In a shocking move that has taken everyone by surprise, founding Accept bassist Peter Baltes has left the band. He has issued the following brief statement:

"To all Accept fans:

I hereby like to announce my departure as Bassplayer from Accept. I have been with the band from the very beginning. Many of you have been there as well. I like to thank you all for the great years we shared together. Keep it Metal."

Founding guitarist Wolf Hoffmann comments:

"We spent four decades together and went through thick and thin, ups and downs and I remember some incredible moments on stage. There was a blind understanding between us, personally and musically, that is very rare in this business!

Looking back, I will forever cherish the carefree early years, the countless hours we spent writing songs, goofing around or roaming the cities together on tour - just having a good ol’time!

Especially these last 10 years, after the revival of Accept being so much fun and so successful that I thought we would continue forever and sail into the proverbial sunset together - maybe until one of us would drop dead on stage. But I guess I was wrong, it wasn’t meant to be.

To see Peter leave Accept now saddens me immensely but there’s nothing I can do but to wish him well - hoping that this is the right decision for him and that he will find whatever he is looking for ...

I will certainly miss my musical brother! One thing is certain, however: Accept will continue full steam ahead!"

Accept have also issued the following joint statement:

We are all heartbroken! Peter needed a change in his life and we wish him all the best. He will always be part of the Accept Family and to honor his tribute to music history, we should all wish him well.

Gaby, Wolf, Mark, Uwe & Christopher... indeed ACCEPT WILL KEEP IT METAL!"

On November 23rd, Accept released their new masterpiece, Symphonic Terror - Live At Wacken 2017, via Nuclear Blast, To celebrate they have released an official live video of "Shadow Soldiers" from the release. Check it out below.

The band recently isued the first trailer detailing the live album:

With Symphonic Terror - Live At Wacken 2017 release, fans can expect a unique, 2 hour Accept show, shot on August 3rd, 2017 at the legendary W:O:A, where the band played the biggest and most extraordinary show of their career in front of 80.000 live fans at the festival, on top of thousands more fans watching via the live stream! The show was divided into three parts, showing the full creative power of Accept: The first part hosted the premiere of new tracks "Die By The Sword" and "Koolaid", as well as some of their most popular songs, such as "Restless And Wild" and"Pandemic'. The middle part hosted guitarist Wolf Hoffmann accompanied by a symphony orchestra, presenting the best-of from his recent solo album Headbangers Symphony, which includes metal versions of some of the world’s biggest classical compositions (e.g. from Beethoven, Mozart, Vivaldi,...). And in the last but not least part, fans were able to bang their heads to Accept anthems (also accompanied by the orchestra), such as "Princess Of The Dawn," 'Breaker," "Fast As A Shark" and "Metal Heart," as well as to new songs like "Stalingrad," "Shadow Soldiers" or "Teutonic Terror". The finale could be nothing less than an 8 minute version of their eminent hit "Balls To The Walls"!

"This was a mash-up of intensity and precision," Wolf Hoffmann says about the fusion of Heavy Metal and classical music. "The fans are extremely open-minded," continues Wolf happy, "but I was nervous 'till the last minute before the show anyway. After all it's still a metal festival! But I think that, after many years of Accept combining both worlds, fans have started to really accept this concept."

By the way: What started as a world premiere in Wacken and caused quite a stir worldwide (thanks to the live streams) will be continued in early 2019. This means: Accept are planning to tour across Europe with an orchestra in spring 2019! "I really hope we will be able to fulfill our dream - we are working hard on it!" tells Wolf Hoffmann with eager anticipation. "What I can already say now is that there will be lots of optical and musical surprises, that fans of Accept have never experienced before. We want to multiply what we have achieved in Wacken and are happy about every bit of support we get. One thing is for sure: 2019 will be exciting!"

Available formats:

- BluRay+2CD-Digi
- DVD+2CD-Digi
- 2CD-Digi
- 3LP Box (black) incl. booklet, poster
- 3LP Box (gold) incl. booklet, poster // NB Mailorder exclusive
- BluRay+DVD+2CD-Earbook
- BluRay+DVD+2CD-Earbook + photo card (signed) // NB Mailorder exclusive

Pre-order here.

Tracklisting:

DVD/Blu-Ray

Part 1: Accept
"Die By The Sword"
"Restless And Wild"
"Koolaid"
"Pandemic"
"Final Journey"

Part 2: Headbanger’s Symphony
"Night On Bald Mountain"
"Scherzo"
"Romeo And Juliet"
"Pathétique"
"Double Cello Concerto in G Minor"
"Symphony No. 40 In G Minor"

Part 3: Accept with Orchestra
"Princess Of The Dawn"
"Stalingrad"
"Dark Side Of My Heart"
"Breaker"
"Shadow Soldiers"
"Dying Breed"
"Fast As A Shark"
"Metal Heart"
"Teutonic Terror"
"Balls To The Wall"

Bonus:
Making Of: Wacken
Making Of: Headbanger’s Symphony

"We are so glad we recorded this unique show - this very special concert at Wacken will always stay in our memories“, states Accept guitarist and mastermind Wolf Hoffmann. And because what started as a premiere at Wacken caused a sensation and recognition worldwide, the Symphonic Terror will hit cities live in April 2019.

This can only mean one thing: Accept will debut their great orchestra-tour throughout Europe in 2019 and the band recently revealed the first tour dates for Germany.

April
20 - Wuppertal, Germany - Stadthalle
21 - Leipzig, Germany - Haus Auesee
22 - Hamburg, Germany - Mehr!Theater
23 - Fürth, Germany - Stadthalle

May
25 - Saarbrücken, Germany- Congresshalle
27 - München, Germany- Circus Krone

Pre-order for these very special Symphonic Terror shows has started. Get your tickets here.

Wolf Hoffmann is already filled with anticipation: "Those who couldn’t be there at Wacken have never seen Accept like this. But it’s definitely worth it! On our last tour, I personally missed the orchestra in some songs. What I can already say is this: There will be some visual and musical surprises on the Symphonic Terror Tour, that you wouldn’t exactly expect from Accept. 2019 will be exciting!“