WOLF HOFFMANN Didn't Know If He Wanted ACCEPT To Be Called A 'Heavy Metal' Band At First

In a new interview with Janne Innanfors of the Swedish radio station Rockklassiker, ACCEPT guitarist Wolf Hoffmann, who is the sole remaining member of the band's classic lineup, reflected on the group's formative years. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's been always said we were the first heavy metal band — purely heavy metal band — out of Germany. Eventually, in the early '80s, people started coming up with that term 'heavy metal.' And I remember thinking, 'Is that good or bad? It sounds a little cheap somehow.' Initially, I thought, 'I don't know that I wanna be called heavy metal. But then the term stuck. And now, of course, everybody calls everything metal. But when it first came up, it was, like, I didn't know quite what to make of it. But then we basically said, 'Well, wait a minute, if anybody is heavy metal, it's us.'"

Hoffmann went on to say that he never made much of an effort to learn how to play other people's material. He explained: " I can't play anybody else's songs, so I'm always a bit embarrassed when they do jam sessions and such, because they all know everybody's else's songs. 'Hey, let's do this song.' 'Sorry, I can't play that. I can play my own stuff.' I can barely play my own stuff."

ACCEPT's new album, "Humanoid", will be released on April 26, 2024 via Napalm Records. The follow-up to 2021's "Too Mean To Die" was once again produced, recorded, mixed and mastered by critically acclaimed heavy metal producer Andy Sneap.

ACCEPT recently 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.

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.

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

"Too Mean To Die" came out 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.

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".