{"id":72354,"date":"2018-08-31T00:00:27","date_gmt":"2018-08-31T00:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/?p=72354"},"modified":"2018-09-05T14:18:00","modified_gmt":"2018-09-05T14:18:00","slug":"feature-udo-08-18","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/feature-udo-08-18\/","title":{"rendered":"U.D.O. – The Tank Drives On (August 2018) | Features \/ Interviews @ Metal Forces Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

U.D.O. – The Tank Drives On<\/strong><\/span>
\nAnthony Morgan<\/span>
\nAugust 2018<\/span><\/p>\n

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U.D.O. (l-r): Sven Dirkschneider, Udo Dirkschneider, Andrey Smirnov and Fitty Wienhold<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n
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\nWriting sessions for August 2018 full-length Steelfactory<\/em><\/a> \u2013 16th studio album from German metal outfit U.D.O. \u2013 began in March 2017 during touring commitments for the Dirkschneider project, during U.D.O. rehearsal sessions, and during studio sessions. Ideas were jammed, with roughly 24 \u201cgood\u201d ideas being authored for the platter. All the ideas in question which were jammed were fresh in nature.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we get the feeling that an idea just doesn\u2019t really work, we stop with it,\u201d explains Udo Dirkschneider, the namesake vocalist of U.D.O. \u201cIt\u2019s like \u2018Okay, bye bye,\u2019 and also, we never use older stuff. Always when a new album comes up, we start with new stuff. If you put something aside when you are in the process of a new album, then there\u2019s something wrong with it. We always come up with new stuff.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe band come up with the music, in general. Sometimes I have an idea about a riff or whatever, but most of the time they come up with the music. I come up with the vocal lines; how my vocal ideas work, sometimes also I have ideas about the melody and will sing them in my microphone (laughs). Then I don\u2019t forget the melody. In the end, everything comes together and fits together, but sometimes I come up with ideas about the music.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had 15 songs, and continued to work on all of that in-between the Dirkschneider tours. Jacob Hansen, the producer, also helped. When we had all of the ideas together, he said \u2018Okay. These are the songs.\u2019 Then he stepped in, and worked with us. He gave us advice, like about arranging and all of that stuff. And, there you go. There\u2019s Steelfactory<\/em>. I\u2019m very happy with the album, and then in the end, we had 15 songs on the limited edition version.\u201d<\/p>\n

In authoring record, no specific past ventures are used as measuring sticks. \u201cI never sit down and say that we have to do an album like say Faceless World<\/em> (February 1990) or Man And Machine<\/em> (July 2002) and Thunderball<\/em> (March 2004), or something like that,\u201d the singer divulges. \u201cWe always rehearse songs, and I never know what\u2019s coming up. One album might be harder, the other one might have more melodies, and sometimes we use keyboards, so I never know what\u2019s coming up. This time though, it\u2019s timeless, and I think that we have a good mix. It has everything on it; it has a lot of melodies, big choirs, a lot of harmony solos. For me, it\u2019s a timeless album. Going in this direction, like I said, there\u2019s a lot of different stuff on this, like ballads, double-bass stuff, and so on. I think for me, it\u2019s a good mix, and that\u2019s the way I wanted this album to be. Everything sounds good, and I\u2019m fine with everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Touring under the Dirkschneider banner, where Udo solely performs tracks he cut during his time with Accept, has proved to be an inevitable influence on Steelfactory<\/em>. \u201cIf you play only Accept songs for nearly three years and nearly 300 shows, you\u2019re in that mood, and of course there will be some influence,\u201d he acknowledges.<\/p>\n

Albeit 16 full-lengths deep into a discography, penning musical ideas for U.D.O. isn\u2019t a difficult task. \u201cI would say that I\u2019m lucky or whatever you want to call it, but we\u2019ve never run out of ideas,\u201d the frontman observes. \u201cAlso, as musicians we\u2019re always coming up with new stuff, and that\u2019s a good thing. On this album, there was a lot of team work. It wasn\u2019t like what I did with Steelhammer<\/em><\/a> (May 2013) or Decadent<\/em><\/a> (January 2015), where I was only working with Stefan Kaufmann on Steelhammer<\/em>, and then Decadent<\/em> was written by only Fitty Wienhold and me. This time, everybody was involved in it. I think that was more creative, and a better way to do the album.\u201d<\/p>\n

