Udo Dirkschneider is one of those mastodons that have been around for longer than times remember. He was one of the original members of ACCEPT before going his own way in UDO. Over the years I have had the pleasure of talking to him and one of this is distinctly recall is that in 2005 I had him telling me after a tour as front man of ACCEPT that he couldn't work with Peter Baltes and Stefan Kaufmann anymore. You can picture my surprise first off when I was confronted with his latest venture DIRKSCHNEIDER AND THE OLD GANG (DATOG). You can imagine my astonishment when I saw that the two forementioned no-go members are actually part of this gang.  In fact, DATOG has been going since 2020, something that eluded me thus far. In 2021 they released two EP's, "Every Heart Is Burning" and " Arising".  And now, on 3 October 2025, it is time for a full length album.

Well, I have to say that DATOG has had no problem making "Babylon" over an hour long, and it has surprised me how much I have been enjoying what they have to offer on the album. In comparison with UDO the material here is much more light hearted, much easier to sing along to. And even though it is all rather predictable, all quite good as well. If you wish to compare it with something, look back at the first years of ACCEPT and filter the less heavy songs, and you will have an inkling at where I am pointing you. But whereas I was very weary of the ACCEPT albums after "Restless And Wild",  I somehow have a lot less trouble in accepting what DATOG is sending my way.

There is no escaping the fact that this is easy listening Heavy Metal, very simple, quite direct and with the ability to put a smile on your face. What does help is that Udo himself has help in the vocal department. Manuela "Ella" Bibert has a very clean and pleasant voice. She does a very good job when singing her parts, and although it sometimes emphasises the difference in vocal qualities between the two, the combination between the two works as far as I'm concerned. If I have to write a conclusion to this review it has to be that if you like the Udo era ACCEPT you just can't go wrong with "Babylon", the debut album of DIRKSCHNEIDER AND THE OLD GANG. I don't care how old they are, this really is a fun record to listen to and (attempt to) sing along to. Here's to hoping it doesn't end with this one.