Former MEGADETH Drummer SHAWN DROVER To Join ACCEPT As 'Special Guest Artist' For Three European Shows

Former MEGADETH drummer Shawn Drover will join ACCEPT as a "special guest artist" at the German/American metallers' first three 50th-anniversary concerts next month:

May 01 - Kopervik, Norway @ Karmøygeddon Metal Festival
May 03 - Gothenburg, Sweden @ Filmstudion
May 06 - Stockholm, Sweden @ Cirkus

ACCEPT said in a statement: "The one and only drummer Shawn Drover (ex-MEGADETH) will be the first special guest artist for ACCEPT's 50th-anniversary celebrations LIVE! Joining the band for the first three shows in May. An absolute legend and beast of a drummer, we are thrilled to have him join us on stage as part of this very special and unique year.

"Join us today, reserve your place to metal's biggest party of 2026."

As previously reported, ACCEPT will celebrate its 50th anniversary with an extensive European tour in late 2026, marking a major milestone in the band's extraordinary five-decade career at the forefront of heavy metal. The dates form part of ACCEPT's 50th-anniversary tour, comprising 24 headline shows across 11 European countries.

The tour will see the band bring half a century of metal history to stages across Europe, performing for fans in major cities throughout Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic.

ACCEPT guitarist Wolf Hoffmann said: "It's incredible to be celebrating 50 years of ACCEPT, and taking this anniversary tour across Europe makes it even more special. The support from our fans over the decades has been overwhelming, and we can't wait to bring these shows to so many countries and celebrate this milestone together."

Special guests on the tour will be Swedish metallers DYNAZTY and U.K. up-and-comers TAILGUNNER.

Since joining ACCEPT in 1976 at the age of just 16, Wolf played a central role in the band. His instantly recognizable and signature guitar style not only created the ACCEPT "sound" but influenced a plethora of other highly successful bands and guitarists. Because of Wolf's unflinching dedication, ACCEPT has become one of the most significant bands in heavy metal. Not only did he lay the musical foundations for the band, he also carried it through both the highs and lows of an extraordinary 50-year career.

Alongside the anniversary tour, ACCEPT will release a special 50th-anniversary album later this year, featuring newly re-recorded classics, rare tracks and guest appearances.

Last September, ANTHRAX bassist Frank Bello and MR. BIG bassist Billy Sheehan revealed that they both recorded separate guest appearances on ACCEPT's upcoming 50th-anniversary album.

In 2024, Hoffmann told Metal Journal about ACCEPT's upcoming 50th-anniversary LP: "I can't tell you anything yet, because it's way too early. I can just tell you it's gonna be a massive thing. And I don't really wanna get into it yet because I'm not really here to talk specifics about it. It's still in the planning stages. It's gonna be amazing. I think it's gonna be some really big names that are gonna be participating in that. And you'll have to wait. Sorry. It's just too early."

As for whether ACCEPT had already "selected" the guest musicians who would appear on the album, Wolf said at the time: "Yes, we have selected a lot of it. Not all of it, but we have selected a lot."

Back in April 2025, Wolf revealed to Mark Strigl, that longtime ACCEPT producer Andy Sneap would not be involved with the band's upcoming 50th-anniversary album. "He will not be on this one, because he asked for a year off from us," Wolf said. "I asked him, I begged him to produce his album, but then we found a good buddy of his. His name is Zeuss [Chris Harris]. He's producing it."

Hoffmann continued: "[Andy is] kind of part of the family now, but he's been touring so much with [JUDAS] PRIEST [as that band's touring guitarist], and he's been working so much in the studio last year. I think he did SAXON, he did PRIEST, he also did DREAM THEATER — he's done a bunch of stuff. So when I said, 'Hey, can we work this year again?' He said, 'Man, can I please have a year off?', which is understandable."

Regarding ACCEPT's upcoming 50th-anniversary tour, Wolf said: "It's gonna be a retrospective of the whole 50-year career and, of course, it's gonna feature a lot of the important stuff from the '80s and some deeper cuts. And we're gonna perform with guest singers and guest players, and it's gonna be super exciting, like a once-in-a-lifetime thing. You only have one shot at a 50-year anniversary… I don't think we'll get a chance for another one."

Sneap produced ACCEPT's last six studio albums: "Blood Of The Nations" (2010),"Stalingrad" (2012),"Blind Rage" (2014),"The Rise Of Chaos" (2017),"Too Mean To Die" (2021) and "Humanoid" (2024).

Zeuss has previously worked with ROB ZOMBIE, HATEBREED, QUEENSRŸCHE, SHADOWS FALL, DEMON HUNTER, OVERKILL and REVOCATION, among many others.

In February 2025, Hoffmann told Metal Talks about ACCEPT's 50th anniversary: "Yeah, it's a funny thing. I joined this band when I was 16 and just never left. And here I am all these all these years later, coming on a 50th anniversary, which is crazy. But yeah, it's definitely something that we're very proud of. And not every band is lucky enough to be around for this long and to still be in the business and to still be touring to still have fans.

"I think ACCEPT, we're very fortunate in the way that we achieved the impossible," he continued. "We had a change of lead singers 15 years ago with Mark Tornillo, and things are better than they've ever been for us. I mean, the last few albums have been phenomenal, the touring is going great, we have sold-out shows everywhere. So, I mean, we are really, really fortunate, and I'm fully aware of that. And yeah, to mark the occasion, we're gonna have a special tour. We're gonna release a new album with — we're gonna re-record some of the old classics and some of the deeper-cut songs from back then with guest people, guest singers, guest guitar players, and we're gonna bring this out on the road in '26. So we're working on that for the next year or so.

"This is a milestone that needs to be celebrated properly, and what better [way to do it]?" Hoffmann added. "I mean, we only have one chance for a 50th anniversary. I don't think I'll get another one. With all optimism, I don't think I'll be around 50 years from now, or the fans will be, so we might as well have this opportunity and make use of it. And it's gonna be fantastic. I know it. We're gonna play some songs we've never played before, and it's gonna be great."

Over the past five decades, ACCEPT has sold millions of albums and inspired countless musicians. Their energetic live performances and iconic albums such as "Balls To The Wall", "Restless And Wild" and "Metal Heart" have left a lasting mark on the heavy metal genre. Hoffmann's guitar style and musical vision have made the band one of the most respected on the heavy metal scene.

After a hiatus in the band's career, Wolf was introduced to New Jersey singer Mark Tornillo in 2009. The chemistry and fit between them was so remarkable, ACCEPT reformed and almost immediately rose to global success with chart-topping albums. ACCEPT continues to be celebrated for each of their new records with Mark, who is now the longest-reigning frontman of ACCEPT, placing the Hoffmann-Tornillo partnership firmly in the Metal Hall Of Fame.

For decades, ACCEPT has been recognized as a guarantee of high quality and each of their albums has reached the top of the charts, delivering energy, melodies, killer riffs and an impressively powerful stage presence for 50 years.

Tornillo joined ACCEPT in 2009 as the replacement for Dirkschneider, who was the band's original lead singer. Mark can be heard on ACCEPT's last six studio albums.