U.D.O. - Man And Machine


Year of Release: 2002
Label: SPV/Steamhammer
Catalog Number: n/a
Format: CD
Total Time: 52:56:00

It's been some three years since the last album from U.D.O. - Holy - and what an album it was. Not that long ago they released their latest live album (a double live album called Live from Russia) and it was with great anticipation that Man And Machine arrived.

Heavy metal, the only way they know, is what best sums up Man And Machine (or should that be Man versus Machine?). The opener is typical U.D.O. - and it's the title track (he has a habit of doing that). It's a driving guitar metal rocker that has a terrific beat and yes, it does have a chorus that is very inventive and interesting, and yes, it has remained inside my head since first listening to it. It sets the scene for the semi-concept running through the album. The second track ("Private Eyes") speeds things up considerably and this is U.D.O. getting down and dirty. As the album moves on, there's nothing more or nothing less that's contained within. The only real change on the album is the ballad "Dancing With An Angel" - a track that features the wonderful Doro Pesch (ex-Warlock) doing a duet with Udo. Now, the idea of putting those two on a song is a terrific idea, but unfortunately the song is a stinker. But it led me to having the biggest laugh I'd had in ages, so I definitely got my money's worth on that track. It's an enjoyable aside to what is a very solid, heavy metal album.

I'm really enjoying the recent releases of U.D.O. because of his uncompromising attitude in promoting heavy metal around the globe. His vocals haven't diminished much over the years and if they ever did we could always rely on Vanize (which features his brother Peter Dirkschneider on vocals). It'd be difficult to pick out individual tracks on Man And Machine, tracks that "sound like this" or "sound like that": instead, it's best to say that U.D.O. has put together a terrific album that neither breaks new ground nor is totally unoriginal. I wouldn't call it his best album either (just as I wouldn't call this my best review) but it's a solid effort and I'm glad that the man is still around making music like this.

May he reign forever.

Similar To: Accept

[This review originally appeared November 2002 at the ProgPower Online review site -ed.]


Tracklisting:
Man And Machine / Private Eye / Animal Instinct / The Dawn Of The Gods / Dancing With The Angel / Silent Cry / Network Nightmare / Hard To Be Honest / Like A Lion / Black Heart / Unknown Traveller

Musicians:
Udo Dirkschneider - vocals
Igor Gianola - guitars
Stefan Kaufmann - rhythm guitar
Fitty Wienhold - bass
Lorenzo Milani - drums

Discography:
Animal House (1987)
Mean Machine (1989)
Faceless World (1990)
Timebomb (1991)
Solid (1997)
No Limits (1998)
Holy (1999)
Best Of (1999)
Live In Russia (2001)
Man And Machine (2002)
Nailed to Metal: The Missing Tracks (2003)
Thunderball (2004)
Mission No X (2005)
Metalized - 20 Years Of Metal (2007)
Mastercutor (2007)
Mastercutor Alive (2008)
Dominator (2009)
Rev-Raptor (2011)
Celebrator: Rare Tracks (2012)
Live In Sofia (2012)
Steelhammer (2013)
Steelhammer: Live From Moscow (2014)
Decadent (2015)
Navy Metal Night (2015)
Steelfactory (2018)

Nailed To Metal: The Complete History (DVD) (2003)
Thundervision (DVD) (2004)
Mastercutor Alive (DVD) (2008)
Live In Sofia (DVD/BR)
Steelhammer: Live From Moscow (DVD/BR) (2014)
Navy Metal Night (DVD/BR) (2015)

Genre: Traditional Metal

Origin DE

Added: March 29th 2005
Reviewer: Gary Carson
Score:
Artist website: www.udo-online.de
Hits: 2873
Language: english

  

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