German heavy metal mainstays Accept spent their summer headlining Sonisphere festivals with Metallica and Rammstein before 60,000-plus fans in Bucharest and Istanbul, as well as opening for AC/DC in their homeland. Not too shabby, considering it's been 14 years since Accept released an album.

But that's about to change. And Texans will have a chance to see them live and in the flesh.

Armed with new vocalist Mark Tornillo -- an American whom dedicated metal aficionados might remember from the band TT Quick and their 1986 song/album Metal of Honor -- and a desire to recapture the success they enjoyed with original singer Udo Dirkschneider, Accept unleashes 12th album Blood of the Nations on Sept. 14.

Accept released a record every year from 1979's self-titled debut through 1983's Balls to the Wall. The title track to the latter (video below) is largely responsible for the success they went on to enjoy through the rest of the '80s, paving the way for 1985 standout songs Metal Heart, Midnight Mover and Screaming for a Love-Bite.

Blood of the Nations is a well-rounded effort that hits loud and heavy thanks to Tornillo's touch and the two-pronged guitar attack of Wolf Hoffmann and Herman Frank, plus bassist Peter Baltes and drummer Stefan Schwarzmann. Standouts include The Abyss, Locked And Loaded, No Shelter and new single Teutonic Terror (video below), along with the anthemic sing-along title track and power ballad Kill The Pain.

Accept kicks off an American tour with Katy, Texas, natives King's X on Sept. 9 in Atlanta. They are scheduled to play Dallas on Oct. 12 and Houston on Oct. 13 before things get really interesting. After venturing to Japan for the annual Loud Park Festival on Oct. 16, a return to San Antonio could pick up where the Houston date leaves off.

Backstage Live has announced that Accept will headline a 20-band outdoor fest Oct. 23. This has not yet been confirmed by the band. Backstage Live has been known to post shows prematurely as well as fail to reveal when a previously announced show switches venues (making it appear as if said show was canceled), as was the case with the Aug. 7 Queensryche concert that moved from Backstage Live to Sunken Garden Theater. So call Backstage Live for more info.

The 50-year-old Hoffmann, Accept's original guitarist, phoned me last Friday from Nashville, Tenn., seven days after Blood of the Nations was released in Europe. While he couldn't confirm a San Antonio concert quite yet, he also couldn't contain his excitement over what this new era of Accept might entail:

Q: How would you categorize Accept's return: comeback, rebirth, or rejuvenation?
A: Well, a little bit of all of the above, really. It's definitely a new chapter because we're coming back with a new lineup, and it's a rebirth in a way. At the same time, Peter and myself, we've been with Accept for 35 years.

Q: I saw you and Mark on That Metal Show explaining how you began working together. But for those who don't know, can you recount how it came about?
A: Yeah, sure, no problem. It all started in May 2009. We basically just ran into Mark by pure accident. We were doing a jam session one day near Peter's hometown, and somebody suggested to invite Mark as a singer for a day for fun. We did, and when we heard him sing, it was incredible. A light bulb went off. Udo was not available and may never be again according to him. You know, some people may be ticked off that it's not the original guy, but what choice do we have? In some ways, he's reminiscent of Udo but has his own style.

Q: I was going to say that in listening to the new album, it seems you struck the right balance with Mark. He has history and his own sound, but he can also sound like Udo, particularly when reaching high notes. Would you agree with that?
A: Absolutely. And overall, personality wise I gotta tell you, when you really think about all this stuff and analyzing it, he's the right age and the right type of guy. If we had met some 22-year-old kid with a similar voice, I don't know if that would have been the right thing.

Q: And this all came after you reached out to Udo first, right?
A: Udo, we've been in negotiations with him for weeks, months, and he said he's not interested. We weren't actively looking for anyone new. We were just running off steam and ran into Mark. We didn't even hold any auditions.

Q: What are your impressions of Blood of the Nations, and how was it getting back into the recording process after 15 years, particularly with a new singer?
A: Yeah, well first of all, it was great to be back at it again. Peter and I have a lot of energy stored in us, and we had no trouble writing songs, that's for sure. We sat down and came out with ideas. It was great to work with Mark in the studio. It was the first time really that we could work with a singer in the studio that was open-minded to a lot of ideas rather than being set in a certain way. It was really refreshing. A lot different from Udo.

Q: How is the acceptance from your European and German fans as far as having an American singer?
A: Oh, fabulous! No one really knew when we started playing shows how it was going to be, so we were excited and nervous at the same time. But once they hear Mark, that goes out the window. It's triumphant to say the least.

Q: Have you toured with King's X before?
A: I have not toured with them. I met them in the studio. A good friend of mine, Michael Wagener, produced one of their albums.

Q: You're coming to Dallas and Houston, then heading to Japan. Any plans to come to San Antonio when you return to the States, and when might that be?
A: I'm not exactly sure what the dates are going to be. It's up to the promoters and management. I know they're still adding shows. I do not recall the last time we played there, but I remember San Antonio being a great city. I've been there many times.

Q: Your wife Gaby was Accept's manager and wrote many of the older songs, correct?
A: She's still the manager. We've been together for 30 years, and she's in the control center for Accept. She was the one writing all the lyrics back in the day, and we figured now that we have an American singer, he's the one that should write the lyrics. It gives her a break and gives Mark a chance to express himself. We've been happily married, and she's still in control (laughs). Back in the day, no one knew about us, certainly. But nowadays, it's an open secret.

Q: Over the years, was there a competition or friendly rivalry in Germany with the Scorpions?
A: You betcha (laughs). Well, I never really had it as a competition because they've always been way more successful as far as records and sales goes. But on an influential level, I think Accept reached a remarkable level as well. Restless and Wild and Balls to the Wall influenced a lot of people, and it's still reaching a lot of people to this day. I think the album Restless and Wild was the steppingstone for us to get some attention worldwide, especially underground. But then the breakthrough was Balls to the Wall, with the catchy phrase and the riff. It was an instant metal anthem and still is to this day. It's being used in movies and video games.

Q: Are you happy with the way Mark is sounding on the older songs?
A: Oh, more than happy. I think it's better than ever. Well, you can't say it's better than the original, but he's doing the best job anybody could ever do on covering this older material.

Q: Anything else you'd like to tell your American and Texan fans?
A: Well, we wanna let everyone know that we're back, and we mean business. In the meantime, check out our new record and website for videos and news, and we hope to be back very soon.

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