Accept guitarist Wolf Hoffmann has been in the rock and metal game since the 70s, meaning he's seen the genre pretty much evolve from nothing to what it is today. In a recent episode of The MetalSucks Podcast, Hoffmann said the metal audience has really chilled out over the years. Hoffmann said the 1980s were a totally different game where fan loyalty seemed to be limited to one band.
Granted we all think it's nuts since we see everyone all the time on social media, but Hoffmann has a completely different perspective.
“The audience in general has gotten more relaxed over time. I remember in the ’80s it seemed to be that there were more fans of just one band. Either you were a Maiden fan or a Saxon fan, or Judas Priest. You couldn’t possibly be both for some weird reason. It was very [much] in separate corners almost — like football fans or soccer fans — where now it seems like people are much more open-minded. They like everything for what it is, everything is relaxed a bit more in that sense, it seems to me.
“I think a lot of it [the openness] has to do with the festivals now. People are so used to seeing 20 to 30 bands a day and they see all the different… they might not like it all, but at least they can check it out. And there’s a coexistence which is quite peaceful, and it never used to be in the ’80s.”
Accept will release their new album Too Mean To Die on January 29. Pre-orders are available here.
