ACCEPT's WOLF HOFFMANN 'Loved' Being A Professional Photographer

During an appearance on a recent episode of "The Ron Keel Podcast", ACCEPT guitarist Wolf Hoffmann admitted that he became disillusioned with the heavy metal scene 25 years ago and pursued other interests, including photography, until the band's eventual reformation.

"To be quite honest, I've retired from being a photographer," he said. "I enjoyed it for many, many years, especially during the time that ACCEPT was not active, in service. I really enjoyed being a photographer because it was a creative job in a way, and I really loved it. But it was always my second love in life, oddly enough. I never felt quite the same passion and satisfaction that I do that I get when I'm onstage or recording albums and such. But during that time, ACCEPT was at a standstill and I figured that's the second-best thing I can do in life. And I enjoyed it."

This past summer, Hoffmann told Vinyl Writer Music about how he first became interested in photography: "Well, I started taking pictures on the road when we were touring so much and I started to see the world. You know, I started doing touristy pictures, like everybody else, and from there it developed into a passion and almost like an obsession. I just was fascinated by the process. I started to have a dark room and developing my own film and really got into it. And then one day in the '90s, when the band came to end, I thought to myself, 'Why don't I give my second passion a serious go? Why don't I give it a chance and see what I can do with it?' I was a little tired of the music business at that point, and I became a professional photographer for all those years. I really did enjoy it, but honestly, does it give me the same satisfaction as playing music on stage? Hell no. And I don't think there's anything in life that can do that. That's why they say, 'Once a musician, you're always a musician.' Because it's almost like a drug — you want it again and again. I haven't found anything in life that comes close to it."

ACCEPT will embark on a North American tour later this month. The trek, featuring support from NARCOTIC WASTELAND, will kick off on September 29 in Nashville, Tennessee and conclude on October 29 in Columbus, Ohio. Fans can expect a career-spanning setlist of new and classic tracks, including mega-hits "Balls To The Wall", "Princess Of The Dawn", "Fast As A Shark" and many more.

This past February, it was announced that ACCEPT had inked a worldwide deal with Napalm Records.

ACCEPT's latest album, "Too Mean To Die", came out in January 2021 via Nuclear Blast. The LP was 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 studio sound of ACCEPT since 2010.

Mark Tornillo joined ACCEPT in 2009 as the replacement for the band's original lead singer, Udo Dirkscheider. He can be heard on ACCEPT's last five studio albums, "Blood Of The Nations" (2010),"Stalingrad" (2012),"Blind Rage" (2014),"The Rise Of Chaos" (2017) and "Too Mean To Die".