In a latest interview with Steel Talks, ACCEPT guitarist Wolf Hoffmann spoke about the truth that the band will have fun its Fiftieth anniversary in 2025-2026. To mark this mammoth milestone, ACCEPT will ring within the band’s golden birthday with a really distinctive anniversary tour on the finish of 2025. An anniversary album shall be launched early 2026. Wolf stated (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Yeah, it is a humorous factor. I joined this band once I was 16 and simply by no means left. And right here I’m all these all these years later, approaching a Fiftieth anniversary, which is loopy. However yeah, it is undoubtedly one thing that we’re very pleased with. And never each band is fortunate sufficient to be round for this lengthy and to nonetheless be within the enterprise and to nonetheless be touring to nonetheless have followers.
“I feel ACCEPT, we’re very lucky in the best way that we achieved the unimaginable,” he continued. “We had a change of lead singers 15 years in the past with Mark Tornillo, and issues are higher than they’ve ever been for us. I imply, the previous few albums have been phenomenal, the touring goes nice, we’ve sold-out reveals in all places. So, I imply, we’re actually, actually lucky, and I am totally conscious of that. And yeah, to mark the event, we’re gonna have a particular tour. We’re gonna launch a brand new album with — we’re gonna re-record a number of the previous classics and a number of the deeper-cut songs from again then with visitor folks, visitor singers, visitor guitar gamers, and we’re gonna deliver this out on the street in ’26. So we’re engaged on that for the following yr or so.
“It is a milestone that must be celebrated correctly, and what higher [way to do it]?” Hoffmann added. “I imply, we solely have one probability for a Fiftieth anniversary. I do not suppose I will get one other one. With all optimism, I do not suppose I will be round 50 years from now, or the followers shall be, so we’d as effectively have this chance and make use of it. And it is gonna be incredible. I do know it. We’re gonna play some songs we have by no means performed earlier than, and it is gonna be nice.”
Final November, Wolf instructed The Adamantium Podcast about ACCEPT‘s upcoming Fiftieth-anniversary album and tour: “Nicely, I am unable to let you know an excessive amount of but, as a result of it is too early and proper now we’re that includes this tour [promoting ACCEPT‘s latest album, ‘Humanoid’], so let’s deal with that. However I can let you know it is gonna be an enormous factor as a result of turning 50 is an enormous deal.”
Wolf continued: “We’ve at all times shied away from all these, I might name them little anniversaries, as a result of, actually, we may have executed a [celebration of] 20 years of this album, 20 years of that album, 30 years [of some other album]. Yearly is one thing to have fun. I imply, when you could have 15 albums or 16 or 17, one thing at all times occurred 20, 30, 40 years in the past. It is at all times a spherical variety of years. So we may have executed that for a very long time. There’s individuals who do it on a regular basis. We at all times stated, ‘Nah, we would a lot fairly function the present album after which make a brand new one after that and keep present.’ However, man, with 50, that is the place I gotta say that is the one — that is the large one. There will not be one other one… And likewise, fairly truthfully, we’re getting up there in age slightly bit, and I am not fairly able to retire, however you by no means actually know. Actually, in some unspecified time in the future, we may all say this is perhaps our final tour. You by no means actually know. Someone would possibly get sick.
“50 is an enormous deal, and we’re gonna actually have fun it correctly,” Hoffmann added. “It is gonna be a totally totally different present with a variety of surprises. That is all I do know. So we have a yr of planning on doing after which executing and stuff.”
Final summer time, Wolf was requested by Steel Journal why he and his bandmates determined to announce that they are going to embark on a Fiftieth-anniversary tour in late 2025 once they nonetheless had loads of touring to do final yr in assist of their newest album, “Humanoid”. He stated: “Issues like that take time. Individuals have requested me for the final two years: ‘Are you gonna do an anniversary factor?’ All people desires to know. So I lastly stated, ‘Okay, we’re gonna do it.’ And it is gonna be large, man. It is gonna be an enormous shock with all of the friends that we’re gonna have. And I feel it is gonna be fully totally different from something we have ever executed earlier than. So I feel it is gonna blow folks away. However that does not take away from this tour that we’ve developing, as a result of, to begin with, it is gonna be one other yr or extra earlier than we even go on this subsequent tour. So should you like the brand new album, ‘Humanoid’, and should you love ACCEPT, you’ve got gotta see this tour, it doesn’t matter what. It is gonna be undoubtedly a spotlight anyhow.”
