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)
The Wrong Side Of Midnight
U.D.O. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just behind the scenes
Hiding in the alleys
Catch their silent screams
Resurrected faces
Passing on in time
Touch the ancient races
Never hear their voices
Don't deny the proof
Always in the darkness
Never see them move
Heroes - shadows
Taking you apart
Heroes - shadows
They want you tonight
To heal you tonight
The wrong side of midnight
The beast walks alone
No time for the hour
There's blood on the bone
Secrets on papyrus
Bodies in the crypt
Don't release the virus
Kiss the poisen lips
Mystic apparatus
Changing space and time
Cosmic revelation
Long forgotten signs
In U.D.O.’s song, “The Wrong Side of Midnight,” the lyrics explore the concept of the unknown and unseen world beyond what we see in our everyday reality. The mention of “heroes in the shadows” implies that there are those who take action and make a difference without being recognized or celebrated. These heroes could be anyone - from those working tirelessly behind the scenes to unsung heroes who have made an impact.
The second verse paints a picture of a darker world, one in which secrets are kept, time is irrelevant, and dangerous beings lurk. The phrase “the wrong side of midnight” suggests a time when things are hidden, shifting, and often more dangerous. The line “there’s blood on the bone” reinforces this feeling of unease and danger. The lyrics also hint at the power of the past and the unseen, with mentions of “touching the ancient races” and “long forgotten signs.”
The refrain “Heroes – shadows / Taking you apart / Heroes – shadows / They want you tonight” suggests a pull into this hidden world, with the shadows and heroes beckoning the listener to join them. The song ends on a somewhat ominous note, with talk of “mystic apparatus” and “cosmic revelation”- it seems as though there is a lot more left to explore beyond what we can see in our everyday lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Heroes in the shadows
Courageous figures concealed from plain sight
Just behind the scenes
Lurking just out of sight of the unaware
Hiding in the alleys
Dodging from public view in the alleyways
Catch their silent screams
Witness their innermost turmoil even though they are not vocalizing their struggles
Resurrected faces
Revived visages
Passing on in time
Departing into history
Touch the ancient races
Feeling a link to the primitive civilizations
Memories in mind
Remembrances stored away in the brain
Never hear their voices
Their speech is never audible
Don't deny the proof
Do not refute the evidence
Always in the darkness
All the time in obscured surroundings
Never see them move
Observing them motionless
Heroes - shadows
Brave figures in the peripheries
Taking you apart
Breaking you down
They want you tonight
Desiring you immediately
To heal you tonight
To mend your problems during this night
The wrong side of midnight
After the middle of the night (a period of obscurity)
The beast walks alone
The monster progresses unaccompanied
No time for the hour
No schedules or deadlines constrain them
There's blood on the bone
Stains of blood blemish the skeleton
Secrets on papyrus
Encrypted details on ancient paper
Bodies in the crypt
Cadavers interred underground
Don't release the virus
Preserve the pathogens
Kiss the poisen lips
Embrace fatal consequences
Mystic apparatus
Supernatural contraptions
Changing space and time
Transform the dimensions of the universe
Cosmic revelation
Astrophysical enlightenment
Long forgotten signs
Symbols neglected through time
Contributed by Lincoln S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
sergeiperminov76
U.D.O. красава!!! Мурашки по коже последние 20 лет,начиная еще с АССЕРТ. Так держать всем старикам старик !!!
Артём Тютляев
Да брат согласен
Paul Shannon
I cannot get over this dude's voice. It's so unique, it's hard to hate on it. But it's also such an acquired taste... Can't stop coming back to this song
beastofblurdon
Every one rapid
William Blake
Paul Shannon same
FrankinChicken B
Metal church as well.
Piotr Ztein
Bobby Ellsworth from Overkill is the other.
Martyrs Shrine Band
I came to that same conclusion 30 years ago and I still can't get over it! In 1991 Udo was voted as the most unique voice in metal. Nobody hits those high garbled notes the same. Unique indeed!
Yaroslav Petin
UDO ЭТО Группа всех групп!!! моя молодость и наизусть все песни!!! Поезд по россии!! )))) Обожаю!!
beastofblurdon
Good job