Chad Bowar: Give us a preview of Mastercutor.
Udo Dirkschneider: You can expect a more modern sound and a little different arrangements on the songs, but still the basic sound has not changed.
What does Mastercutor mean?
The word comes from master executor. The Mastercutor is the host of stupid game, talk and reality shows on TV. He's directing the whole album as a show master.
Is there anything that inspired your lyrics for this album?
Of course. Watching those stupid game shows, talk shows and reality shows. But that is not the meaning of the whole album. There's a song about nature. We are on our way to destroying nature, and we have to be a little bit more careful. Another song is a tribute to our fans that have stayed with us for a long time. We have a song that was inspired by the movie Flatliners. A lot of people want to know what you see when you are dead. They bring you back to life in ask you what you saw, what happened. Another song is about the Mafia. So there are a lot of different subjects on this album.
How does your songwriting process work?
First we start with the lyrics. Most of the lyrics are done by Stefan Kaufmann and me. When we have enough lyrics and enough stories we have the lines to make titles. Then we collect all the ideas of everybody in the band and see which ideas fit together the best with the lyrics to get the right atmosphere. That's the way we compose.
Most bands start with the music, and then write the lyrics.
We did it that way for long time with Accept. We started doing it this way with the No Limits album (1999). It's not the normal way, but it works for us much better than the other way around.
U.D.O. hasn't played in the US since 2001, correct?
Yes. But we have a new booking agency and they are already working on something in America for the beginning of next year. They are looking for the right tour, the right bill.
What are your summer tour plans?
We are playing a lot of festivals. The biggest ones are Sweden Rock and Earthshaker in Germany. We are playing festivals in Romania in Norway and Switzerland. We are also playing Serbia, Spain, Ukraine, France and nearly everywhere in Europe.
Is there anywhere you haven't yet played live?
Yes, there is one country where I would love to go. Australia. I have never been to Australia. We were very close with Accept, but we did not make it there.
During your concerts, how much of the material is U.D.O. and how much is Accept?
Normally we play 20 or 21 songs. Three songs are Accept, and the rest are U.D.O. It's a little bit different with festivals. At festivals fans want to have a party, they want to hear the classic stuff. So there we will play a little more Accept stuff.
At age 55, your voice still sounds great. Do you do anything for it, or is it just nature?
I think that it is nature and I'm very lucky. I do not do anything special. I take care of my voice and go to a doctor twice a year and check everything. I've never had any problems. I think I'm very, very lucky.
How much longer do you anticipate playing music?
I'm just going to keep going. For me, the most important thing is that I have fun. I've reached nearly everything already with Accept and U.D.O., so the most important thing is that I have fun touring and making albums. I'm still nervous when a new album comes out. I'm still nervous when we start touring. So as long as I have this feeling, I can't say when I will stop.
How strong is heavy metal today compared to its heyday in the 80s?
In the 80s there weren’t so many bands around and nowadays there are a lot more bands around. I think sometimes there are too many bands. But there are a lot of interesting young bands around. They are not really playing the classic metal stuff, that's up to the old bands.
While you were playing classic metal, you saw the birth of more extreme genres like death metal and black metal. What do you think of those genres of music?
There is some interesting stuff, but I'm not really into black metal or death metal. It's not really my kind of music. I have a 13-year-old son, and he is into all of this modern stuff. He listens to music very loud, so I hear everything.
Does your son listen to your music?
Yes, of course. When we were writing the new album he listened to the songs very early and told me what he thought was good and not good. It is interesting to hear young people and what they think.
Do you see him becoming a musician too?
Maybe. He's been playing the drums for five years in the guitar for two years, but thank God he is not singing. (laughs)
What have been some of the biggest changes you've seen in the music industry over the past 30 years?
I have seen a lot of changes with record companies. Most of the bands today don't have the support of the record companies. If one album doesn't sell enough, they don't get any support. The other big change is the internet.
Germany has a rich metal history. What do you think are some of the best German heavy metal bands?
That is hard to say. We have so many good bands. We have Blind Guardian, Gamma Ray, Primal Fear, Rage, Gravedigger. For me the most popular band at the moment is Edguy. They are very good
Is it strange to read about yourself in metal history books?
It's interesting. But I have started writing my own book. It will take a while before it is finished. You will be at least two or three more years. I don't want to do a normal biography. I want to do more of a novella, like a story.
