Udo Dirkschneider has confirmed that U.D.O. has finished recording their next studio album. During a recent interview with Brazil’s “Headbangers News“, the frontman revealed the record is scheduled for an early 2027 release, serving as the direct follow-up to their 2023 effort, Touchdown.
“We just finished a new U.D.O. album, and that will be out in the beginning of next year [2027],” Udo said (as transcribed by Blabbermouth). “And then we start [touring with] U.D.O. again. A lot of people are already asking, ‘When is the new U.D.O. stuff coming?’ So, here we go.”
The upcoming album features significant songwriting contributions from bassist Peter Baltes. The former Accept member officially joined the lineup in April 2023 after initially stepping in as a temporary live replacement for Tilen Hudrap following a medical emergency in late 2022. “And I’m really happy to have him back,” the vocalist noted regarding the reunion with his former bandmate.
Addressing whether the presence of two classic Accept members instantly resurrected the songwriting chemistry of early 1980s releases like Restless And Wild, the frontman emphasized an organic approach to the new material.
“We never sit down and say, ‘Okay, we have to do songs like this and this and this way.’ It’s new stuff coming up,” he explained. “Of course it has a little bit of [the flavor] of the older Accept stuff. Of course, two people [from the classic Accept lineup] are there [in U.D.O. now] — the singer and the bass player. And Peter was also very much involved in songwriting in Accept, and also when Accept did the reunion [more than 15 years ago]. So, yeah, there is a [touch] of [the Accept sound], but I think it’s definitely U.D.O. and it’s a really straightforward album.”
The band’s previous album, Touchdown, was produced by Martin “Mattes” Pfeiffer, mixed at Redhead Studio in Wilhelmshaven, and mastered by Stefan Kaufmann at ROXX Studio in Solingen. That record featured early bass tracking by Peter Baltes and a guest appearance from violinist Stefan Pintev.
Outside of U.D.O., the vocalist continues to operate his alternate touring project, Dirkschneider, which exclusively performs Accept material. The group, featuring drummer Sven Dirkschneider and guitarists Alen Brentini and Fabian “Dee” Dammers, recently completed a global tour playing the landmark 1983 album Balls To The Wall in its entirety for its 40th anniversary. Meanwhile, guitarist Wolf Hoffmann remains the sole original member leading the current iteration of Accept.
While recently speaking with Maurizio Lyon Leone on Italy’s “LyonRock,” Udo clarified where he currently stands with his former bandmate Wolf Hoffmann.
While Dirkschneider praised Hoffmann‘s musical abilities, he noted that the current iteration of the band feels very different from their classic era.
“I don’t have a relationship with Wolf Hoffmann anymore. No. He’s a great guitar player. He’s doing quite well now with Accept, but he’s the only member [left] of [the classic lineup of] Accept, and the rest is, like, yeah. What can I say? It’s different, you know? And, yeah, I don’t wanna make any bad comments. He’s doing his stuff, I do my stuff, but as a relationship — no, there is no relationship anymore,” he said.
