List of Accept band members

Three line-ups of Accept performing in 2013, 2017, and 2022.

Accept is a German heavy metal band from Solingen. Formed in 1976, the group originally featured lead guitarist Wolf Hoffmann, bassist Peter Baltes, lead vocalist Udo Dirkschneider, drummer Frank Friedrich and rhythm guitarist Gerhard Wahl. The band's current lineup includes Hoffmann, lead vocalist Mark Tornillo (since 2009), rhythm guitarist Uwe Lulis, drummer Christopher Williams (both since 2015), bassist Martin Motnik and third guitarist Philip Shouse (both since 2019).

## History

[edit]

### 1976–1994

[edit]

Accept evolved from an earlier group called Band X, formed in 1968 by Udo Dirkschneider (vocals, Accept, U.D.O), Michael Wagener (guitar, later producer /engineer of Dokken, Mötley Crue and many others), with drummer Birke Hoe.[1]

In 1972 after Dirkschneider and Wagener had completed their military service, Dirkschneider assembled the first line-up using the name Accept, with Hansi Heitzer and Gerhard "Watu" Wahl (guitars), Frank Friedrich (drums) and Dieter "Rubi" Rubach" (later in the band Bad Steve with future Accept guitarist Jan Koemmet) on bass.[2]

In 1975 Wolf Hoffmann replaced Heitzer on guitar and the following year Peter Baltes replaced Rubach on bass.[1] Finally Wahl was replaced by Jörg Fischer in 1977.[3] After the recording of the group's self-titled debut album, Friedrich left Accept and was replaced by Stefan Kaufmann.[3] Fischer was fired by the band[4] after wrapping up the Breaker tour in 1982.[3] He was replaced briefly by Jan Koemmet,[5] followed by Herman Frank shortly before the release of Restless and Wild.[6] Dirkscheider left and returned during the recording of Balls to the Wall in 1983,[7] and Fischer returned to replace Frank shortly after the release of Balls to the Wall.[3]

In 1987, Dirkschneider was fired from Accept and subsequently pursued a solo career under the moniker U.D.O.[8] He was replaced by a succession of temporary vocalists including Michael White and Baby Tuckoo frontman Rob Armitage, before the band settled on David Reece and released Eat the Heat in 1989.[9] Fischer left again before the recording of the album.[3] Jim Stacey joined on rhythm guitar for the album's promotional tour, which also saw Ken Mary take over from Kaufmann after the regular drummer suffered a back injury.[3] Accept subsequently decided to disband, after increasing differences with Reece and Kaufmann's injury.[3] By 1992, the band had returned with a lineup of Dirkschneider, Hoffmann, Baltes and Kaufmann, releasing Objection Overruled the next year.[10] Arjen Lucassen of Vengeance was involved at the time, he was supposed to be the touring guitarist but left before the tour started.[4] Kaufmann was forced to leave again after the release of Death Row, with Stefan Schwarzmann taking his place.[11]

### Since 1994

[edit]

After the Death Row touring cycle, Schwarzmann was replaced by Michael Cartellone, who performed on 1996's Predator.[12] The group disbanded for a second time in 1997.[3] In 2005, Accept returned for a short run of shows in Europe and Japan, with Dirkschneider, Hoffmann and Baltes joined by Frank and Schwarzmann.[13] The tour ended in August, after which Hoffmann claimed that Dirkschneider was preventing a longer reunion for the band.[14] Members returned to other projects until 2009, when a new lineup of Accept was unveiled with vocalist Mark Tornillo in place of Dirkschneider.[15] The group's lineup remained stable until 2014, when Frank and Schwarzmann were fired.[16] Their places were taken in April 2015 by Uwe Lulis and Christopher Williams, respectively.[17] Baltes quit the band in November 2018.[18]

For tour dates in early 2019, Baltes was replaced by Danny Silvestri, who had previously played with the group in 2017.[19] In April, the band brought in Martin Motnik as their new full-time bassist.[20] On 1 November, the band announced that Philip Shouse, previously a touring member, had joined them as their third guitarist, thus making them a sextet.[21]

## Members

[edit]

### Current

[edit]

Image  | Name  | Years active  | Instruments  | Release contributions

|
|
|
|

| Wolf Hoffmann |

* 1976–1989
* 1992–1997
* 2005

2009–present

* lead guitar
* backing vocals

| all Accept releases

| Mark Tornillo | 2009–present  | lead vocals  | all Accept releases from Blood of the Nations (2010) onwards

| Uwe Lulis | 2015–present  |

* rhythm guitar
* backing vocals

| all Accept releases from Restless and Live (2017) onwards

| Christopher Williams  |

* drums
* backing vocals

| Martin Motnik | 2019–present  |

* bass
* backing vocals

| all Accept releases from Too Mean to Die (2021) onwards

| Philip Shouse  |

* guitar
* backing vocals

### Former

[edit]

