Accept guitarist Wolf Hoffman has revealed details of his latest solo album. Due for release on 1st July 2016 via Nuclear Blast, 'Headbangers Symphony' is the second solo release from the Germanic metal titans' founder member.
Although his life-long love dedication to heavy metal is documented in dozens of albums spanning four decades with Accept, beyond heavy metal, Wolf has an incessant craving for the classics written decades and centuries ago. The new record is dedicated to the grand classic maestros.
Says the guitarist; "I have always incorporated classical music in my song writing with Accept, especially with ‘Metal Heart’, but I constantly felt there was so much more that I could do and I did not want to overload Accept or force it in any way. I always knew I could make a whole record of it and that’s how the first record ‘Classical’ was born. Even today, fans tell me that they are still listening to it, that's why it is so fantastic now to do another one."
He continues; "I am just so excited about ‘Headbangers Symphony’. It has taken a long, long time but here we are, it's done, finally!"
Speaking about the process that led to the release, Hoffman says; "It's truly coincidental; after we completed the last Accept tour, I finally had the time to finish it. I started this a few years ago. The early recordings have been sitting in my archives in my home studio for years, almost completed. The reality was that with the continued success of Accept, I was only able to work on it when Accept was not recording or touring."
‘Headbangers Symphony’ showcases an abundance of highly skilled improvisations. Wolf took the main pieces, and then wrote riffs that fit them. In the grand hard rock tradition, he then layered a guitar solo over it. He shaped the sound into a quite adventurous elegance, but the key themes of the originals remained.
Following on from 'Classical' - Wolf's debut solo album which was released in 1997, Hoffman says that 'Headbangers Symphony' continues in the same approach; "the first volume had a focus on the better known pieces, but this time I did try to add a couple lesser known compositions. Mostly though, listeners will say, hey, I know that melody… so it’s pretty much the same path as the ‘Classical’ record. It was my desire to record melodies I like and melodies people recognise."
Highlights on the album include 'Scherzo' from the well-known '9th Symphony' by Ludwig v. Beethoven, which listeners may recognise as the opening riff from the Accept song 'Teutonic Terror', from 2009's 'Blood Of The Nations' release.
Other stand outs include 'Night On Bald Mountain' by Russian composer Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky, and 'Symphony No. 40' by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The full tracklisting for 'Headbangers Symphony' can be viewed below.
Concluding, Hoffman says of the work; "I worked so much and so long on this until I felt it was ready. Now it is and I am thrilled and proud. This is my baby, my labour of love, ready for me to set it ".
‘Headbangers Symphony’ - Track Listing:
1. Scherzo (L. v. Beethoven)
2. Night On Bald Mountain (M. Mussorgsky)
3. Je Crois Entendre Encore (G. Bizet)
4. Double Cello Concerto in G Minor (A. Vivaldi)
5. Adagio (T. Albinoni)
6. Symphony No. 40 (W. A. Mozart )
7. Swan Lake (P. Tchaikovsky)
8. Madame Butterfly (G. Puccini)
9. Pathétique (L. v. Beethoven)
10. Meditation (J. Massenet)
11. Air On The G String (J. S. Bach)