Man And Machine＜限定盤/White Vinyl＞

U.D.O. is the first name of the lead singer of this outfit. Udo Dirkschneider is best known for his work with the metal band Accept and presents here a solo album featuring a band composed of himself, Igor Gianola, Stefan Kaufman, Fitty Weinhold, and Lorenzo Milani. The album certainly rocks out with the best of them and showcases Dirkschneider's unique vocal style. That vocal style is part of the problem with the album, though, as it really can take some getting used to. The other shortcoming here is that the band seems not to do such a good job on mellower material. They should stick to the harder-edged songs. Interestingly enough, when the group chooses to rock out, which is most of the time, the style is often far more in the vein of '80s Judas Priest than Accept. On that mellower side, there is one true ballad, a duet between Dirkschneider and Doro Pesch (of Warlock). That cut, "Dancing With an Angel," has its moments, but definitely gets a bit overblown. ~ Gary Hill