DAVID REECE On Replacing UDO DIRKSCHNEIDER In ACCEPT: 'It Was Never Going To Work'

In a recent interview with Dead Rhetoric's Matt Coe, former ACCEPT vocalist David Reece reflected upon his joining of the legendary German metallers for 1989's "Eat The Heat". The American singer replaced Udo Dirkschneider in 1988, with "Eat The Heat" charting a more commercial sound in comparison to ACCEPT's previous efforts. The album was largely a commercial disappointment and Reece was let go from ACCEPT the same year.

"Everybody had really high hopes," Reece said. "It was a corporate decision; they had reached a pinnacle in terms of sales with the labels. They needed to open things up across the pond and get an American or an English guy who speaks English well to commercialize the band. Now keep in mind, especially with 'Metal Heart' and 'Russian Roulette', you started hearing some of that change in ACCEPT's writing — the melodies getting more commercial. Some of my experiences — being a club singer guy and getting a phone call from Wolf Hoffmann [guitar] was pretty amazing. I was pretty much hidden out in a Colorado cabin working a job in the middle of winter and it was him. Two days later, I'm on a plane to Dusseldorf walking into [producer] Dieter Dierks' studios where they have done all the classic SCORPIONS albums, and there the producer is standing in front of me. Another thing I learned is I could sing really powerful, but one day I was singing along to one of the songs in pre-production and Dieter said to me I have a nice strong rock voice but 'You don't know who the hell you are. And it's my job to discover that.' And I took it personal. I was a 27-year-old kid; I can sing great. But he said I didn't know who I was. We have to find out who my voice is. And we worked on that for about nine months. I went to another vocal teacher. The Germans don't play around — it's about work. That's one reason why they are successful. A lot of bands think they play a great gig on a Friday and they let things slide off of that. Bands like ACCEPT and the bigger bands, it's a day in, day out work in progress. I learned a lot from that. Sometimes it's a little extreme, but I get what they were trying to do.

"Of course, I have regrets — I don't know if it's ever really feasible that I could replace someone like Udo Dirkschneider," he continued. "I just opened for him for 28 shows. Udo is a legend. That guy has a loyal legion of fans all over the continent. It was never going to work — it's not my fault, they chose me. It was worth a try, right? I have nothing but respect for Udo; he is the voice of ACCEPT to me."

You can read the entire interview at Dead Rhetoric.

Reece recently released a new solo album, "Cacophony Of Souls", via El Puerto Records. Joining him on the effort are ex-U.D.O./ SINNER guitarist Andy Susemihl, bassist Malte Frederik Burkert (EXOTOXIS) and drummer Andrea Gianangeli (DRAGONHAMMER, SOULS UNCHAINED).

Reece has also played with BONFIRE and BANGALORE CHOIR.