Balls to the Wall
| Balls to the Wall | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Accept | ||||
| Released | December 5, 1983 | |||
| Recorded | July–August 1983 | |||
| Studio | Dierks Studios, Cologne, Germany | |||
| Genre | Heavy metal | |||
| Length | 45:13 | |||
| Label |
RCA (Germany) Portrait (US) |
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| Producer | Accept | |||
| Accept chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Balls to the Wall | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 10/10 |
| Sputnikmusic |  |
| The Metal Crypt | |
Balls to the Wall is the fifth album by German heavy metal band Accept. European label Lark Records released the album in December 1983, but its United States release was delayed until a month later in January 1984 as to not compete with the band's then-current album Restless and Wild, which had arrived in the US in early 1983. It is Accept's only record to attain Gold certification in the US. The album's title track became Accept's signature tune and remains a metal anthem and trademark in the genre.
Some of the album's success can no doubt be attributed to the publicity generated from the minor "gay metal" controversy that broke out upon its American release, due to the record's title and front cover being deemed by some as homoerotic, as well as the lyrics to "London Leatherboys" and "Love Child" appearing to concern homosexuals. Guitarist Wolf Hoffmann was dismissive of the controversy, saying years later that "You Americans are so uptight about this. In Europe it was never a big deal...we just wanted to be controversial and different and touch on these touchy subjects, because it gave us good press and it worked fabulously, you know". Drummer Stefan Kaufmann explained that many of the themes on the album were about oppressed minorities in general. "London Leatherboys" was really about bikers, for example: "They're normal people, they just look different and they behave different. But they're normal people, another minority. And 'Love Child' was about gays, true, but it's basically about people who are suppressed." Concerning the homosexuality issues themselves, Kauffmann said in an interview with French magazine Enfer (n°7, 1983):
"It's a phenomenon that should be taken into consideration. Because it exists on a wide scale and should be demystified. In fact, this is a phenomenon of society that needs to be taken as such. For a long time gay people have been considered as sick or insane. And yet, it's time to respect these people, open our minds which are often closed."
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Wikipedia