ACCEPT's WOLF HOFFMANN Doesn't Want To Live In The Past: 'I'm A Guy Who Constantly Thinks Ahead'

In a new interview with A&P Reacts, ACCEPT guitarist Wolf Hoffmann was asked if the songtitle "The Best Is Yet To Come" from the band's upcoming album "Too Mean To Die" represents ACCEPT's motto. He responded (see video below): "I hope so. It's my personal motto, for sure. I get asked a lot about the '80s, and some people always wanna dig around the past in my case. Some people out there enjoy the past better than the present — it seems like they're living in the past almost — and I always think that's not for me. I'm a guy who constantly thinks ahead. And I honestly think that here and now is pretty damn cool, but the best is yet to come. And maybe the best ACCEPT song hasn't even been written yet, and the best show hasn't been played yet, professionally. So I'm definitely always thinking ahead and honestly, I'm the eternal optimist in that regard. 'Cause I know a lot of people are other way around — they think, ah, today everything sucks, and everything was great in the '80s, or 20 years ago, or whenever, and I can't understand that. So it reflects what I think is my life philosophy, if you want."

Hoffmann went on to say that it's pointless to keep thinking about the past because "you can't change it anyhow. I even hate second-guessing myself and thinking, 'I should have' [and] 'I could have' and all that kind of stuff," he said. "Because people ask me that all the time: 'What would you have done differently? And if you were doing this again…?' I don't care, man. It's over. It's done. We even have a song [called 'What's Done Is Done' on the 2017 album 'The Rise Of Chaos' featuring the lyrics] 'What's done is done when the bullet left the gun.' You can't take it back. You know what I mean?"

"Too Mean To Die" will be made available on January 29 (postponed two weeks from the previously announced January 15) via Nuclear Blast. The LP will be the group's first without bassist Peter Baltes, who exited ACCEPT in November 2018. He has since been replaced by Martin Motnik. ACCEPT's lineup has also been expanded with the addition of a third guitarist, Philip Shouse, who originally filled in for Uwe Lulis during 2019's "Symphonic Terror" tour, before being asked to join the band permanently.

"Too Mean To Die" was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee with British producer Andy Sneap (JUDAS PRIEST, MEGADETH),who has been responsible for the magnificent studio sound of ACCEPT since 2010.

ACCEPT's last album, 2017's "The Rise Of Chaos", marked the band's first release with guitarist Uwe Lulis and drummer Christopher Williams, replacing Herman Frank and Stefan Schwarzmann, respectively.