Three bands are directly responsible for what Metal is today: BLACK SABBATH (the creator), JUDAS PRIEST (the one who remade the genre and modernized it three or four times), and MOTÖRHEAD (the root for all extreme Metal genres). But if there's one band that could be set with them due to its importance is ACCEPT. The German band is the main core of what German Metal as a whole musical form means to be, and influenced the creation of Speed Metal and Power Metal as well. But what a band can offer after 45 years of existence? Well, maybe "Too Mean to Die" can answer.

Obviously, the fans would ask what is about their music after the long time bassist (and one of the main composers of the band) Peter Baltes left the band. The answer is that the quintet became a sextet, and musically, there aren't extreme changes on their music: it's the same heavy, melodic and aggressive form of traditional Heavy Metal with many hooks (especially the choruses, a trademark of the band), but now with some touches of Power Metal. Musically, "Too Mean to Die" can't be stated as a classic as  "Restless and Wild", "Blood of the Nations" or "The Rise of Chaos" (it's something that only time will tell), but it's still ACCEPT enough to teach some lessons to younger bands.

The recordings of the album have an unexpected feature: they had to record the album without the presence of Andy Sneap. The things were done on Nashville, but the sextet had Andy producing the album by internet (he wasn't present, but he's the producer), and he made the mixing as well. But it didn't affect the sonority of the album: everything is sounding defined, clean and heavy as it's usual from the band, but their melodies are clearer to the ears than before.

"To Mean to Die" is a strong album, and can easily be pointed as one of the best albums of this year, due the musical strength of songs as "Zombie Apocalypse" (a typical song from the band, with catchy guitar riffs and a great chorus, but some melodies are hard to resist), "Too Mean to Die" (another very good set of melodies with the traditional insight that the band uses on the rhythm, where bass guitar and drums are producing a strong and heavy support for the song), "Overnight Sensation" (this one shows that classic Hard Rock touch in some parts, but with the strong vocals of always), "The Undertaker" (that remarkable melodic weight that is usual from the band, with strong backing vocals and very good contrasts between introspective parts and heavier moments), "Sucks to Be You" (that kind of song that makes the listeners to bang the head due the easy melodies and excellent chorus), "How Do We Sleep" (these melodies that are easy to be assimilated and very good vocals are enough to make of this one a live hit), and "Not My Problem" (a savage Hard Rock/Rock 'n' Roll song played with the Heavy Metal form of ACCEPT). So it can be said that they're sounding as always, but allowing some traces of different melodies entering their music.

Well, "Too Mean to Die", as written above, is here to be in the list of many writers as one of the best albums of this year. And I'd like to use a saying an old Brazilian friend of mine: if you like Metal, you like ACCEPT.