U.D.O. have announced their new album: “Voodoo Ranger” comes out on 8 January 2027 via Reigning Phoenix Music. The first single, “I’ll Die Trying”, is available with a video and opens pre-orders.
Udo Dirkschneider spoke both about the song and about why it came out first: “It is one of the most personal on \”Voodoo Ranger\”. It speaks about not giving up, believing in yourself and carrying on, whatever life brings. The last line means a lot to me, because it reflects what I’ve lived on stage all these years.” And he added: “I’ve always believed a great ballad can be just as powerful as the heaviest tracks.”
The original choice was a different song: “After Peter and Alen were injured at a recent show on the \”Balls To The Wall – 40th Anniversary Tour\”, we had to postpone the shoot. Instead of rushing, we let \”I’ll Die Trying\” go first.” He made clear, though, that the record does not soften: “\”Voodoo Ranger\” has classic U.D.O. power and quite a few surprises still.”
The album was written by Dirkschneider with his son and drummer Sven Dirkschneider, Baltes and guitarist Fabian “Dee” Dammers, with additional contributions from Brentini. Production and mixing are by Martin “Mattes” Pfeiffer, mastering by Stefan Kaufmann and the cover painted by Eliran Kantor. Beyond the two ballads, the record also has two clearly darker tracks, while Baltes puts down the bass and takes over vocals on the closing song, “Movin’ On”.
Tracklist
- Testify
- The Sky Is The Limit
- Keep Me Alive
- Back Breaker
- I’ll Die Trying
- Reach For The Crown
- Pain & Glory
- Hell Hunt
- Voodoo Ranger
- Magic Life
- Devil’s Mind
- Movin’ On
The release lands in a year of anniversaries: Dirkschneider, born in Wuppertal on 6 April 1952, turns 75 during 2027, the U.D.O. he founded in 1987 after leaving Accept reaches 40 years, and “Voodoo Ranger” is their twentieth studio album, after 2023’s “Touchdown”. His autobiography, written with Dan Dreyer, comes out around the same time.
See also: Doro Pesch & Udo Dirkschneider: Together on stage for “Breaking The Law” | ACCEPT: 50 years of heavy metal with 50 guests
