Accept have released a re-recording of their classic song “Balls to the Wall” featuring Judas Priest singer Rob Halford, Scorpions guitarist Matthias Jab, Pantera bassist Rex Brown, and Bullet for My Valentine drummer Jason Bowld.
The single comes from Teutonic Titans 1976-2026, a 50th anniversary album from Accept featuring a bevy of guests from across the heavy metal world re-recording tracks from across Accept’s career.
Accept guitarist Wolf Hoffmann stated, “Rob is the Metal God. I don’t need to say any more about him. Once we knew that he would do it, it was an obvious choice to give him ‘Balls to the Wall’ because it’s the best fit imaginable! I played all the rhythm guitars. Matthias Jabs from Scorpions played the solo, which is very cool and a huge honor, and it’s Rex Brown on bass and Jason Bowld on drums. So that’s a really cool package.”
Halford’s presence is immediately felt, with his trademark working class rasp and high pitched shriek, the literal pinnacle of heavy metal vocals, transforming the song almost to a lost Judas Priest classic. Matthias Jabs brings a more orchestrated Scorpions feel to his playing without straying far from the original while Rex Brown plays very respectfully to the original parts. The biggest surprise is BFMV’s Jason Bowld locking in as tight as he does to the heavy metal classic, delivering the relatively simple drum part with great charisma sans showmanship.
“Balls to the Wall” follows “Fast as a Shark” featuring Pantera’s Phil Anselmo, Metallica’s Kirk Hammett, Motorhead’s Mikkey Dee, and bass legend Billy Sheehan. That track saw the speed metal classic reconfigured as a straight-up thrasher with lots of modern heft.
Listen to the re-recording of “Balls to the Wall” featuring Rob Halford, Matthias Jab, Rex Brown, and Jason Bowld below, and pre-order Teutonic Titans 1976-2026 at this location.
