrow (oh, no)
Don't take me to the future land (no lying - anymore)
Don't take me to tomorrow(mmmh, I)
Don't wanna see the future land
Don't take me to tomorrow (into the land of light)
Don't take me to the future land
Don't trade your life for sorrow (reach out for the paradise)
Stop longing for the future land
So many feelings deep in your heart
Don't you believe in this dream
So don't hide them deep inside you
Let them out this time, yeah
Don't take me to tomorrow (no lying anymore)
Don't take me to the future land (oh no)
Don't take me to tomorrow (don't take me away)
Don't take me to the future land (without day or night)
Don't trade your life for sorrow (oh no)
Stop longing for the future land (for the land of light)
It's a nightmare leading out of the dark
Tears running out of my eyes
Wake up and bring the truth into your life
I can't stand it anymore
All those nightmares - endless despair
Walk away from this dream
Show me the way out of the darkness
Into a land of light
Don't take me to tomorrow
Don't take me to the future land
Don't take me to tomorrow
Don't wanna see the future land
Don't trade your life for sorrow...
The lyrics to U.D.O.'s song Future Land describe a personal struggle with a fearful and uncertain future. The singer is exhausted from their nightmares and wants to escape the darkness to enter a land of light where they can see the world with different eyes. The repeated plea of "Don't take me to tomorrow, don't take me to the future land" suggests a fear of what is to come and a desire to stay in the present moment. The singer acknowledges that there is something true in this life that they are getting closer to, but they don't want to be left behind.
The song speaks to a universal theme of human fear and anxiety about the future. We all have dreams and aspirations, but sometimes the fear of the unknown can be overwhelming. It's a reminder to stay present and not let the fear of tomorrow consume us. Instead of hiding our feelings deep inside, we should acknowledge them and let them out. The song concludes with a plea to stop longing for the future land, and instead, embrace the paradise that can be found in the present moment.
Line by Line Meaning
It's a nightmare leading out of the dark
The situation feels like a never-ending bad dream that is filled with endless hopelessness and despair.
Tears running out of my eyes
The emotional pain and suffering is so intense that it is causing the person to cry.
Wake up and bring the truth into your life
The person needs to become aware of what is real and true in their life, instead of living in a fantasy or illusion.
I can't stand it anymore
The person has reached their breaking point and can no longer tolerate the pain and suffering they are experiencing.
All those nightmares - endless despair
The person is overwhelmed by the negative emotions and experiences that they are going through, and they can't seem to see a way out of it.
Walk away from this dream
The person needs to detach themselves from the negative situation in order to get a clearer perspective on how to move forward.
Show me the way out of the darkness
The person is seeking guidance and direction on how to find a way out of their current situation.
Into a land of light
The person is seeking a better and more positive future, where they can live a happy and fulfilled life.
See the world with different eyes
The person needs to change their perspective and view the world in a more positive light in order to move forward.
There's something true in this life
The person believes that there is something real and positive to strive for in life.
And I start getting closer
The person is making progress towards their goal of finding a better future.
You'd better not fall behind
The person is urging others to not get left behind, but to also strive towards a better future.
Don't take me to tomorrow
The person is asking to not be taken towards a negative or uncertain future.
Don't take me to the future land
The person wishes to not be taken towards a future that is unknown or potentially negative.
And now I've had enough of this ride
The person has reached a point where they can no longer tolerate the difficult circumstances they are experiencing.
Just let me out of this game
The person is asking for a way out of their current situation.
So many reasons to step out and pay
There are many potential positive outcomes if the person takes action and makes positive changes in their life.
Everyday it's the same
The person's negative situation feels like it's a never-ending cycle of pain and suffering.
No more hiding - deep inside me
The person is committing to no longer hiding their emotions and to facing their problems head-on.
The pictures start to be real
The person has started to see and acknowledge the reality of their situation and the potential positive outcomes.
You'd better listen to your heartbeat again
The person is urging themselves and others to listen to their inner voice and follow what makes them truly happy.
I know I wanna be free
The person knows that they want to be free from their negative situation and find a better future for themselves.
Don't trade your life for sorrow
The person is urging others to not sacrifice their happiness and well-being for temporary pleasures or short-term goals.
Stop longing for the future land
The person is urging themselves and others to focus on the present moment and not to constantly yearn for an unknown or uncertain future.
So many feelings deep in your heart
The person has many emotions and desires inside of them that they need to acknowledge and address.
Don't you believe in this dream
The person is questioning if they truly believe in their own goals and desires.
Let them out this time, yeah
The person is committing to expressing and pursuing their true desires and aspirations in life.
Contributed by Emma D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.