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)
Warrior
U.D.O. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When no one lived in pain
Zero down to zero
But a warrior
The innocence of birth
The power of the earth
Out of all that's good
Time - is it you who changes minds
Suing us - for something we've not done
Stealing the heroes - all the guiding lights, to find the way
Justice has been gone
To pieces for so long
Some killers call themselves
A warrior
Warriors with no pride
Committing suicide
The picture of a man
That's your warrior
'cause he's a warrior
Yes, he's a warrior
He fights for peace and freedom
'cause he's a warrior
Yes, he's a warrior
He fights for peace and freedom
Think about the time
Where manhood promised pride
And history was made
Just by warriors
We have to face the world
And hope that someone's heard
Who could replace a man
Like the warrior
'cause he's a warrior
Yes, he's a warrior
He fights for peace and freedom
'cause he's a warrior
Yes, he's a warrior
He fights for peace and freedom
Time - is it you who changes minds
Suing us - for something we've not done
Stealing the heroes - all the guiding lights, to find the way
'cause he's a warrior
Yes, he's a warrior
He fights for peace and freedom
'cause he's a warrior
Yes, he's a warrior
He fights for peace and freedom
'cause he's a warrior..........
The song "Warrior" by U.D.O. talks about the concept of a warrior and how it has changed over time. The lyrics reflect on a time when warriors fought for peace and freedom, but now in modern times, some people call themselves warriors when they commit acts of violence and destruction. The first verse talks about how there was a time where no one lived in pain and how a warrior was the only thing left standing. The lyrics suggest that a warrior was once a symbol of strength and power and that they fought for good and for the people.
The second verse talks about how justice has been gone for so long, and some killers call themselves warriors. This line represents how the idea of a warrior has been distorted over time. The lyrics then state that some warriors have no pride and commit suicide, representing a loss of honor and dignity. The chorus reiterates that a warrior fights for peace and freedom, which is the true purpose of a warrior.
Overall, the song shows a concern about how the idea of a warrior has changed over time and how some people have lost sight of what it truly means to be a warrior. The song suggests that a true warrior fights for what is right, not just for themselves and their own interests.
Line by Line Meaning
Wasn't there a time
The singer wonders if there was ever a time when there was no pain and suffering in the world.
When no one lived in pain
He imagines a time when there was no pain or suffering in the world.
Zero down to zero
The state of the world being free from any kind of pain, hurt or suffering.
But a warrior
But even in a violence-free world, there is still a need for warriors.
The innocence of birth
The pure and untainted nature of a newborn baby.
The power of the earth
The vast and mysterious power of nature and the world.
Out of all that's good
From all the good things that exist in the world.
Comes a warrior
A warrior is born out of the goodness of the world and nature.
Time - is it you who changes minds
The singer wonders if time is responsible for changing people's minds and shaping their views and beliefs.
Suing us - for something we've not done
Questioning the justification of punishment for something that one has not done.
Stealing the heroes - all the guiding lights, to find the way
The powerful and admirable figures that were once guiding lights are now gone and have left no one to guide the way forward.
Justice has been gone
The idea of justice and fairness has been absent or neglected for a long time.
To pieces for so long
The concept of justice has been in disarray for far too long.
Some killers call themselves
Some perpetrators of violence and murder see themselves as warriors.
A warrior
They claim to be warriors but in reality they are killers and criminals.
Warriors with no pride
Violent people who see themselves as warriors have no sense of pride or honor.
Committing suicide
These misguided individuals often resort to taking their own lives.
The picture of a man
The distorted image of what a true warrior is supposed to be.
That's your warrior
This is the warped perception of what it means to be a warrior.
'cause he's a warrior
The chorus repeats the idea that true warriors fight for peace and freedom.
Yes, he's a warrior
Indicating the certainty of this message and the importance of true warriors.
He fights for peace and freedom
A summary of the message of the song: true warriors fight for peace and freedom.
Think about the time
The singer urges listeners to reminisce about the time when warriors were valued and respected.
Where manhood promised pride
When being a man meant being proud and honorable, especially when in the face of danger.
And history was made
During this time period, important events and decisions that shaped our world occurred.
Just by warriors
These events and decisions were made possible by true warriors who fought for freedom and peace.
We have to face the world
The current generation needs to face the challenges and problems of the world today.
And hope that someone's heard
And hope that someone is listening and will act to create positive change.
Who could replace a man
The world needs someone who can live up to the true meaning of being a warrior.
Like the warrior
Someone who is a true warrior and fights for peace and freedom is someone we need.
Contributed by Aaron C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.