This interview was conducted by Philip A. Wickstrand with guitarist Wolf Hoffmann at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Portland, OR on April 27, 2011.

Seriously, if you need an introduction to ACCEPT, you need to turn in your Metal Card. Like right now.

Phil: First of all, tell us a bit about how the tour's been for you so far.

Wolf: Oh, tremendous, actually. Really good. I mean, we've been on the road forever now. We started really in January all the way in Europe and this American leg has been lasting… I don't know; two, three weeks now. It's going fantastic - the fans are really into it, we get good crowds and everybody's happy.

Phil: How would you say the reaction is to the new material?

Wolf: Phenomenal, really. I mean, this album has been so well received and so well critiqued everywhere. I mean, we couldn't have asked for more - we're super happy. We've been nominated [in] all these categories everywhere and awards and whatnot, so I mean… wow. We're all overwhelmed.

Phil: So you think a lot of the people that were initially kind of like, "Wait… they got the guy from TT QUICK as their vocalist?" were won over?

Wolf: Yeah, oh yeah, more than won over. I mean, like you said, initially everybody was like "Huh? They're going at it with a new singer again?" and "It's not going to work" and then a lot of people flat out said "This can never be done" and "It's impossible" and whatnot. All those people have come around now and really are have embraced Mark like they can't believe it. It's amazing.

Phil: At this point in the game, how many albums do think are left in ACCEPT?

Wolf: Nobody really knows. I mean, only the future will tell - hopefully many more to come. But as far as us wanting to do it, plenty more. I think we have plenty more strong ideas and I think we have the best still to come as far as song writing and all that stuff is concerned. Of course, we're not getting younger, so the touring takes its toll sometimes, so we'll just have to see, but we are right now full of energy and we think we've got a good run ahead of us.

Phil: How much song writing have you gotten done since the release of Blood of the Nations?

Wolf: Zero. [laughs] Because we can't really do it on the road. We really need to lock ourselves into a room and turn off the phones and have at it, go at it for a few weeks, you know. Just on the road with just a few hours every day is not going to happen for us.

Phil: What kind of ideas have you been thinking about maybe working into future songs?

Wolf: Well, the only thing that we do know is that right now we've got something that works for us, this old school stuff that we've been doing in the eighties, everybody loves it and so we're not going to change much. That's all I know at this point, so ideally we'll crank out some more riffs and tunes along the same lines of what Blood of the Nations was and hopefully it's going to be as good, probably even better, hopefully. I'm always an optimist as far as that's concerned because I think as long as we're having fun and you enjoy what you're doing, I think there is no reason why you shouldn't be improving upon what you've already done.

Phil: What are your thoughts on the legacy that ACCEPT has left with the Metal community?

Wolf: We've been around for so long that we've influenced a lot of bands just because we've been right there at the forefront in the eighties when this whole scene, the Metal scene, was just getting started, so I know we're sort of the dinosaurs of Metal in a lot of people's eyes and the German division of that, you know. I know we've probably created the first Speed Metal song ever with Fast as a Shark and other than that, I really don't ever look at myself in terms of that, legacy and stuff, I just know we've been there and we've influenced a lot of people.

Phil: Looking back, is there anything that you wish you'd done differently or maybe had done instead of something else?

Wolf: You know what, that also never comes to my mind. I don't think that way. I don't really ever regret having done anything just because at the time that we were doing it, we were usually convinced this was the right thing to do. The only time I ever regret anything is when I kind of knew at the time "Ooh, this doesn't feel right" and then you go through with it. And it happens on smaller things, but at the big picture, I think I usually stood behind all the stuff that we did, you know? So I can't ever regret much, really.

Phil: I remember hearing somewhere that you're a big fan of Classical music…

Wolf: Yes I am.

Phil: Who would be some of your favorite composers and what would you recommend for someone who's looking into Classical music for more than just the big name composers, such as Bach, Mozart and Beethoven?

Wolf: Gosh, it's such a wide field, man. I'm still amazed how much Classical music is still out there - I mean, it's really out there and always has been. It's such a huge field and I'm just reaching the tip of the iceberg myself. I've always liked Bizet, Georges Bizet, for instance - he's one of my favorite composers and Edvard Grieg. I've never been too much into Bach, just sort of discovering Mozart more these days, but it's such a huge field - it's almost like "What would you recommend someone listening [to] who wants to get into Rock or Metal?" The sky's the limit, you know?

Phil: Well, I meant looking beyond just the well known composers.

Wolf: I just named a couple of them, but yeah…

Phil: What kind of specific Classical music do you like? Do you like the more Baroque stuff or…

Wolf: No, never been into that, I'm more like 17th and 18th century kind of stuff. More the Romantic, symphonic stuff. You know. Yeah, I've never been into the Baroque; Bach has never been my thing.

Phil: Do you have a favorite piece?

Wolf: Probably Carmen.

Phil: Recommend a book for our readers and then explain why you recommend that particular work.

Wolf: Not a big reader, so I'm going to stay away from that.

Phil: Okay, is there anything else you'd like to add?

Wolf: No, man - we're just happy to be here and we're just having a ball - time of our lives right now. I mean, to come back after this long period of a hiatus or whatever you want to call it, it's just phenomenal. I mean, two, three years ago none of this ever seemed possible, but now, my gosh, just traveling around the country, meeting all these fans and doing interviews and living that life again is quite a treat I have to say. It's really enjoyable.

Accept's Wolf Hoffmann

Interviewer: Philip A. Wickstrand

May 7, 2011

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(Click on Photo to Enlarge)

Formed: 1968
    Solingen, North Rhine-Westphalia
GERMANY
Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Genre: Heavy Metal

CURRENT LINE-UP:

Mark Tornillo:  Vocals
Wolf Hoffmann:  Guitars
Herman Frank:  Guitars
Peter Baltes:  Bass
Stefan Schwarzmann:  Drums

DISCOGRAPHY:

Accept (1979)
I'm a Rebel (1980)
Breaker (1981)
Restless and Wild (1982)
Balls to the Wall (1983)
Metal Heart (1985)
Russian Roulette (1986)
Eat the Heat (1989)
Staying a Life (1990)
Live in Japan (1992)
Objection Overruled (1993)
Death Row (1994)
Predator (1996)
All Areas - Worldwide (1997)
The Final Chapter (1998)
The Accept Collection (2010)
Blood of the Nations (2010)

PHOTOS BY PHIL A. WICKSTRAND

(Click on Photos to Enlarge)