Steelfactory<\/em> ventures into a range of lyrical territories. \u201cThere\u2019s different topics on every song, but let\u2019s take \u2018One Heart, One Soul\u2019,\u201d Udo cites. \u201cFor example, that\u2019s about how we don\u2019t need any borders. We\u2019re living in one world; we\u2019re all living together, and there are becoming more and more people on this planet. We can live wherever we want, and that\u2019s the meaning. A lot of songs on this album, like let\u2019s say \u2018Make The Move\u2019 and \u2018In The Heat Of The Night\u2019 are a little autobiographical, and then \u2018Tongue Reaper\u2019 is a little political if you will \u2013 about some of the presidents around at this time. In a way, that\u2019s the whole meaning. There are a lot of different lyrics on there, about my career.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Despite treading into political fare and the like, the mainman generally attempts to be positive in nature. \u201cI always try to be positive, but if you talk a little bit about politics…,\u201d he begins. \u201cIt\u2019s not that you want to be a teacher, but you can tell about what\u2019s going on in the world. If the people get it, it\u2019s okay, but if they don\u2019t get it then that\u2019s also okay. I don\u2019t want to be like \u2018You have to do this, this, and this.\u2019 It\u2019s up to everybody what they want to do. If they want to go deeper, it\u2019s okay, but if they don\u2019t, then that\u2019s also okay.\u201d<\/p>\n

Steelfactory<\/em> was recorded with Jacob Hansen. \u201cHe already worked with us on Steelhammer<\/em>, Decadent<\/em> and Navy Metal Night<\/em> (July 2015),\u201d Udo lists. \u201cNot as a producer, but he was doing the mastering. He would always say \u2018I want to produce an U.D.O. album.\u2019 The thing is, when he was listening to all of the songs that he heard, he said \u2018Yeah, this is classic metal, and we\u2019ll keep it like that.\u2019 He wants to keep it classic metal, like we\u2019ve always done with U.D.O., and also a little bit of what I did with Accept. He put a modern sound on it, and I think it worked out \u2013 he did a great job sound-wise. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s also a guitar player; I think he was really helpful, also for Andrey (Smirnov) with the guitars, and with arranging stuff. The vocals, I did more on my own. I recorded my vocals with Stefan Kaufmann, but he wasn\u2019t a producer. He was just recording my vocals, and then I did some stuff in Denmark in the studio. All of the guitar work was done in Denmark, in the studio. He was also involved with the bass and drum stuff. I think he did a great job, and also arranging, yes. Yeah, he was really, really helpful. He\u2019s a really nice guy. We\u2019ll see; maybe with the next album, I can see us using him again.\u201d<\/p>\n

The cutting of vocals was largely a solitary affair for the composer. \u201cJacob was also involved a little bit in the arranging of the vocals, but this time, I was sending the demo stuff of the vocals,\u201d he shares. \u201cHe said \u2018Okay, perfect.\u2019 I also produced the last two U.D.O. albums, and so I think it was easy-going for me to record my own vocals. Okay, Stefan Kaufmann sat there and recorded the whole thing and he took care of that, but I knew to sing the right notes. He wasn\u2019t coming up with any suggestions on how to sing. <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know. It\u2019s a little crazy. I know a lot of vocalists who have problems, but for me, I can do more now in the lower range. I feel like I can do a lot of things in the higher range, as well. My whole range is growing wider. I don\u2019t know. My voice is working really well. For example, there\u2019s \u2018The Way\u2019, which is the ballad. Ten years ago, I couldn\u2019t have sung a song like that. The range wasn\u2019t there. The more and more I\u2019m getting older, it\u2019s becoming more and more deeper, and it\u2019s getting better and better. Don\u2019t ask me why (laughs). On every album, I think the singing shows I can do a lot of different stuff. I\u2019m really looking forward to the next album, so we will see what else I can do. It\u2019s interesting, with my vocals.\u201d<\/p>\n

Steelfactory<\/em>\u2019s title was inspired by a specific reference to Udo. \u201cThey always call me the German tank, and then the music is like steel,\u201d he reckons. \u201cTherefore, instead of having a song as the album title, we have something on top. We were talking and talking about it, and then in the end, the idea was born to call the album Steelfactory<\/em>. In a way, we produce music with steel, if you like.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had an artwork idea for the Steelfactory<\/em> title as well, of course. We found a guy in Argentina (Diego Verhagen), and he came up with the idea. For us, it fit with the title.\u201d<\/p>\n

