The legendary German Heavy Metal band Accept arrived in Lima for the third time in 7 years since their last visit. This time they brought us the tour of the new album Humanoid that they just released two weeks ago and which once again has vocalist Mark Tornillo along with Wolf Hofmann, guitarist and leader of the band and also the only original member. The band, which currently has six members, is touring Latin America and has as its attraction the presence of guitarist Joel Hoekstra (Whitesnake, Trans Siberian Orchestra) who is momentarily replacing Phil Shouse who could not join the tour in this part of the world.
Those in charge of opening the concert were the Russians from Amalgama who were traveling with Accept as the support band and who came out on stage while a large part of the public was just entering the C.C. Festiva. It didn’t take the band long to get the Peruvian public that was listening to them for the first time hooked on their music, which sounded very influenced by the heavy metal of the 80s.
Active since 2001 and with six studio albums, the band has been promoting their latest independent album Mastermind released this year. Despite not having much space on stage to move around, they managed to infect the audience with their energy and good music, who even ended up singing several of the songs from the short setlist they presented to us. They started with “Dark Lacroix” and “Mastermind” from the last album whose riffs are ones that we have heard hundreds of times but that continue to hook us, added to a good performance by vocalist Vlad Graf Ivoilov whose voice reminded us of the great Klaus Meine of Scorpions. “Fight For Freedom” from the album Brothers in Rock was one of the most outstanding songs in their presentation not only for the music but for the work of their good guitarist Attila Voros and the keyboard player who appeared with several clown masks throughout the show and who even got off the stage to invite a drink of whiskey to whoever wanted to accompany him. There was also time for a rock anthem like “Brothers in Rock” from the album of the same name and which was sung by all attendees who learned the chorus seconds before thanks to the work of Ivoilov. In general terms, it was a good show, short but with a very enthusiastic audience. Let’s hope they return to Peru soon to present a full show.
Amalgama:
Vlad Graf Ivoilov – Vocals
Roman Valeriev – Bass
Mirron Deaf – Keyboards and Masks
Attila Voros – Guitars
Setlist:
01. Dark Lacroix
02. Mastermind
03. Amulang
04. Fight for Freedom
05. Brothers in Rock
06. Sping of my Life
07. Dark Night
08. Beat of Your Heart
09. Back to the 80’s
Accept came out on stage at around 9:00 p.m. as announced and as usual, they started with songs from the latest album, this time it was Humanoid, a good album faithful to the band’s style of their latest works. The first song “The Reckoning” sounded spectacular, with a memorable riff, excellent melodies in the chorus, and many guitar solos, as usual, the choir invited fans to sing it live and the audience responded. It was followed by the song that gives its name to the album, which also sounded devastating. Accept is a band that always gives a great show and now with three guitarists sharing turns to shine on stage, the audience didn’t know who to look at. Of course, Wolf Hoffman gets the attention of the public as he is the leader and oldest member of the band but Joel Hoekstra also captured the attention with his movements on stage and of course his great talent on the guitar. A little further back Uwe kept a lower profile. Vocalist Mark Tornillo deserves a special mention for his charisma and presence on stage in addition to maintaining a great voice despite the years. From the last album they also played “Straight up Jack”, a very rocking song that has already become one of my favorites, and later the sentimental “Ravages of Time” which served to give a break to the audience who couldn’t stop jumping and singing the songs along the whole show.
After the start with new songs, the review of classics from their eighties period followed, such as “Restless and Wild” which had everyone singing, followed by the catchy “Midnight Mover” and “London Leatherboys.” There was also a medley of several songs where “Losers and Winners” stood out, that song brought me back many memories of the time when the album Balls To The Wall was released. It should be noted that just as the classics from his previous stage with Udo Dirkschneider sounded, there are also new classics from the Tornillo era that sounded spectacular like “Dying Breed”, “Zombie Apocalypse” and the epic “Shadow Soldiers” from the album Stalingrad and where Wolf shines on the guitars. I should mention also “Teutonic Terror” one of the great songs from the album Blood of the Nations that marked the beginning of the Tornillo era, and that feast of immortal riffs called “Pandemic” from the same album.
“Princess of the Dawn” marked another notable moment of the concert followed by the classic “Metal Heart” whose melody and chorus were chanted at the top of their lungs by the audience. Towards the end they launched a missile called “Fast as a Shark” that moved almost everyone, followed by the anthem “Balls to the Wall” which was another of the most chanted songs of the night Accept is a band that knows the formula well to make this type of songs whose chorus is simple, direct and perfect for concerts.
At the end of the concert, I was once again moved to tears since Accept is one of the bands that I started listening to 40 years ago, and that never disappoints. It is the second time that I have been able to photograph them and their performance on stage is incredible with choreography in almost all the songs and those powerful choirs that invite you to sing all the songs. Thanks to the producer Atenea and Correcaminos Press Agency for the facilities for covering the show.
Accept:
Wolf Hoffman – Guitars
Mark Tornillo – Vocals
Uwe Lulis – Guitars
Martin Motnik – Bass
Christopher Williams – Drums
Joel Hoekstra – Guitars
Setlist:
01. The Reckoning
02. Humanoid
03. Restless and Wild
04. Midnight Mover
05. London Leatherboys
06. Straight Up Jack
07. Dying Breed
08. Zombie Apocalypse
09. Medley: Demon’s Night / Starlight / Losers and Winners / Flash Rockin’ Man
10. Breaker
11. Ravages of Time
12. Shadow Soldiers
13. Princess of the Dawn
14. Metal Heart
15. Teutonic Terror
16. Pandemic
17. Fast as a Shark
18. Balls to the Wall
19. I’m a Rebel
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I’m a photographer with extensive experience working for national and international media. I’m also a passionate photography educator with extensive experience working with students of different ages. I love Heavy Metal music and I began shooting concerts in 1992. Concert Photography is my passion. I’m based in Perú but willing to travel anywhere.
