WOLF HOFFMANN Says ACCEPT Sounds 'As Fresh And As Good As Ever' On Band's First Album Without PETER BALTES

ACCEPT guitarist Wolf Hoffmann spoke to Canada's The Metal Voice about the band's upcoming studio album, "Too Mean To Die", which will be released on January 15, 2021 via Nuclear Blast. The LP will be 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 He has since been replaced by Martin Motnik.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, Philip Shouse, who originally filled in for Uwe Lulis during last year's "Symphonic Terror" tour, before being asked to join the band permanently.

Asked if it's "weird" not seeing Baltes by his side anymore, Hoffmann said: "It is a little strange for me, and I was kind of heartbroken and sad when it happened. But at the end of the day, what are you gonna do? You have to keep on moving. And the show must go on. We've got a great new guy on bass — his name is Martin Motnik — and he actually contributed quite a bit to to this album, songwriting-wise, which really surprised me in a good way. It was great, because I asked all the guys, 'Please let me hear any ideas you might have that might work for us. Let's have 'em.' And he really came forward and delivered a bunch of good stuff.

"So, yeah, I miss Peter, but at the same time, it's almost been two years, and the ship rolls on," he continued. "What can you do? And I guess the fans can decide whether it really influenced the album in a band way or not, but so far, I don't think it has. I think we sound as fresh and as good as ever."

In November 2019, Hoffmann told Powermetal.cl that he no longer kept in touch with Baltes after the bassist exited the group a year earlier. "Unfortunately, when somebody leaves the band, they're always kind of out of sight, out of mind," Wolf explained. "It's very sad. I wish it wasn't that way, because we've been friends for so long. But the reality is I haven't really heard from him — even though I reached out a couple of times. He's almost like he wants to disappear or he wants to leave the music business altogether. It's sad and I still don't quite understand what really happened. But it is what it is, and we move on."

"Too Mean To Die" was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee with British producer Andy Sneap (JUDAS PRIEST, MEGADETH),who has been responsible for the magnificent studio sound of ACCEPT since 2010.

ACCEPT's last album, 2017's "The Rise Of Chaos", marked the band's first release with guitarist Uwe Lulis and drummer Christopher Williams, replacing Herman Frank and Stefan Schwarzmann, respectively.

ACCEPT's latest release was "Symphonic Terror - Live At Wacken 2017", featuring the band's performance at the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany.