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Believe it or not this is my first taste of Udo Dirkschneider's solo project – stuff he's been plugging since the late 80's. Obviously we all know and love the guy due to his awesome work in Accept. I must say I'm impressed with Infected as what we have on our hands is a collection of kickass Heavy Metal songs firmly rooted in the German school reminding me a lot of acts such as Gamma Ray, Running Wild and in particular Grave Digger (due to the similar vocal styles of Udo and Chris Boltendahl). Clearly the main competitor and a good point for discussion and comparison is between this and Herman Frank's recent release (check it out if you haven't already). There is without a shadow of a doubt a lot of similarities between both U.D.O and Herman Frank's release, but then again this is German metal. I think Infected bears more in common with Grave Digger whereas Herman Frank's Loyal to None reminds me more of Running Wild – although both bear some awesome Gamma Ray sounding moments. However it's not a case of which is better it's a case of getting them both – the boys from Accept have delivered two of the finest slabs of balls to the wall Heavy Metal this year. Now enough with the comparisons to fellow band member (that's for another review, another day.) I'm sure you all want to know what Infected has to offer you – read on.

From the get go, this is grade A Heavy Metal, with quality riffage, smoking leads and an impeccable drum battery. The main ingredients are top of the range, and adding Udo's characteristic vocal style catapults this right up there – but what did you expect, these guys are fucking pros. Next up is the ridiculously infectious (pun intended) "Systematic Madness" seriously this album wouldn't sound out of place on a Grave Digger album. This track also features some delightful lead guitar work. My personal favorite has to be the sublime "Bodyworld" with an undeniable Gamma Ray feel to it (think Powerplant or No World Order!). I just love the main riff, it proves you don't need to be ridiculously technical or play at 400mph to get the blood pumping. I believe I'd appreciate the next two tracks a whole lot more if I had been an U.D.O. fan prior to hearing this release, not to say the songs are bad. "Platchet Soldit" is a particularly enjoyable folk-laden cut, I don't know if you heard the latest Revolution Renaissance release but this track reminds me heavily of the fantastic "Into the Future". The final track is a live performance, certainly one for the fans. Overall this EP is very enjoyable and I would certainly recommend picking it up, obviously the next U.D.O. full-length is due out very soon so it will be interesting to see if any of the tracks here make it on the album and how similar it is stylistically. Certainly one I'm looking forward to hearing.