U.D.O.: We Are One (HEAVY METAL): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

With "We Are One", U.D.O. offers a disc written with the orchestra of the German armed forces, the Musikkorps Der Bundeswehr, composed of 60 musicians conducted by Lieutenant-Colonel Christoph Scheibling with whom Udo had played in Wacken in 2015. The work is ambitious and has mobilized a lot of musicians, notably two former Accept members, Peter Baltes and Stefan Kaufmann. The ambition is also thematic: the disc evokes the missions of the German army through the environment, racism, the question of migration, as an observer of its time.

There are a few songs that will appeal to classic U.D.O. fans, those where the heavy metal keeps its place in front of the orchestrations, such as 'Pandemonium', 'We Are One', 'Future Is The Reason Why' and 'Mother Earth'. Udo screams with good little riffs and solos in a 80's spirit. On the other side, woodwinds, brass and percussions are well present and bring an interesting freshness and above all a remarkable catchy side.

But at the heart of the record, it is the orchestra that is the dominant force, delivering an atmosphere that is sometimes folk, sometimes cinematic and epic ('Love And Sin', 'Natural Forces', 'Beyond Good And Evil', 'Blackout', 'Beyond Gravity') and there, Udo takes a back seat. The marriage, harmonious and delicate, is most often instrumental with just a few well-placed choirs, all leaning either towards a medieval side or towards Therion-like emphasis or Ayreon-like atmosphere.

Finally, there are calmer moments, with committed and positive messages. With its children's choirs, 'Children Of The World' is quite naive but can be appreciated for its willingness to stir consciences. The ballads 'Blindfold' and 'Neon Diamond' are classic and carried by the charming voice of Manuela Markewitz. On the second track, in duet with Udo, the sax brings a melancholic piano-bar side that is a bit outdated but with a touching side. Finally on 'Here We Go Again', Udo sings with his son Sven. The two have fun with rap parts and a big band swing side that will surprise some.

"We Are One" is a varied and rich record. It is far from symphonic metal clichés and offers a great musical mix. This is its strength but also perhaps its weakness since it embarks in different directions and may have difficulty finding its audience. That being said, we can only salute the risk-taking and the positive side of the ensemble. - Official website

U.D.O.

WE ARE ONE

AFM RECORDS

HEAVY METAL