Accept - Eat the Heat (1989)

[Darkstone]

This one is possibly gonna be devisive. I completely understand that purists would hate it, but I love it.

David Reece's second best work IMO, after the BC debut of course. 

Back in the day the Bangalore Choir debut was big amongst my circle of friends. No internet in those days, but I read in Metal Edge that Reece had performed vocal duties on this Accept album. I loved Accept's music but could never really get into UDO's voice, so this sounded like Gold. 

I made the mistake of sharing this information.

About six months later mysef and a mate of mine were in the city one night and decided to check out the "Virgin Megastore" (long since gone) and wouldn't you know it, he picked up a copy of this album. They only had one copy. I was devastated. 

If it wasn't for me, he wouldn't have even known it existed!!!

When we got home and played it and I heard the kick ass intro to X-T-C, my arse caved in. My mate was doing cartwheels, of course, which rubbed it in even more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[AlphaMale]

I despise this pop metal shit. Should've never called this Accept.

 

[Darkstone]

2 hours ago, AlphaMale said:

I despise this pop metal shit. Should've never called this Accept.

 

You're spot on. This doesn't really fit as an Accept album, but despise?, Pop Metal shit?

Seriously? 

Well, I did say it would be devisive. 

If this was a different band at the time fronted by Reece, you'd be jizzing all over it.

 

Edited February 13, 2021 by Darkstone

[Thomas/Coastline]

Just listened to Allison Krauss or what she's called, perfect vocalist and fiddle player.

[Aordave89]

Maybe I need to revisit this again - did nothing for me last time. I like Accept and I like Reece, so it should be a match made in heaven. 
I’ll give this one another spin! 

[lettard]

This is actually the only Accept album that I own...granted I only picked it up because Reece was on it after hearing BC.

[AlphaMale]

This review echoes my thoughts:

Accept - Eat The Heat review - Metal Storm

01. X-T-C
02. Generation Clash
03. Chain Reaction
04. Love Sensation
05. Turn The Wheel
06. Hellhammer
07. Prisoner
08. I Can't Believe In You [CD bonus]
09. Mistreated
10. Stand 4 What U R
11. Break The Ice [CD bonus]
12. D-Train

Eat The Heat is notable (or ignominious) for two particular details: it is the first Accept album without Udo Dirkschneider in the captain's chair, and it sports one of the most horrendously uncomfortable album covers in metal history.

Sure, worse crimes have been committed, but nothing more clearly spells disaster than an album cover that says, "Hey, this is Skid Row coming to you live from rehab!" As the portrait of five grown and fully unconvinced men about to awkwardly debauch something indicates, Accept finally gave way to some of the engulfing trends of the late '80s and produced their own version of pop metal. People who have a very poor grasp on heavy metal, i.e. most people who don't listen to it, often conflate this entire decade's rock/metal output into one ill-defined scene, where every band that was even remotely heavy between the years 1980 and 1989 looked like Poison, sounded like Mötley Crüe, and sang about Satan, whether they were Judas Priest, Alice Cooper, Bon Jovi, AC/DC, Foreigner, Mr. Big, Megadeth, or Van Halen. Accept took the initiative and conflated themselves.

While they had edged towards the more mainstream approach on the two previous albums, Eat The Heat goes for the gusto, with big, wail-y choruses, nonsense lyrics, and some riffs that frankly want inspiration. Despite this questionable stylistic turnaround, Eat The Heat is surprisingly decent, for what it is. Accept was just past their prime, and I don't think I'm the only one who sees no need for a nine-minute hair metal song, but even if they executed them improperly the band still had some not-so-dodgy ideas lurking in the attic. Perhaps holdovers from the past sessions, perhaps a stroke of luck, but tracks like "Love Sensation" and "Prisoner" demonstrate that even in one of their darkest hours Accept could make something listenable.

Given the universal difficulties of trying to replace a lead singer, especially one so distinctive as Udo Dirkschneider and in a band so acclaimed as Accept, it might seem logical to pin the blame on David Reece for Eat The Heat's lukewarm reception. David Reece would be entirely the wrong person to blame, in fact. Certainly he was no Udo, but he had a powerful and recognizable voice of his own - like a combination of Udo and Metal Church's Mike Howe. It's almost a shame he didn't do more albums with Accept, in fact. The rest of the band, for their part, while going out of their way to achieve a different sound than usual, still take it seriously enough to rescue some of these songs from the jaws of defeat.

After eliminating the potential reasons that might explain why this was a bad album (the material, the singer, the performance), we're left to consider that Eat The Heat was not actually a bad album. Few would ever accuse it of being a high point in Accept's career, but it's surprisingly passable for a low point. Perhaps it is for the best that it was so poorly-received, for Udo would soon return for two more albums - after which, as we all know, Accept went into hibernation until their staggering set of 21st-century reunion albums.

[Dead Planet]

Accept without Udo isn't Accept to me...not that this is a bad release because it isn't bad but it isn't above average either IMO...also everything they did before Balls To The Wall is very average as well....

[Darkstone]

4 minutes ago, Dead Planet said:

Accept without Udo isn't Accept to me...

That's why I like this album. 

They tried to go Melodic, but obviously their fan base was having none of it.

I think this album would have been better received if it was a different/new band fronted by Reece.

Being an "Accept" album just made it to much of a shock to the system to many.

I've always thought of this as more of a David Reece album, rather than Accept. 

[AlphaMale]

25 minutes ago, Dead Planet said:

Accept without Udo isn't Accept to me...not that this is a bad release because it isn't bad but it isn't above average either IMO...also everything they did before Balls To The Wall is very average as well....

What??? You didn't like Udo singing normal on this masterpiece?

 

[Dead Planet]

24 minutes ago, AlphaMale said:

What??? You didn't like Udo singing normal on this masterpiece?

 

Yuck....

[AlphaMale]

22 minutes ago, Dead Planet said:

Yuck....

All of that was crap until BREAKER.

[Metal T]

'Restless & Wild'   (1982)  was a great freaking record....

[Metal T]

'Eat The Heat'...I've come around on this one over the years.It's not bad just not a true Accept record imo.Udo and David have actually become pretty good friends over the years.Udo even covered 'XTC' on an Accept tribute record years ago...U.D.O.s 'Animal House' record is more of an Accept' record,heck Wolf and Co. even wrote most of that record for him.

[Darkstone]

3 minutes ago, Metal T said:

Udo even covered 'XTC' on an Accept tribute record years ago

Yeah, I've heard that version. I'm not a fan of UDO, but it's actually not bad.

[AlphaMale]

51 minutes ago, Metal T said:

'Eat The Heat'...I've come around on this one over the years.It's not bad just not a true Accept record imo.Udo and David have actually become pretty good friends over the years.Udo even covered 'XTC' on an Accept tribute record years ago...U.D.O.s 'Animal House' record is more of an Accept' record,heck Wolf and Co. even wrote most of that record for him.

Yes! And it's way better the ETH.