Ex-ACCEPT Singer DAVID REECE Releases Music Video For New Solo Single 'Enemy Is Me'

American singer David Reece, who fronted ACCEPT in the late '80s, will release a new solo album, "Baptized By Fire", on March 1, 2024 via El Puerto Records.

The official music video for the LP's first single, "Enemy Is Me", can be seen below.

With "Enemy Is Me", Reece sends a first hint at the musical direction of the new CD — much heavier than its two predecessors. The reviews so far immediately draw comparisons with ACCEPT — which was clear, given his musical history — and other heavy metal heavyweights.

"Enemy Is Me" showcases Reece's new band consisting of three Italians: Riccardo Demarosi, Niccolò and Giovanni Savinelli.

Track list:

01. Enemy Is Me
02. We've Lost The Fight
03. Wrong Move
04. Payback's A Bitch
05. No Rest For The Wicked
06. Twilight of the Gods
07. Seasons Of A Man
08. Closer To God
09. Archbishop Of Anarchy
10. My Heart Burns
11. Acceptance Of Denial
12. Tomorrow Don't Matter Today

Recording lineup:

David Reece - Vocals
Riccardo Demarosi - Bass
Niccolò Savinelli - Guitars
Giovanni Savinelli - Drums

Reece, who is based in Italy, was recruited for ACCEPT's "Eat The Heat" LP in 1989. His higher-pitched delivery was in sharp contrast to original ACCEPT singer Udo Dirkschneider's distinctive style, and overall, the album was a critical and commercial disappointment. Midway through the "Eat The Heat" tour, differences between the band and Reece had come to a head, leading to the altercation between the singer and bassist Peter Baltes in Chicago. By the end of 1989, ACCEPT had hung it up.

Asked by Via Nocturna 2000 YT how he looks back on his time with ACCEPT, Reece said: "Well, I can be blatantly honest — it was super positive and super negative, but I wouldn't be speaking with you right now if I hadn't done that album. The doors were opened; the floodgates happened. The critics hated me. Some loved me. But I have to be honest and say that was an opportunity of a lifetime. I did the best I could. I have no animosity towards those guys. I don't care what they're doing; they don't care what I'm doing; but I'm grateful for the opportunity. It speaks volumes as a singer that I was chosen over 50 people to be the guy. It was a difficult job."

David went on to say that his association with ACCEPT landed him a call from JUDAS PRIEST after the latter band parted ways with Rob Halford. "At that time I could really sing like that," he said. "It was myself, Ralf Scheepers [PRIMAL FEAR] and Ripper Owens; [we] were the top three guys. So they chose Ripper. But they were contacting me six months later: 'Come over to England and let's jam.' So, obviously, it did a lot for me in a positive way."

According to Reece, he looks back on "Eat The Heat" fondly. "I mean, everybody has an album they regret, but if you regret an album, maybe you're not thinking clearly about the personal turmoil that was going on during the album," he explained. "That could affect how you think about it. And I've gotten to my old, mature state where I can go, 'That's pretty damn good.' I still play 'X-T-C' and 'D-Train' and 'Hellhammer' live, and 'Generation Clash', and people go crazy. So those songs are timeless for people."

In January 2021, guitarist Wolf Hoffmann called "Eat The Heat" "a dark time in our history of ACCEPT. I would say that all of the '90s were very difficult and very dark in a way, and I don't even like to think about it so much," he told Hardrock Haven. "If only you journalist guys didn't constantly ask me about it, I would never even think about it. [Laughs] 'Cause it was just a time when heavy metal was going through a very dark period. The traditional sound was out of style and nobody wanted to listen to it, so it was sort of searching for a new direction — especially in the '90s. 'Eat The Heat' came out at the beginning of that era and it was meant to be a new chapter, but it's just never panned out because basically everything went wrong with that album. And it's just something you go through in life. I don't see why I still have to defend myself in a way… People always ask me this question almost in a provocative way, as if I have to defend myself about this album. It's ridiculous… It's almost like people have to apologize that they like it."

He continued: "There's something about this album that rubs a lot of people the wrong way and they have such a strong opinion about it… It's sometimes laughable. In my mind, it had some fantastic songs but it was just never executed properly, and it was not meant to be. But over the years, I've met so many fans who said exactly the same thing, 'Man, I really wanna apologize, but I really like this album… I know nobody likes it, but I think it's great.' And I think that's so bizarre. If you like it, you like it. It's so strange that people are so opinionated about it.

"It's just music," Wolf explained. "You can like it or not, but it's not more than that. In any case, it wasn't the period of time that I like to even think about much, 'cause it was very difficult."

Reece has also played with BONFIRE and BANGALORE CHOIR.