On the subject of whether or not there was any discuss probably saying a farewell tour to coincide with ACCEPT‘s Fiftieth anniversary, Wolf stated: “We have been doing it for an extended, very long time. And I truthfully do not know the way lengthy I can do that. I imply, no person is aware of what the long run will deliver, and it has crossed our thoughts, completely. So, it is perhaps that we go off with a spotlight like this after which simply actually say, ‘Okay, this was it.’ I do not know but, to be trustworthy.”
Relating to whether or not former ACCEPT members Udo Dirkschneider (vocals) and Peter Baltes (bass) shall be invited to participate within the Fiftieth-anniversary tour, maybe simply within the type of a visitor look at choose reveals, Wolf stated: “Yeah, after all, after all. That does not imply they’re gonna [show up]. We’ve to attend and see. In fact, all people [is invited]. The door is at all times open for anyone to affix us on this, as a result of it is gonna be a retrospective of all of the 50 years of ACCEPT, and whoever desires to take part is greater than welcome. Sure, positive.”
Requested if he’ll name Udo and Peter on to ask them to take part within the tour or if he’ll wait for his or her name, a visibly irritated Wolf stated: “Are you able to shut up already? You are not gonna get me to speak about it. I am sorry, man. I do know it is a good strive. All people desires to know this stuff.”
Wolf additionally talked about ACCEPT‘s plan to launch a particular album in early 2026 that can cowl the band’s whole musical historical past. The anniversary LP will include a fastidiously curated collection of the perfect ACCEPT songs from the final 5 many years, re-recorded — partly with well-known shock musical friends and colleagues — in addition to with some uncommon tracks that haven’t been performed so usually earlier than. He stated: “I am unable to let you know something but, as a result of it is approach too early. I can simply let you know it is gonna be an enormous factor. And I do not actually wanna get into it but as a result of I am probably not right here to speak specifics about it. It is nonetheless within the planning levels. It is gonna be wonderful. I feel it is gonna be some actually huge names which might be gonna be collaborating in that. And you will have to attend. Sorry. It is simply too early.”
As for whether or not ACCEPT has already “chosen” the visitor musicians who will seem on the album, Wolf stated: “Sure, we’ve chosen a variety of it. Not all of it, however we’ve chosen quite a bit.”
Over the previous 5 many years, ACCEPT has offered hundreds of thousands of albums and impressed numerous musicians. Their energetic dwell performances and iconic albums corresponding to “Balls To The Wall”, “Stressed And Wild” and “Steel Coronary heart” have left a long-lasting mark on the heavy steel style. Hoffmann‘s guitar fashion and musical imaginative and prescient have made the band one of the revered on the heavy steel scene.
After a hiatus within the band’s profession, Wolf was launched to New Jersey singer Mark Tornillo in 2009. The chemistry and match between them was so exceptional, ACCEPT reformed and nearly instantly rose to international success with chart-topping albums. ACCEPT continues to be celebrated for every of their new data with Mark, who’s now the longest-reigning frontman of ACCEPT, inserting the Hoffmann–Tornillo partnership firmly within the Steel Corridor Of Fame.
For many years, ACCEPT has been acknowledged as a assure of top of the range and every of their albums has reached the highest of the charts, delivering power, melodies, killer riffs and an impressively highly effective stage presence for 50 years.
ACCEPT and KK’S PRIEST just lately joined forces for a summer time/fall 2024 North American tour. The run started on August 31, 2024 in Los Angeles, California, visiting a slew of main cities within the USA and Canada — corresponding to Toronto, Montreal, New York and Nashville — earlier than coming to an finish in San Francisco, California on October 7, 2024.
Tornillo joined ACCEPT in 2009 because the alternative for Dirkschneider, who was the band’s unique lead singer. Mark might be heard on ACCEPT‘s final six studio albums, “Blood Of The Nations” (2010),“Stalingrad” (2012),“Blind Rage” (2014),“The Rise Of Chaos” (2017),2021’s “Too Imply To Die” and 2024’s “Humanoid”.