Accept guitarist Wolf Hoffmann says he prefers today's rock scene to the genre's heyday of 20 or 30 years ago.
While everyone from Mark Tremonti to Rob Halford has waded in on the debate sparked by Gene Simmons’ “rock is dead” comments, the German axeman gives his own, very positive, view on the rock scene in 2014.
Rather than reminisce about the good old days, Hoffmann says today’s scene is much less snobbish – allowing fans of rock’s different sub genres to mingle happily with each other.
He tells Hot Metal: “I would say I like it today better than it was 20 years ago. It’s a very small community but they grew up with us now, most of our audiences, and they take everything with a grain of salt.
“Twenty, 30 years ago, you couldn’t be a fan of AC/DC and Accept. You had to be one of the two. Now, anything goes. Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, AC/DC, Accept – you can be a fan of all that.
“You can just love the genre, whereas in the old days it was pretty diehard one or the other. Overall, I enjoy the whole touring cycle, the whole industry, a lot more these days. I don’t know why – maybe it’s because I’m older and wiser.”
Another reason for Hoffmann’s good spirits is his band’s recent success. Their latest album Blind Rage landed at the top of the German charts – the no.1 of their long career.
He adds: “We’ve been around for so long and finally we reach no.1. It’s amazing. I think it’s a symbolic thing we’ve reached in our career. It’s a sign of the appreciation of the fans.
“It means they still care for our music. They made it possible. It’s more a badge of honour for us. It’s just a number other than that. It still feels great.”
