U.D.O. - Mission No. X

*=Staff's pick	Mission No. X 24/7* Mean Streets* Primecrime On Primetime Eye Of The Eagle* Shell Shock Fever Stone Hard Breaking Down The Borders Cry Soldier Cry Way Of Life Mad For Crazy*

Genre	Heavy Metal	Udo Dirkschneider	Vocals
Tracks	13	Stefan Kaufmann	Guitar
Runningtime	47 Min.	Igor Gianola	Guitar
Label	AFM Records	Fitty Wienhold	Bass
Release	03 Oct. 2005	Francesco Jovino	Drums
Country	Germany	-	Keyboards
Similar artists	Accept, Judas Priest, Grave Digger

After a couple of really solid albums, Man And Machine and Thunderball, maybe the best of the whole U.D.O.-catalogue, the expectations on Mission No. X were high. Mr. Dirkschneider & Co. are extremely reliable. They don't compromise a slightest bit with their Accept heritage. One or other more experimental song might have been made, but in their whole, the albums are always within the same red line. That is safe to know, but also kind of a trap. The same day (day X?) as the songs do not hold as much quality as usual, it is the more evident when you can compare them more directly to their predecessors. Unfortunately X is full of tired clichés, recycling and fatigue. Maybe the Accept tour did more harm than inspiration to the creativity?

If you know your U.D.O., you know that the title track is first out. Mission No. X suffers from a dull chorus. The usual Udo-'angriness' is missing. 24/7 is a standard U.D.O. song, no more - no less. The riffs are familiar and the chorus slightly reused. The lyrics about how dedicated the band are to their metal calling are not that exiting either. The verses in Mean Streets are slow and bring your thoughts to Generation Clash, but the chorus is the strongest on the record. Primecrime On Primetime is the typical heavier mid-tempo song, with a chorus that reminds of Fistful Of Anger. Eye Of The Eagle is the usual ballad. It might not be as strong as last record's Blind Eyes, but it is still one of the best tracks on X.

The record continues with every other song respectively fast and mid-tempo. Shell Shock Fever is a bruiser, but has to simple chorus to really make it. Stone Hard lowers the tempo slightly again. It has potential but falls into the line of slumber after a while. The lack of great choruses is continuous through the album. Cry Soldier Cry is kind of the second ballad, but the serious message leaves you untouched this time.

And was it really necessary with a new version of Way Of Life (from No Limits)? A quite ordinary song that is just slightly speeded up. Mad For Crazy is in the last moment of this creation the best of the faster tracks. Unfortunately the songs on the promotion record are shortened and fade into each other. That makes it harder to put a fair grade. One thing is for sure, Udo sings as aggressive and great as ever, in spite of the rumour that he has quit smoking. In the whole, this is another of the German disappointments this year. U.D.O. is in good company with Masterplan, Running Wild and Metalium in this matter.

Production	Vocals	Compositions
6	8	5

Summary
5 chalices of 10 - David