Image  | Name  | Years active  | Instruments  | Release contributions

|
|
|
|

| Peter Baltes |

* 1976–1989
* 1992–1997
* 2005
* 2009–2018

* bass
* backing and occasional lead vocals

| all Accept releases to Symphonic Terror: Live at Wacken 2017 (2018)

| Udo Dirkschneider |

* 1976–1987
* 1992–1997
* 2005

| lead vocals  | all Accept releases from Accept (1979) to All Areas: Worldwide (1997), except Eat the Heat (1989)
| Frank Friedrich  | 1976–1979  | drums  | Accept (1979)
| Gerhard Wahl  | 1976–1978  | rhythm guitar  | none
| Jörg Fischer |

* 1978–1982
* 1984–1988

* rhythm guitar
* backing vocals

| all Accept releases from Accept (1979) to Staying a Life (1990), except Balls to the Wall (1983) and Eat the Heat (1989)

| Stefan Kaufmann |

* 1979–1989
* 1992–1994

* drums
* backing vocals

* all Accept releases from I'm a Rebel (1980) to Death Row (1994)
* All Areas: Worldwide (1997)

| Jan Koemmet | 1982  | rhythm guitar  | none

| Herman Frank |

* 1982–1984
* 2005
* 2009–2014

* Balls to the Wall (1983)
* Blood of the Nations (2010)
* Stalingrad (2012)
* Blind Rage (2014)

| Michael White | 1987  | lead vocals  | none
| Rob Armitage  | 1987–1988

| David Reece | 1988–1989  | Eat the Heat (1989)
| Jim Stacey | 1989  | rhythm guitar  | none

| Stefan Schwarzmann |

* 1994–1995
* 2005
* 2009–2014

| drums  |

* Death Row (1994) – two tracks only
* all Accept releases from All Areas: Worldwide (1997) to Blind Rage (2014)

| Michael Cartellone | 1995–1997  | Predator (1996)

### Touring

[edit]

Image  | Name  | Years active  | Instruments  | Details

|
|
|
|

| Ken Mary |

* 1989

| drums  | Mary was hired to finish the Eat the Heat tour due to Stefan Kauffmann's health problems.
| Danny Silvestri  |

* 2017
* 2019

| bass  | Silvestri substituted for Baltes at Wacken Open Air 2017, and rejoined after his departure in late 2018.[19]
| Ava-Rebekah Rahman  | 2019–present  | violin  | Rahman joined the touring lineup of Accept for the Symphonic Terror tour starting in April 2019.[20]

| Joel Hoekstra | 2024  | guitar  | Hoekstra temporarily filled in for Shouse.[22]

## Timeline

[edit]

## Lineups

[edit]

Period  | Members  | Releases

|
|

1972 - 1975  |

* Udo Dirkschneider – lead vocals
* Gerhard Wahl – rhythm guitar
* Hansi Heitzer - guitar
* Dieter Rubach - bass
* Frank Friedrich – drums

| none
1975  |

* Udo Dirkschneider – lead vocals
* Gerhard Wahl – rhythm guitar
* Wolf Hoffmann – lead guitar, backing vocals
* Dieter Rubach - bass
* Frank Friedrich – drums

1976–1977  |

* Wolf Hoffmann – lead guitar, backing vocals
* Peter Baltes – bass, backing vocals
* Udo Dirkschneider – lead vocals
* Gerhard Wahl – rhythm guitar
* Frank Friedrich – drums

1978 – early 1979  |

* Wolf Hoffmann – lead guitar, backing vocals
* Peter Baltes – bass, backing vocals
* Udo Dirkschneider – lead vocals
* Frank Friedrich – drums
* Jörg Fischer – rhythm guitar, backing vocals

* Accept (1979)

Early 1979 – early 1982  |

* Wolf Hoffmann – lead guitar, backing vocals
* Peter Baltes – bass, backing vocals
* Udo Dirkschneider – lead vocals
* Jörg Fischer – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
* Stefan Kaufmann – drums, backing vocals

* I'm a Rebel (1980)
* Breaker (1981)

Early – mid-1982  |

* Wolf Hoffmann – guitars, backing vocals
* Peter Baltes – bass, backing vocals
* Udo Dirkschneider – lead vocals
* Stefan Kaufmann – drums, backing vocals

* Restless and Wild (1982)

