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)
Trip to Nowhere
U.D.O. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where people live a dirty life
Of course it was different most of the time
But it was not my fault
A life in hell
I saw it every morning
Dreams'n'desires
Can't hide myself anymore
But this dream did not come true
I tried to live in heaven
Next time I'll try to knock on this door again
I've been hunting
Day and night
Oh, I've been losing
Please, hold me tight
Why am I here now
And what can I do
You tell me you're sorry
You know it ain't true
I tried to live in heaven
But this dream did not come true
I tried to live in heaven
Next time I'll try to knock on this door again
You know what I mean
'Cause when you throw in the cards
Life goes on and on
You're on a trip to nowhere
You'd better reach for the stars
Life goes on and on and on and on again
'Cause when you throw in the cards
Life goes on and on
You're on a trip to nowhere
You'd better reach for the stars
Life goes on and on and on and on again
Now I'm taking my chances
Everyday, everynight
You know what I'm talking about, man
No more backstreet life
A life in hell
I saw it every morning
Dreams and desires
Don't hide myself anymore
I tried to live in heaven
But this dream did not come true
I tried to live in heaven
Next time I'll try to knock on this door again
You know what I mean
'Cause when you throw in the cards
Life goes on and on
You're on a trip to nowhere
You'd better reach for the stars
Life goes on and on and on and on again
'Cause when you throw in the cards
Life goes on and on
You're on a trip to nowhere
You'd better reach for the stars
Life goes on and on and on and on again
I made it out of this hell you know what I mean
I tried to live in heaven
But this dream did not come true
I tried to live in heaven
Next time I'll try to knock on this door again
You know what I mean
'Cause when you throw in the cards
Life goes on and on
You're on a trip to nowhere
You'd better reach for the stars
Life goes on and on and on and on again
'Cause when you throw in the cards
Life goes on and on
You're on a trip to nowhere
You'd better reach for the stars
Life goes on and on and on and on again
'Cause when you throw in the cards...
In "Trip to Nowhere" by U.D.O., the lyrics delve into the struggles of living in poverty and the desire for a better life. The singer was born in a backstreet and had to witness the harsh realities of living in such an environment. They yearned for a life of dreams and desires but were unable to achieve it despite their efforts. The lyrics convey a sense of hopelessness, as the singer has been losing and has been hunted day and night.
However, the lyrics also convey a message of perseverance and determination. The singer realizes that life goes on and that they are on a trip to nowhere if they do not reach for the stars. They decide to take their chances and attempt to escape from their backstreet life. The lyrics end on a hopeful note, indicating that the singer has made it out of that hell, and is going to try to knock on heaven's door again.
Throughout the song, there is a sense of duality between backstreet life and heaven, reflecting the singer's desire for a better life. The lyrics are powerful and relatable to anyone who may have gone through tough times in their life and have had to struggle to achieve their dreams and desires.
Line by Line Meaning
I was born in a backstreet
I was born in a poor, underprivileged area
Where people live a dirty life
Where people lead a difficult and unsanitary existence
Of course it was different most of the time
Of course there were exceptions to this way of life
But it was not my fault
But I was not to blame for my circumstances
A life in hell
A life of hardship and struggle
I saw it every morning
I witnessed the harshness of life every day
Dreams'n'desires
My hopes and aspirations
Can't hide myself anymore
I can no longer conceal my true feelings
I tried to live in heaven
I tried to escape this life of hardship and struggle
But this dream did not come true
But my attempts to escape were unsuccessful
Next time I'll try to knock on this door again
Next time I'll attempt to escape again
I've been hunting
I've been searching for a way out
Day and night
Continuously
Oh, I've been losing
But I've been unsuccessful so far
Please, hold me tight
Please comfort me
Why am I here now
Why am I still living this difficult life
And what can I do
What actions can I take to improve my situation
You tell me you're sorry
You express regret for my situation
You know it ain't true
But your words do not change my reality
You'd better reach for the stars
You should aim high
Now I'm taking my chances
Now I am taking risks to improve my situation
Everyday, everynight
Continuously
No more backstreet life
No more living in poverty
I made it out of this hell you know what I mean
I have finally escaped this difficult life
'Cause when you throw in the cards
Because when you give up
Life goes on and on
Life continues
You're on a trip to nowhere
You are going nowhere in life
You know what I mean
You understand my position
Contributed by Jack B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Олег Савватеев
Знатный металлург! Здоровья деду желаю от всеы души! И как можно дольше радовать нас!
smnvfdr
Круто звучат и поют!
Роман Вахлаков
Спасибо !!!!!! Огромное !!!!!!!!!! Не думал что когда-нибудь услышу эту прекрасную песню live !
ПРОКЛАМАЦИЯ no wave
Действительно песня интересная, в альбоме " Faceless world" самая любимая после Heart of gold. Даже не металлическая какая то вещь, на эстраду похоже. Супер! Звук правда так себе.
HACKE MATE
Larga vida a UDO!!!! Saludos desde Argentina!! Sos cantante solista favorito!!!
олег соловьёв
мне 50. слушаю этого дьявола-лет 30.один из любимых металлюг.
Julio César Corral
I wish this song were played more often in live.
aldik rock
UDO je malý, velký borec!!! Metalový děda :-D
Озорной Гуляка
Heavy Metal never dies.
𝕍𝕚𝕥𝕒𝕝𝕚𝕦🐰ℙ𝕖𝕣𝕧𝕚𝕦😜
Шикарно!!!!