Dirkschneider And The Old Gang’s Sophomore LP Offers Plenty To Appreciate

By: Philip Sayblack

Udo Dirkschneider is a familiar face and voice in the hard rock and metal communities.  The former front man of Accept and the namesake and front man of U.D.O., he is also the front man and founder of yet another band, Dirkschneider and the Old Gang.  That organization released its debut album, Arising, in 2021 through AFM Records and now early last month, followed up its release with the group’s sophomore recording, Babylon.  Spanning 12 songs, the 61-minute record is a largely successful follow-up to Arising.  That is evidenced in part through the record’s musical arrangements.  The lyrical themes that accompany the record’s musical content add their own touch to the whole and will be discussed a little later.  The record’s production puts the finishing touch to the whole, ensuring each musician’s performance throughout compliments one another’s work.  All things considered they make Babylon a record that Dirkschneider’s established audiences and hard rock/metal purists alike will appreciate.
Babylon, the sophomore album from Dirkschneider and the Old Gang, is a welcome addition to this year’s massively crowded field of new hard rock and metal albums.  It is a largely successful new entry from the collective due in part to its featured musical arrangements.  Throughout the course of the record’s 61-minute body, the arrangements exhibit influence of each “era” of Udo Dirkschneider’s work.  ‘Blindfolded’ for instance (the album’s 10th track) is more of a current age presentation what with its power metal ballad approach.  The melodic hard rock styling clearly lifts from power ballads of the 80s while successfully entering some more modern touches for a whole that easily holds its own against the rest of the album’s entries.  ‘Hellbreaker,’ which is one of the album’s earlier entries, leans more liberally in the vein of Dirkschneider’s days as front man of Accept what with its far heavier, driving arrangement and Dirkschneider’s own distinct growl.  On yet another note is a song, such as ‘Strangers in Paradise.’  This full-on power metal ballad takes the album in a completely different direction, further showing the variety that Dirkschneider and company bring to the album.  When they are considered alongside the rest of the album’s entries, including and certainly not limited to ‘Batter The Power,’ ‘Propaganda’ (which is another power metal entry here) and the unique ‘Dead Man’s Hand’ the whole herein makes the record’s musical body reason enough to take in the album.
The musical arrangements featured in Babylon collectively make up only part of the record’s interest.  The album’s lyrical content makes for its own share of interest.  The lyrical content featured herein covers a bit more ground than even the record’s musical arrangements.  Case in point is the absolute pure metal tribute, ‘Metal Sons.’  This song is, lyrically, a tribute to the “old days” of rock and metal and the music presented during that era.  This is evidenced as Dirkschneider sings in the song’s chorus, “We are the metal sons/Born to overdrive/We shoot the metal guns/Our way to stay alive/We are the metal sons/Masters of the crowd/We shoot the metal guns/Screaming out loud.”  This is pretty clear in its delivery.  Adding to the simple, straightforward message, Dirkschneider sings in the song’s lead verse, “We cannot be silenced/Always on the move/Speeding in the fast lane/Electrifying groove/Riding on the soundwaves/Energy is high/Always bound to metal/Hear my battle cry/Rising higher/Heat within/Blazing fire/Burning sin.”  That mention of the “electrifying groove” would point simply to amplification of instruments while being “always bound to metal” is simply that cry of being loyal to metal for life.  To that end, this is hardly the first time ever that a band has crafted such a song, lyrically speaking and it is no less enjoyable here than in those existing cases. 
‘Time To Listen,’ one of the album’s early entries, is another example of the importance of its lyrical content.  In the case of this song, the theme seems to be one of making things right, so to speak.  This is evidenced in the song’s lead verse and chorus, which state, “There’s a place that I believe in/In this world of dark and light/Nothing scares me more than angels/I believe in life/Founded by the mind/I hope what I’ll be finding/That my heart will know and show the way/Now it’s time to listen/To sins of passing time/So much we’ll be missing/When we cross the line/Raining pain, blood and evil/Hail to our sins/Praying for retrieval/We’ve got one last chance to fight.”  This statement almost seems to be one noting that we need to learn from our past mistakes through that statement of it being “time to listen/To sins of passing time” and that “we’ve got one last chance to fight.”  This is just this critic’s interpretation, of course.  If in fact it is somewhere in the proverbial ballpark, this it is a unique way to present a familiar message; a message that is certain to resonate with listeners.  The seeming message continues in the song’s second verse, which states, “The whisper never ceases/In the chaos we’ll find peace/Promise looms/But falls to pieces/Where my mind will roam/I will make my home/I feel our souls entwining/In the arms of heaven/Love’s divine.”    This points to the potential of things getting better, which echoes in its own way, the seeming message delivered in the song’s lead verse and chorus.  If in fact everything interpreted is the case, the whole therein further shows the importance of the album’s lyrical content to the record’s presentation in its own way.
‘It Takes Two To Tango,’ the album’s opener, is one more example of the importance of the record’s lyrical themes.  In the case of this song, the message comes across as being a warning of sorts.  It comes across as a warning of someone living a lie in a manner of speaking.  This as Dirkschneider sings in the song’s lead verse and chorus, “In your mind you are the master/Most superior of all/No one knows what you are after/Pride will come before the fall/Everybody knows your name/And there’s a price to pay for fame/But you haven’t got a clue/On your own will never do/It takes two to tango/It takes six to rock.”  This is a statement pointing to someone being famous, having it all but at what cost?  Dirkschneider continues the seeming statement in the song’s second verse, stating, “Your world is cold yet so perfected/Make believe that you do care/Empathy will be rejected/It’s a one man’s love affair/In the glamour lies your pain/In the limelight you remain/But the world of light and sound/Is a kingdom with no crown.”  In other words, the person in question tries to make himself/herself believe things are so great but in reality they are not.  Again, this is just this critic’s interpretation.  If said interpretation is correct then it is another familiar theme that will connect with listeners in its own right.  When this seeming theme is considered alongside the others examined here and that whole along with the rest of the album’s lyrical content, the whole therein adds another layer of interest to the record.  Together with the album’s musical arrangements, that whole makes the overall presentation a rich new offering from Dirkschneider and the Old Gang.
Putting the final touch to Babylon is the record’s production.  The production is important to note because it ensures the richness of each song across the album’s 61-minute run time.  Between the power ballads, the heavier works, and the material in between the production ensures in each song that each musician and performer’s compliments the work of his and her fellow artist.  The result is a positive aesthetic that when paired alongside the record’s overall content, makes for a presentation that will appeal to a wide range of audiences.  The result is a record that is yet one more welcome addition to this year’s already massively overcrowded field of new hard rock and metal albums.
Babylon, the sophomore album from Dirkschneider and the Old Gang, is a positive new offering from the group, the latest project of Udo Dirkschneider.  The record’s success comes in part through its featured musical arrangements.  The arrangements are of note because of the range that they cover.  From power metal to hard rock to ballads, the arrangements offer an interesting blend of content in their own right.  The lyrical theme offer their own interest because of their familiarity and the unique way in which they are delivered.  The record’s production puts the finishing touch to the whole, ensuring a positive aesthetic to the whole.  Each item noted is important in its own way to the whole of the album.  All things considered they make Babylon one more welcome addition to this year’s already massively overcrowded field of new hard rock and metal albums.
Babylon is available now.  More information on the album is available along with all of Dirkschneider and the Old Gang’s news at https://www.facebook.com/dirkschneiderandtheoldgang.