U.D.O. unleashed official music video for anthemic 'Touchdown' title track • GRIMM Gent

Down, set, WATCH! Between summer festival activities (also as DIRKSCHNEIDER; all dates can be found below!) as well as following first musical glimpse ‘Forever Free,’ iconic German heavy metal group U.D.O. — singer Udo Dirkschneider and his son Sven (drums), a guitar duo consisting of Andrey Smirnov and Fabian Dee Dammers plus bass player Peter Baltes — have returned with a sportive music video for the title track of their forthcoming studio album »Touchdown« which will hit the shelves on August 25, 2023 via Atomic Fire Records. Musically, ‘Touchdown’ kicks off rapidly before culminating in an anthemic, fan block & stadium capable chorus, graced by a highly fitting violin solo contributed by Stefan Pintev. The aforementioned music video is in no way inferior and lets the worlds of both football and heavy metal clash brilliantly.

Stream/purchase the track: https://udo.afr.link/touchdownsinglePR

Sven recalls:

“The song but also album title began to take root when we were sitting in a sports bar in São Paulo [Brazil] where a football game was shown. The word that came out of the speakers the most and therefore was remembered the best afterwards was simply ‘Touchdown.’ That’s why my dad [Udo] suggested that it should become the name of our new album – and a touchdown is also what we have created musically with our new songs in my opinion. We’re very happy with the result! The title track deals, of course, with nothing but the type of sport itself, and it also represents us as a band very well: We’re a team that enters the stage together evening after evening to win the crowd. That’s what we do highly motivated, in a way aggressively but powerful too. Qualities that can also be found in football and lastly throw a bridge to our music.”

Pre-order »Touchdown« in the physical format of your choice (see below!), pre-save it on your favourite DSP or pre-order it digitally to receive ‘Touchdown’ and ‘Forever Free’ instantly now, here: http://udo.afr.link/touchdownPR

»Touchdown« will be available in the following formats:

jewelcase-CD
digipak-CD [EU; incl. bonus DVD »Dirkschneider – Live at Wacken 2022,« track listing below]
limited box set [available at Atomic Fire Records (yellow-green splatter vinyl), Nuclear Blast (purple black dust vinyl) & EMP (red-clear black dust vinyl)]
2LP in gatefold: black, silver, clear/blue-white splatter (US excl.), clear-blue marbled (AFR excl.), yellow-green splatter (AFR excl.), purple black dust (Nuclear Blast excl.), red-clear black dust (EMP excl.) & clear-black vinyl (Sweden Rock Magazine excl.)
digital

»Touchdown« – Track Listing:
01. Isolation Man
02. The Flood
03. The Double Dealer’s Club
04. Fight For The Right
05. Forever Free
06. Punchline
07. Sad Man’s Show
08. The Betrayer
09. Heroes Of Freedom
10. Better Start To Run
11. The Battle Understood
12. Living Hell
13. Touchdown

»Dirkschneider – Live at Wacken 2022« (Bonus DVD; digipak-CD only!):
01. Starlight
02. Living For Tonite
03. Midnight Mover
04. Breaker
05. London Leatherboys
06. Princess Of The Dawn
07. Restless And Wild
08. Son Of A Bitch
09. Screaming For A Love-Bite
10. Up To The Limit
11. Metal Heart
12. Fast As A Shark
13. Balls To The Wall

Crafted with producer and mixing engineer Martin “Mattes” Pfeiffer at Redhead Studio (Wilhelmshaven, Germany), »Touchdown« was mastered by Stefan Kaufmann at ROXX Studio (Solingen, Germany). The record includes a guest appearance by violinist Stefan Pintev on the closing track, and bass tracks were recorded by new member Baltes. Artwork was provided by Martin Häusler who was also responsible for shooting band photos in support of the new album campaign.

U.D.O. / DIRKSCHNEIDER live:

Tickets: https://udo-online.de/tourdates.html

29.07.2023 DE Rottenburg-Seebronn – Rock Of Ages*
12.08.2023 ES Villena – Leyendas del Rock*
16.08.2023 DE Dinkelsbühl – Summer Breeze Open Air
17.08.2023 CZ Moravský Krumlov – Rock Castle Open Air
20.08.2023 CH Vallamand (VD) – Rock The Lakes
25.08.2023 DE Haddeby – Baltic Open Air
16.09.2023 DE Tuttlingen – Beast of Rocks @ Stadthalle
07.10.2023 DE Würzburg – Keep It True Rising III @ Posthalle*
22.10.2023 AT Linz – Wildstyle & Tattoo @ Tabakfabrik
29.10.2023 AT Salzburg – Wildstyle & Tattoo @ Messezentrum
10./11.05.2024 DE Braunschweig – Rock in Rautheim*
03. – 06.07.2023 DE Ballenstedt – Rockharz Open Air*
*as DIRKSCHNEIDER