Watch: ACCEPT Performs Title Track Of Upcoming Album 'Humanoid' Live For First Time

Legendary German/American heavy metal titans ACCEPT played "Humanoid", the title track of their upcoming album, live for the first time on Sunday, March 3 aboard this year's Monsters Of Rock cruise. Fan-filmed video of the performance can be seen below.

The hard-hitting first single from "Humanoid" features razor-sharp riffs in true ACCEPT style and comments on our reliance on technology. The dystopian atmosphere of the accompanying official music video complements the track perfectly, depicting a stark contrast between a video wall and the band performing live in front of it.

Regarding the lyrical inspiration for the "Humanoid" title track, ACCEPT guitarist and leader Wolf Hoffmann said: "Well, that is actually one of the reasons why we chose it as a title track also, because it seems to be very current. It fits into the times that we live in. And AI is something that everybody talks about right now and it's very much on everybody's mind, because, especially for us as artists, it's a concern because we're starting to think if now creative… I mean, robots used to be just mechanical things that made cars and — I don't know — mechanical jobs, but now they're doing creative jobs. So as a creative person, as a musician, obviously, it's concerning because you ask yourself, are we still going to be needed 20, 30 years from now or two years from now? Because it's advancing at such a pace and with such quality that… Yeah, that is definitely a concern. And I don't have the answers, but it's definitely something that went through our mind when we wrote that song and we picked it as a title track."

When the official "Humanoid" music video was first released late last month, Wolf said: "The song plays with the omnipresent topic of artificial intelligence (AI). In a strange way, we have entered exciting times now… This digital revolution has a huge impact, probably bigger than anything humankind has ever gone through. The Industrial Revolution was huge, but this might be even bigger, and we're just at the beginning of it. However, I'm also a little afraid that humanity gets lost and pushed aside in all this stuff. The song is pretty impactful and provoking!"

Due on April 26, 2024 via Napalm Records, "Humanoid" was once again produced, recorded, mixed and mastered by critically acclaimed heavy metal producer Andy Sneap.

Fans can immerse themselves in the upcoming album on a newly launched interactive web site, where they can reprogram the robot that is featured on the album cover, and discover different parts of the album in the process. Pre-save "Humanoid" now to gain access to the web site here.

Together with the album announcement, ACCEPT has also revealed a massive European headline tour with more than 20 shows across the continent for autumn 2024. This summer, ACCEPT will also return to some of the world’s most important rock and metal festivals, like Wacken Open Air, Hellfest and more, following their South American spring tour.

Hoffmann commented: "I am extremely pleased with 'Humanoid'. The album has great energy throughout! Working with the best metal producer Andy Sneap was once again a lot of fun! We are a great team. We all love the new album and look forward to playing it live! Hope our fans will like it as much as we do.”

ACCEPT is:

Wolf Hoffmann - guitar
Mark Tornillo - vocals
Uwe Lulis - guitar
Martin Motnik - bass
Christopher Williams - drums

This past January, it was announced that ACCEPT will perform at all European festivals in 2024 and the South American tour in May with Joel Hoekstra.

Hoekstra will be standing in for Phil Shouse, who will remain with the band as their permanent live guitarist for all other gigs.

New York-based Joel Hoekstra is best known to fans as a current member of the legendary band WHITESNAKE and is part of TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA. He has also played with Cher, NIGHT RANGER and FOREIGNER, to name just a few of his numerous collaborations.

Hoffmann commented: "It is a great honor for us to be on stage with Joel Hoekstra. Joel is an exceptional guitarist and I have huge respect for him. The whole band is really looking forward to playing with this string magician."

Hoekstra added: "I'm super honored and excited to riff out and rock out with Wolf and the guys! I'm really looking forward to meeting all the ACCEPT fans in South America and Europe! Let's rock!!"

Last June, Wolf said in an interview with Cassius Morris about the progress of the recording sessions for the follow-up to 2021's "Too Mean To Die" album: "Well, we have this place in Nashville that we have made the last five albums in. And we basically do drums at a place — it's not quite sure where we're gonna do it this time. And then guitars are usually happening here in Nashville and mixing happens in England. Nowadays, with technology, we don't really need to be together in the same place for four weeks at a time; we do it here and there and everywhere. But it's still important to know that we're doing it kind of together; we're not just sharing files over the Internet. 'Cause that has never worked for us. So, in other words, Andy has to be in the room, if possible, and then whoever gets to record their tracks, and then a bunch of others are usually around. So it's a group thing, for sure, but it's not [like] everybody's there the whole, all the time together."

In the fall of 2022, ACCEPT completed a North American tour with support from NARCOTIC WASTELAND. The band played a career-spanning set of new and classic tracks, including mega-hits "Balls To The Wall", "Princess Of The Dawn", "Fast As A Shark" and many more.

In February 2022, it was announced that ACCEPT had inked a worldwide deal with Napalm Records.

"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, the aforementioned 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 with 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".