Metal
U.D.O. release “Voodoo Ranger” on 8 January 2027 through Reigning Phoenix Music, and today unveiled its first preview, “I’ll Die Trying”, with video. It’s the band’s twentieth studio album.
It was written by Udo Dirkschneider, drummer Sven Dirkschneider, bassist Peter Baltes and guitarist Fabian “Dee” Dammers, with contributions from new guitarist Alen Brentini. It’s produced and mixed by Martin “Mattes” Pfeiffer, mastered by Stefan Kaufmann, with cover art by Eliran Kantor. The twelve songs open with “Testify” and close with “Movin’ On”.
“I’ll Die Trying” is a ballad, and it wasn’t the track planned to open. “We’d planned to introduce ‘Voodoo Ranger’ with a different song, but after Peter and Alen were injured at one of the last shows of the ‘Balls To The Wall – 40th Anniversary’ tour, we had to postpone production of the original video,” says Dirkschneider. “Instead of rushing, we decided to let ‘I’ll Die Trying’ lead the way. No one should think this album is any softer for it.”
2027 brings three anniversaries together: Dirkschneider turns 75, U.D.O. turns forty as a band, and the album is their twentieth. His autobiography, written with Dan Dreyer, comes out the same month as the record.
The “Triple Anniversary Tour 2027” has four Spanish dates, from 23 to 27 January, all with Canadians Striker opening and all promoted by Madness Live. The Catalan date opens the run: Saturday 23 January at Sala Apolo in Barcelona, doors at seven in the evening, tickets €35 plus fees, €40 on the door. Madrid follows on the 24th, Villava on the 25th and Seville on the 27th.
Text by Roger Estivill