Even though it sold less in the US than Balls to the Wall, it became bigger on the other side of the Atlantic. Half the bands I later came to love may not have been around, had it not been for Accept in general, or the commercial success of Metal Heart in particular. They paved the way for a younger generation that realized it was OK to be metal, but still write melodies and not compromise on the quality or integrity of their sound. Udo's voice is a bit like shards of glass in a cement mixer but, it makes me smile! (Had dinner with him once, lovely chap, a gent.) To the album itself, I know criticism has been levelled at cribbing Tchaikovsky and Beethoven, but you can bet your burning Flying V that it was done with a tongue firmly wedged in Hoffman's grinning cheek. Chris Downie: While the Scorpions deservedly hold the accolade of German metal's finest exponents, there is a compelling case to be made that Accept deserve the proverbial honourable mention, not only on the strength of the Udo-fronted era, but the late career renaissance of the last decade, for which the contribution of impressive frontman Mark Tornillo cannot be overstated.

Hoffmann recalls Dieter Dierks as a very demanding producer: "We would do some pieces several dozen times trying to capture what he had in his mind for a specific section," adding: "Each song we tried different combinations of guitars, mic'ing and even strings!" [5] Mark Mellberg: Metal Heart is a blitzkrieg to the senses. There's no doubt that Dieter put a little sheen to Accept, but the album is still fairly heavy. There's a hell of a lot of tasty riffs on Metal Heart, and they should have at least got them to Gold status like Balls To The Wall. They didn't.

Teutonic titans Accept mould themselves into more commercial shapes on sixth album Metal Heart

Roland Bearne: With this one, I have to "out" myself; I love Metal, great big fist in the air head-nodding metal. From Accept and on through the alphabet. All the Edguys, Angras, Helloweens, Rhapsodys, love 'em all. Pure escapism and fun and Accept is definitely one of the prime movers of that whole Teutonic Metal massive. It's just all... less than, compared to what came before. While the songs aren't softer, they're somehow simpler - and not in a good stripped down way. Just not a lot of nuance. The title song sets the template with verses punctuated by title-shouted choruses, then solo, chorus again and out. Album closer Bound to Fail starts out promising but ends up feeling like a rewrite of their massive hit Balls To Wall with the gang "Oh-oh-ohs" meant for chanting in arenas. Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Accept Metal Heart review". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation . Retrieved 31 January 2013.

The voice of Udo is another acquired taste, but I arrived to it after enjoying equally brilliant vocalists like Mille Petrozza, Rolf Kasparek and Chris Boltendahl. It was never going to stop me enjoying the music! Offiziellecharts.de – Accept – Metal Heart" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 27 May 2023.Up To The Limit is probably the best of them. Wrong Is Right is probably the worst but it’s a tough contest between it and Screaming For A Love Bite which has a hair metal vibe to sit alongside the atrocious lyrics. In conclusion, although it’s not Accept’s best album I still have fun singing along to Metal Heart while directing an imaginary classical ensemble of electric guitars. It’s a great album and will receive a high score from me. Teach Us To Survive is the most proggy entry, with plenty of energy and a jazzy bass line. The lyrics are still utter nonsense but it matters less when the music is at least interesting.