Animal House

Animal House is the debut of U.D.O., the band Udo Dirkschneider launched after leaving Accept. Centered on his sharp, distinctive voice, it stacks hard riffs and a linear beat, taking no needless detours and pushing its force out with short phrases and big choruses. Under a new banner, the music is hard-edged heavy metal directly descended from Accept. In the title track “Animal House” and “They Want War,” heavy metal’s basic weight and the tension of Udo’s voice bind strongly, while cuts like “Go Back to Hell,” “In the Darkness” and “Warrior” consistently drive the record with steel riffs and powerful shouts. Fast songs and mid-tempos alike are carried by an unhesitating aggression. Showing that Udo Dirkschneider’s own character does not waver in the least under a new band name, it is a confident starting point. Inheriting the style built in the Accept years while re-sounding it as his own banner, its will shows throughout — a powerful debut carrying on the German heavy-metal tradition.