Legends on Autopilot - A Review of Accept's Humanoid

It's easy to understand that Accept wanted to know whether this legendary group could still deliver the goods with a new line-up in the here and now fifteen years ago. The group's unexpected return to force was welcomed positively by critics and fans alike. New records such as Blood of the Nations, Stalingrad: Brothers in Death and Blind Rage have overall been well-received as traditional heavy metal outputs with juvenile oomph. The band could have concluded its impressive career on a particularly high note back then but the band decided to carry on for another decade and counting. However, countless line-up changes, weak songwriting and the considerable age of several members have continuously led to a steady decline. The bottom of the barrel was reached with vapid predecessor Too Mean to Die. The good news is that Humanoid is better than its abysmal predecessor. The bad news is that this output can in no way be compared to the band's quality at the beginning of its reunion fifteen to ten years ago.

Several songs include promising ideas that are however not fleshed out further. Let's take opening song ''Diving into Sin'' that starts promising with Eastern string sounds evoking an epic folkloristic atmosphere. The track however quickly turns into a traditional heavy metal tune by the numbers that is in no way connected to the experimental opening sounds.

Another example for such wasted potential is title track ''Humanoid'' that features some gloomy guitar melodies intertwined with gritty riffs. These promising elements are quickly watered down with a boring chorus that is repeated time and again without however staying on the minds of the listeners.

Writing a song about ''Frankenstein'' might give the band the opportunity to explore gloomier sounds but this track also turns out to be a lifeless heavy metal tune with boring choirs and cringeworthy lyrics. The great emotional guitar solos thankfully keep this song from being a complete failure.

As you can read, Accept's Humanoid offers a balanced mixture of positive ideas and negative executions. At the end of the day, this record is just plain average. Adamant collectors and fans who are still here after the dreadful Too Mean to Die might as well pick up Humanoid. Occasional fans of the band or traditional heavy metal can however find much better contemporary records by genre veterans such as Judas Priest or new bands like Night Demon. Despite a few improvements in comparison to the immediate predecessor, Accept's Humanoid remains the saddening example of a legendary band that didn't know when to put an end to its outstanding career. The album title Humanoid is thus ironically accurate as the six men involved here seem to be on autopilot to keep their careers going and the cash flowing.

Final Rating: 50%