Heavy metal quintet U.D.O. - singer Udo Dirkschneider and his son Sven (drums), a guitar duo consisting of Andrey Smirnov and Fabian Dee Dammers plus bass player Peter Baltes - recently announced their new studio album, Touchdown, due out on August 25 via Atomic Fire Records. It features 13 tracks which cement the fact that the group surely belongs to the all-star team of the scene.

Watch a new playthrough video for the title track:

U.D.O. previously released a sportive music video for "Touchdown". Musically, "Touchdown" kicks off rapidly before culminating in an anthemic, fan block & stadium capable chorus, graced by a highly fitting violin solo contributed by Stefan Pintev. The aforementioned music video is in no way inferior and lets the worlds of both football and heavy metal clash brilliantly.

Sven recalls: "The song but also album title began to take root when we were sitting in a sports bar in São Paulo [Brazil] where a football game was shown. The word that came out of the speakers the most and therefore was remembered the best afterwards was simply 'Touchdown.' That's why my dad [Udo] suggested that it should become the name of our new album - and a touchdown is also what we have created musically with our new songs in my opinion. We're very happy with the result! The title track deals, of course, with nothing but the type of sport itself, and it also represents us as a band very well: We're a team that enters the stage together evening after evening to win the crowd. That's what we do highly motivated, in a way aggressively but powerful too. Qualities that can also be found in football and lastly throw a bridge to our music."

Pre-order Touchdown in the physical format of your choice, pre-save it on your favourite DSP or pre-order it digitally, here.

Tracklisting:

"Isolation Man"
"The Flood"
"The Double Dealer's Club"
"Fight For The Right"
"Forever Free"
"Punchline"
"Sad Man's Show"
"The Betrayer"
"Heroes Of Freedom"
"Better Start To Run"
"The Battle Understood"
"Living Hell"
"Touchdown"

"Forever Free" lyric video:

U.D.O. / Dirkschneider live:

August
12 - Villena, Spain - Leyendas del Rock*
17 - Moravský Krumlov, Czech Republic - Rock Castle Open Air
20 - Vallamand (VD), Switzerland - Rock The Lakes

September
16 - Tuttlingen, Germany - Beast of Rocks @ Stadthalle

October
7 - Würzburg, Germany - Keep It True Rising III @ Posthalle*
22 - Linz, Austria - Wildstyle & Tattoo @ Tabakfabrik
29 - Salzburg, Austria - Wildstyle & Tattoo @ Messezentrum

* as Dirkschneider

Get tickets here.

U.D.O. / Dirkschneider are:

Udo Dirkschneider - vocals
Andrey Smirnov - guitar
Sven Dirkschneider - drums
Fabian Dee Dammers - guitar
Peter Baltes - bass

(Photo - Martin Häusler)