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Good old Udo Dirkschneider. The guy never missed a beat after leaving Accept in 1987. He has continually cranked out albums of the same mid-paced Germanic Heavy Metal that made his previous band famous and, as always, relying on his distinctive voice. Gruff yet strangely melodic, Udo sounds every bit as powerful today as he did on classics like Restless and Wild and Balls to the Wall.

Dominator is the 12th studio album from U.D.O. (the band) and they have stayed true to the 80s Accept formula as it continues to work beautifully. Crunchy riffs, sing-a-long choruses that any number of Power Metal bands can only WISH they could write, and lyrics that ooze melted cheese. Look no further than song titles like "Heavy Metal Heaven," "Doom Ride," or "Speed Demon" and you'll see U.D.O. aren't about challenging anyone's intellect with thought provoking subject matter. And I have to admit; sometimes I don't want to think too hard when I put on some metal. Sometimes, all I want to do is crank it up, throw up some horns, and bang my damn head! Danke, Herr Dirkschneider, may I have another?

Dominator is solid with barely a single ballad to disrupt the mid-paced groove the band lays down. There are some slower tracks like "Stillness of Time" and the closer "Whisper in the Dark," neither as slow as you might expect, based on the titles and both as heavy as the rest of the album. The weirdest track has to be "Devil's Rendezvous," with its Heavy-Metal-meets-the-Brian-Setzer-Orchestra-New-Orleans-jazz inspired vibe and song structure. Not bad, just weird.

Other than that little slice of the bizarre the rest of Dominator rocks. There is nothing truly memorable (once you've written "Fast as a Shark," you've set the bar pretty high), but it is an immensely enjoyable listen from start to finish. This is a safe "blind purchase" for any Heavy Metal fan from a band that keeps on delivering the goods.