On their 13^th album, former Accept members Udo Dirkschneider and Stefan Kaufmann keep the Metal true and the Mastercutor mascot on the cover. Rev-Raptor also retains the slightly Industrial sounding production (courtesy of Kaufmann) from the previous two discs. The crunch found on Dominator is toned down ever so slightly and the songs have been injected with more melody too.  While the cover features all guns blazing, the album does suffer from a slight misfire.

The title track rips right open with good riff and a great snarl from Dirkschneider.  There are a few hints of melodies that pop up and lift the song above the usual riff-chorus U.D.O. fare.  “Renegade” picks up the pace and focuses more on groove expected and another melodic hook adds a bit of depth. The melancholic Powerish ballad “I Give As Good As It Gets” it a bit of a head turner as the haunting riff that whines over the song almost steals the show from Dirkschneider’s rather tender delivery.

“Dr. Death” re-energizes the disc with a faster pace, meatier riffs and aggressive grooves while “Terrorvision” almost acts as an exact clone except for the slightly larger chorus and blazing solo. “Underworld” turns into a crunchy sing-along that does feature a thunderous riff that should have been exploited more.  Unfortunately “Pain Man” has the identical structure of the previous song and if it weren’t for the more melodic hook and a more aggressive snarl from Dirkschneider, these two tracks would blur together. “Fairy Tales of Victory” starts with one of those odd non-Glam W.A.S.P.-styled riffs before lurching into rather basic, no-frills Metal anthem.  “Motor-Borg” is pretty much the offspring of the previous “Dr. Death” and “True Born Winners” initially throws things off with its opening guitar-synth before just bottoming out into another typical U.D.O. sing-along.  The album closes with the much more energetic Powerish ballad “Days of Hope and Glory.”

Both “Leatherhead” and “Rock ‘N Roll Soldiers” appeared on the previous Leatherhead EP.  And that EP suffered from the exact same problem as Rev-Raptor. Everything here sounds the strikingly similar or by rote. U.D.O. has three types of tracks on Rev-Raptor: Mid-paced burners with big choruses, slow and crunchy anthems or Power ballads with heavy hooks.  There are a few stand outs but if you aren’t paying really close attention, the over utilized structures makes Rev-Raptor rather forgettable.  What does save the disc from totally blurring together is the increased use of melodies and some solid shredding from guitarist Igor Gainola.

Rev-Raptor isn’t a bad album. In fact, U.D.O. does deliver what his fans expect. It’s just that Rev-Raptor really doesn’t have anything outside of three or four tracks that really grasps the listener and commands their attention. U.D.O. could have definitely offered more variety here and pushed this album above a catalog addition. Rev-Raptor will appeal to and satisfy the vocalist’s loyal fan base, but that’s about it.

TRACK LISTING

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*Comments:

1.  Rev-Raptor
2.  Leatherhead
3.  Renegade
4.  I Give As Good As It Gets
5.  Dr. Death
6.  Rock ‘N Roll Soldiers
7.  Terrorvision
8.  Underworld
9.  Pain Man
10.  Fairy Tales of Victory
11.  Motor-Borg
12.  True Born Winners
13.  Days of Hope and Glory

Total playing time: 51:09

Release Date: May 20, 2011
Label: AFM Records

U.D.O. - Rev-Raptor

Reviewer: Rottenbucher

May 22, 2011