Out now is the three-track strong EP Arising, courtesy of Dirkschneider & The Old Gang, and available on AFM Records.
The band features vocalist Udo Dirkschneider (Accept/U.D.O./Dirkschneider) and his longtime companions Peter Baltes (Accept) on bass, Stefan Kaufmann (Accept, U.D.O.) and Mathias Dieth (Sinner, U.D.O.) on guitars as well as Udo’s son Sven Dirkschneider (U.D.O; Dirkschneider) on drums, plus singer Manuela Bibert.
Although this new music project they’ve put together is musically in the heavy metal tradition fans have become accustomed in their work, they are currently working on brand new songs.
‘Where The Angels Fly’, ‘Face Of A Stranger’ and ‘Every Heart Is Burning’ all feature on the EP, available as a CD, a 12″ vinyl and a download.
Kaufmann also acted as the band’s producer, and explained how the band came together: “In the run-up to the production of the album We Are One by U.D.O. & Das Musikkorps der Bundeswehr, Peter Baltes and I worked together for the first time in many years between July 2019 and March 2020 and contributed some tracks to the said disc. In this way, a meeting also came about between Udo and Peter, and a little later likewise with Mathias, whereby, our recently only sporadic contact, was intensified again.”
Additionally, the head of the music corps suggested including Manuela Bibert, who was born in Kazakhstan and grew up in Germany, as a solo singer for the tracks ‘Blindfold’ and ‘Beyond Good And Evil’ as well as for a duet with Udo on ‘Neon Diamond’ on the We Are One production.
“Usually there are more songs for an album than are recorded and released,” noted Baltes himself. “From such a pool came ‘Where The Angels Fly’, which was no longer considered for We Are One due to time constraints and was withheld with a heavy heart. Since all involved considered the number too strong to let it gather dust in a drawer, the idea was born to release it separately.
“Udo expressed the wish to sing a duet with me again after many years, and since Manuela had already sung the third verse, the idea of what Stefan calls ‘diversified main vocals’ was born.” Before too long this developed into Dirkschneider & The Old Gang.
In May 2020, Das Musikkorps der Bundeswehr first released its version of ‘Where The Angels Fly’ via YouTube, then Dirkschneider, Baltes and Kaufmann rearranged the song and turned it into a thoroughbred rock number. “We recorded more guitars, changed the orchestral and choral arrangements slightly, and remixed everything,” saidKaufmann. The response from fans was overwhelming: without any advertising or marketing, the Youtube clip for has been clicked 2.3 million times to date.
In order to help the arts and culture sector, that has been particularly hard hit by the corona lockdown, and to support artists during their economic hardship, the entire proceeds of the first Dirkschneider & The Old Gang single will go to the band and crew members of U.D.O. In this respect, the Dirkschneider & The Old Gang line-up becomes a charitable project.
“And that’s despite the fact that until now all six members have never been together in the same room, and some only know each other through Facetime or similar digital communication channels,” remarked Udo Dirkschneider. “But we all agree that this project is a stroke of luck for everyone involved: We all make music for the sheer fun of it, everyone can inject their part according to their own gusto, there are neither conventions nor guidelines or even the pressure to succeed. What more could a musician ask for?!”
You can order Arising here and check out Dirkschneider & The Old Gang on Spotify.
