Too Mean To Die indeed! German metal institution Accept has been on role since Mark Tornillo joined the group back in ’09. Filling the huge shoes left by Udo Dirkschneider, Tornillo has proved himself time and time again as the right man to handle the job. Elder statesman Wolf Hoffman has been the glue that holds everything together as the lineup has shuffled this past decade, but the one constant has been strong material with meaty riffs and hooks that only Accept has to offer. Too Mean To Die is no different, further cementing their status as a legendary metal machine with a huge metal heart. Too Mean To Die gallops to #6 on our list!

Scribe Mark Gromen penned in his review:

Perhaps the adoption of a guitar trio created the need for more aggression, requiring something of each string-bender in every song. Regardless of the impetus, "No One's Master" is another fleet fingered, flight of fancy, providing interplay amongst all the pickers. It talks about thinking for one's self and not kowtowing to outside influences: political, social, etc. Video cut "The Undertaker" is probably the most commercially accessible of the eleven options, but still a welcome addition.

"Sucks To Be You" is a phrase often uttered during my NJ upbringing. Guess Tornillo (an upstate resident) utilized it, as well. Simple, repetitive and infectious, can see this being an easy-to-mimic crowd favorite/sing-along, even for those who may not have mastered the English language (like many a Jersey knucklehead...I kid, I kid). During the break, Wolf adds a bit of his symphonic solo catalog (snippets of well-known Beethoven compositions) to "Symphony Of Pain". Another stormer!

"The Best Is Yet To Come" is the lone ballad. Some Celtic military beats/drumming starts "How Do We Sleep", another socially conscious look at the world, courtesy of the singer/lyricist. Musically, a decent, locked-in Accept anthem, complete with "whoa whoa" backing chorus. Energetic, albeit super-charged, Bon Scott-era AC/DC inspired blues rocker "Not My Problem" sounds good, a diversion, but its composers still readily apparent. Concluding with instrumental "Samson And Delilah", Hoffmann gets to strut his stuff (again), on a Middle Eastern flavored semi-classical piece.

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