Mid-1982  |

* Wolf Hoffmann – lead guitar, backing vocals
* Peter Baltes – bass, backing vocals
* Udo Dirkschneider – lead vocals
* Stefan Kaufmann – drums, backing vocals
* Jan Koemmet – rhythm guitar

| none
Late 1982 – early 1984  |

* Wolf Hoffmann – lead guitar, backing vocals
* Peter Baltes – bass, backing vocals
* Udo Dirkschneider – lead vocals
* Stefan Kaufmann – drums, backing vocals
* Herman Frank – rhythm guitar

* Balls to the Wall (1983)

Early 1984 – mid-1987  |

* Wolf Hoffmann – lead guitar, backing vocals
* Peter Baltes – bass, backing vocals
* Udo Dirkschneider – lead vocals
* Stefan Kaufmann – drums, backing vocals
* Jörg Fischer – rhythm guitar, backing vocals

* Metal Heart (1985)
* Kaizoku-Ban (1985)
* Russian Roulette (1986)
* Staying a Life (1990)

1987  |

* Wolf Hoffmann – lead guitar, backing vocals
* Peter Baltes – bass, backing vocals
* Stefan Kaufmann – drums, backing vocals
* Jörg Fischer – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
* Michael White – lead vocals

| none
1987–1988  |

* Wolf Hoffmann – lead guitar, backing vocals
* Peter Baltes – bass, backing vocals
* Stefan Kaufmann – drums, backing vocals
* Jörg Fischer – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
* Rob Armitage – lead vocals

1988  |

* Wolf Hoffmann – lead guitar, backing vocals
* Peter Baltes – bass, backing vocals
* Stefan Kaufmann – drums, backing vocals
* Jörg Fischer – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
* David Reece – lead vocals

1988–1989  |

* Wolf Hoffmann – guitars, backing vocals
* Peter Baltes – bass, backing vocals
* Stefan Kaufmann – drums, backing vocals
* David Reece – lead vocals

* Eat the Heat (1989)

1989  |

* Wolf Hoffmann – lead guitar, backing vocals
* Peter Baltes – bass, backing vocals
* Stefan Kaufmann – drums, backing vocals
* David Reece – lead vocals
* Jim Stacey – rhythm guitar

| none
1989  |

* Wolf Hoffmann – lead guitar, backing vocals
* Peter Baltes – bass, backing vocals
* David Reece – lead vocals
* Jim Stacey – rhythm guitar
* Ken Mary – drums

Band inactive 1989–1992
1992  |

* Wolf Hoffmann – guitars, backing vocals
* Peter Baltes – bass, backing vocals
* Udo Dirkschneider – lead vocals
* Stefan Kaufmann – drums, backing vocals
* Arjen Lucassen \- guitars

| none
1992–1994  |

* Wolf Hoffmann – guitars, backing vocals
* Peter Baltes – bass, backing vocals
* Udo Dirkschneider – lead vocals
* Stefan Kaufmann – drums, backing vocals

* Objection Overruled (1993)
* Death Row (1994)

1994–1995  |

* Wolf Hoffmann – guitars, backing vocals
* Peter Baltes – bass, backing vocals
* Udo Dirkschneider – lead vocals
* Stefan Schwarzmann – drums

* Death Row (1994) – two tracks
* All Areas: Worldwide (1997)

1995–1997  |

* Wolf Hoffmann – guitars, backing vocals
* Peter Baltes – bass, backing vocals
* Udo Dirkschneider – lead vocals
* Michael Cartellone – drums

* Predator (1996)

Band inactive 1997–2005
2005  |

* Wolf Hoffmann – lead guitar, backing vocals
* Peter Baltes – bass, backing vocals
* Udo Dirkschneider – lead vocals
* Herman Frank – rhythm guitar
* Stefan Schwarzmann – drums

| none
Band inactive 2005–2009
May 2009 – December 2014  |

* Wolf Hoffmann – lead guitar, backing vocals
* Peter Baltes – bass, backing vocals
* Herman Frank – rhythm guitar
* Stefan Schwarzmann – drums
* Mark Tornillo – lead vocals

* Blood of the Nations (2010)
* Stalingrad (2012)
* Blind Rage (2014)

April 2015 – November 2018  |

* Wolf Hoffmann – lead guitar, backing vocals
* Peter Baltes – bass, backing vocals
* Mark Tornillo – lead vocals
* Uwe Lulis – rhythm guitar
* Christopher Williams – drums

* Restless and Live (2017)
* The Rise of Chaos (2017)
* Symphonic Terror: Live at
Wacken 2017 (2018)