A music video was filmed for the track \u2018One Heart, One Soul\u2019. \u201cWe had help from my girlfriend and a video company in St. Petersburg,\u201d the lyricist discloses. \u201cShe\u2019s working in the movie business; she came up with the whole idea, the whole story of it. It worked perfectly, and it looks like everybody likes the video. We did it in St. Petersburg, and yeah, everything worked. If you watch the video, I think the video shows the meaning of the lyrics, and explains them; that it doesn\u2019t matter what religion you follow, or whether you\u2019re black, white or yellow \u2013 however you put it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018One Heart, One Soul\u2019 is a traditional offering from the U.D.O. camp. \u201cIt\u2019s a classic metal song, an easy-going song,\u201d Udo describes. \u201cYou can sing along, and there\u2019s a big choir in there. What can I tell you about the music? I think it\u2019s a classic metal song.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Udo Dirkschneider<\/em><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n
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Between the respective issues of predecessor Decadent<\/em> and Steelfactory<\/em>, a number of line-up changes have taken place. \u201cBoth of the guitar players, Kasperi Heikkinen from Finland and also Bill Hudson, they were not team players,\u201d the performer submits. \u201cI\u2019m not a solo artist; we work in the band as a team. They were definitely not team players, and that\u2019s the reason why they are not in the band any more. Andrey did all of the guitars on this album. At the moment, we\u2019re looking for a new guitar player. I think in two or three weeks, I can announce a new guitar player. He\u2019ll be from Germany, and very young.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whether the pair left of their own volition or were fired is a source of contention. \u201cI don\u2019t want to use the word \u2018fired\u2019,\u201d Udo replies. \u201cI said \u2018Okay, this is not working.\u2019 In a way, if you want to call it fired, then you can say they were fired, but there was a normal talk where I said \u2018How you are working isn\u2019t possible for us.\u2019 Then we had to say goodbye to each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

Such comments will cause readers to wonder how Kasperi Heikkinen and Bill Hudson \u2018were not team players\u2019. \u201cThere was too much ego,\u201d the vocalist elaborates. \u201cThey were not willing to work on songs together, let\u2019s say. For example, Kasperi, he came up with an idea, and we said \u2018Okay, maybe we can do it like this and this.\u2019 Then he said \u2018Nobody changes my songs or ideas, thank you very much,\u2019 and that was it (laughs). With Bill Hudson for example, he wasn\u2019t really interested in composing anything and wasn\u2019t really interested in playing on the album. He was working on something. Yeah, I don\u2019t know, and he never really became a member of the band. He was always away, and doing some different stuff. Sometimes there was the feeling that he was doing the Bill Hudson show, and not a Dirkschneider show. It isn\u2019t possible for us to work with people like this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also having left since the release of Decadent<\/em> is drummer Francesco Jovino, whose exit was confirmed in late December 2014 \u2013 shortly prior to that album\u2019s emergence. \u201cHe told us he wanted to be more with his family, blah blah,\u201d Udo recalls. \u201cI think that was a lie, because now he\u2019s the drummer in Primal Fear. I don\u2019t know (laughs). He said he wanted to do more with his own studio, and like a drum school, and be more with his family. Then after a while, I saw that he was the drummer in Primal Fear. We don\u2019t have a bad relationship, though. Sometimes when I see Primal Fear and I see him, I say \u2019Hello. How\u2019s it going?\u2019 I don\u2019t know, though. Don\u2019t ask me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stepping behind the drumkit nowadays is Sven Dirkschneider, the singer\u2019s son. \u201cMy son has now been in the band for two years, and this was his first album,\u201d he tells. \u201cHe took two weeks to record, and did a great job. When I was looking for a new drummer, I never thought that he could be the drummer in U.D.O.. Saxon were playing in Berlin though, and my son replaced the drummer (Nigel Glockner) because he was ill. I asked Biff (Byford, vocals) \u2018Do you know for a drummer for U.D.O.?\u2019 He said \u2018Yeah, your son.\u2019 I asked him \u2018Do you think you can do that?\u2019 I think he thought about it for nearly a month, and then he said \u2018Okay, I will do this.\u2019 So, there you go. He\u2019s getting better and better, and I think that on the new album, he did a great job.\u201d<\/p>\n

Udo views the father and son dynamic to be different, as far as it relates U.D.O. \u201cI would say that it\u2019s more of a friendship than being father and son,\u201d he muses. \u201cHe\u2019s a member of the band and everything. Of course, he\u2019s young. He\u2019s 24 years old, and of course he does more partying than his father, but I think he knows how far he can go and everything is looking well. He gets nothing extra, let\u2019s say that. He\u2019s just a member of the band, and everything works. We have a really good relationship with the other musicians, and everything\u2019s fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Steelfactory<\/em> was released on August 31st, 2018 via AFM Records.<\/p>\n

Interview published in August 2018. All promotional photographs by Aleksander Grigorev.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

U.D.O. – The Tank Drives On Anthony Morgan August 2018 U.D.O. (l-r): Sven Dirkschneider, Udo Dirkschneider, Andrey Smirnov and Fitty Wienhold Writing sessions for August 2018 full-length Steelfactory \u2013 16th studio album from German metal outfit U.D.O. \u2013 began in March 2017 during touring commitments for the Dirkschneider project, during U.D.O. rehearsal sessions, and during […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,548],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-72354","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-features","category-u-d-o"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72354","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72354"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72354\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":72369,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72354\/revisions\/72369"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72354"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72354"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72354"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}