Mastercutor

Mastercutor is the tenth album on which U.D.O. unifies thick riffs, a marching beat and Udo Dirkschneider’s distinctive voice. Avoiding needless decoration, it pushes the listener forward with hard, short phrases. A plain, powerful strength that fully trusts the basic form of heavy metal runs throughout. From the intimidation of the title track “Mastercutor” and the speed of “The Wrong Side of Midnight” to the aggression of “Vendetta,” the melody of “One Lone Voice” and the drama of “Dead Man’s Eyes,” the songs unite hardness and songcraft. From the overwhelming drive of the title track to more melodic passages, the album advances while keeping its dynamics. Its appeal is that it turns keeping tradition into drive rather than stagnation. A stance of straightening and polishing its own style, rather than chasing trends, feels good. Joining Udo’s unwavering voice with an iron-wall band sound, it is a reliable, fulfilling record of German heavy metal that surely answers longtime fans’ expectations.