November 2018 – April 2019  |

* Wolf Hoffmann – lead guitar, backing vocals
* Mark Tornillo – lead vocals
* Uwe Lulis – rhythm guitar
* Christopher Williams – drums

| none
April – November 2019  |

* Wolf Hoffmann – lead guitar, backing vocals
* Mark Tornillo – lead vocals
* Uwe Lulis – rhythm guitar
* Christopher Williams – drums
* Martin Motnik – bass, backing vocals

November 2019 – present  |

* Wolf Hoffman – lead guitar, backing vocals
* Mark Tornillo – lead vocals
* Uwe Lulis – rhythm guitar
* Christopher Williams – drums
* Martin Motnik – bass, backing vocals
* Philip Shouse – rhythm guitar

* Too Mean to Die (2021)
* Humanoid (2024)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "ACCEPT". metalinside - Das Rock und Metal Online-Magazin (in German). Retrieved 5 April 2025.
2. ^ https://www.facebook.com/udoonline/posts/-exactly-50-years-later-the-original-lineup-of-accept-reunited-together-first-pi/619633712855908/
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Accept: Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
4. ^ a b "ACCEPT / U.D.O." www.accept-archive.ru. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
5. ^ "Accept Interview". Metallian. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
6. ^ "Former Accept Guitarist Herman Frank Releases 'Sinners' Solo Song". Blabbermouth.net. 23 November 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
7. ^ "ACCEPT / U.D.O." www.accept-archive.ru. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
8. ^ "Udo Dirkschneider: 'I Never Left Accept, They Fired Me'". Blabbermouth.net. 6 March 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
9. ^ Jeffries, Vincent. "Eat the Heat - Accept: Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
10. ^ Anderson, Jason. "Objection Overruled - Accept: Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
11. ^ "Herman Frank and Stefan Schwarzmann Leaving Accept". Vintage Vinyl News. 29 December 2014. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
12. ^ Anderson, Jason. "Predator - Accept: Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
13. ^ "Drummer Stefan Schwarzmann To Rejoin Accept For Summer Festival Appearances". Blabbermouth.net. 1 March 2005. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
14. ^ "Wolf Hoffmann Says Udo Dirkschneider Is Standing In The Way Of Future Accept Plans". Blabbermouth.net. 29 September 2005. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
15. ^ "Accept Recruits Ex-TT Quick Singer To Replace Udo Dirkschneider". Blabbermouth.net. 15 May 2009. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
16. ^ "Accept Parts Ways With Guitarist Herman Frank, Drummer Stefan Schwarzmann". Blabbermouth.net. 28 December 2014. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
17. ^ "Accept Announces New Guitarist, Drummer". Blabbermouth.net. 12 April 2015. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
18. ^ "Accept's Founding Bassist Peter Baltes Quits". Blabbermouth.net. 27 November 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
19. ^ a b "Accept Performs With Stand-In Bassist Danny Silvestri During 70000 Tons Of Metal Cruise (Video)". Blabbermouth.net. 10 February 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
20. ^ a b "Accept Recruits Bassist Martin Motnik". Blabbermouth.net. 16 April 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
21. ^ "Accepts Expands Lineup With Addition Of Third Guitarist, Philip Shouse". Blabbermouth.net. 1 November 2019. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
22. ^ "JOEL HOEKSTRA Performs With ACCEPT For The First Time In São Paulo; Video". bravewords.com. 2 May 2024. Retrieved 5 May 2024.

## External links

[edit]

* Accept official website

* v
* t
* e

Accept

* Wolf Hoffmann
* Mark Tornillo
* Uwe Lulis
* Christopher Williams
* Martin Motnik
* Philip Shouse

* Udo Dirkschneider
* Rob Armitage
* David Reece
* Michael Wagener
* Gerhard Wahl
* Herman Frank
* Jörg Fischer
* Jan Koemmet
* Jim Stacey
* Dieter Rubach
* Frank Friedrich
* Stefan Kaufmann
* Ken Mary
* Michael Cartellone
* Stefan Schwarzmann
* Peter Baltes

Studio albums|

* Accept
* I'm a Rebel
* Breaker
* Restless and Wild
* Balls to the Wall
* Metal Heart
* Russian Roulette
* Eat the Heat
* Objection Overruled
* Death Row
* Predator
* Blood of the Nations
* Stalingrad
* Blind Rage
* The Rise of Chaos
* Too Mean to Die
* Humanoid

Compilations|

* Best of Accept
* The Collection
* Restless: The Best

Live albums|

* Kaizoku-Ban
* Staying a Life
* All Areas – Worldwide
* Restless and Live

Extended plays|

* Rich & Famous

Singles|

* "Lady Lou"
* "I'm a Rebel"
* "Burning"
* "Fast as a Shark"
* "Restless and Wild"
* "Balls to the Wall"

Related articles|

* Discography
* Members
* U.D.O.

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