Man and Machine

Man and Machine is a record on which U.D.O. paints a world of man and machine with hard guitar riffs, a straight-ahead beat and Udo Dirkschneider’s steel voice. The songs are built without waste, and a German heavy-metal sturdiness runs throughout. Carrying a theme, its musical axis remains straight-ahead metal. From the weight of the title track “Man and Machine” and the aggression of “Private Eye” to the speed of “Animal Instinct,” the melody of “Dancing with an Angel” and the strength of “Like a Lion,” the songs unite hardness and songcraft. The contrast between numbers advancing like a tank and songs that push melody strongly gives the album pleasing dynamics. A construction that prioritizes the weight of the riffs and the conviction of the choruses over complexity supports its strength. It surely answers when you want the force of traditional metal. Uniting Udo’s unwavering character and the band’s cohesion, it is a reliable, fulfilling record of German heavy metal.