For longtime followers of the band Ghost, which is, as devotees understand, really just Tobias Forge and then whoever he invites along for the ride, hearing the band do covers or collaborations with other bands is nothing new. Ghost has made an entire cottage industry of that kind of thing.
Which is why Forge being involved in the forthcoming tribute album for German heavy metal icons Accept makes so much sense. The Swede has been a big fan of the band for decades, though the members of Accept didn't know that until relatively recently.
Forge's contribution to the Accept tribute record, which is due out September 4 via Napalm Records and will be called Teutonic Titans 1976-2026, is the song "Save Us," where he is joined by the members of Accept, but also Anthrax bassist Frank Bello and Korn drummer Ray Luzier.
Ghost's Tobias Forge and Accept collaborate on "Save Us"
According to Louder, Accept guitarist Wolf Hoffman released a statement admitting that he had forgotten about the tune, but Forge was a fan.
"Save Us? I don’t even remember that song," Hoffman said. "Nobody has even mentioned that song! I had to go back and listen to it. After I saw a Ghost show, it all made sense to me. It really fits his style, and I could really imagine him doing that song really well. He’s right, it’s a fun song!"
So, is the new tribute version good? Of course.
The production sounds a bit like a Ghost record with precise instrumentation and clear engineering. It helps that Forge's voice is unique. He will never be mistaken for a classical vocalist, but he has a fine voice. His instrument is simply one that has a different kind of tone and timbre.
Like 1980s metal at the time, the track has a full-on guitar solo midway through. The formula was overdone, but in the best of songs worked well and still does for many.
Maybe more importantly, will "Save Us" featuring Tobias Forge bring new fans to Accept, an underrated metal band that began five decades ago? It should. The song is tight and well-conceived, and even without Bello and Luzier, who are still fantastic on the track, the song would have been bombastic and fun.
Ultimately, that was what made Accept a must-follow in the 1980s and well beyond. They knew how to make fun metal, and one can see an inspiration for future Black Metal bands.
The rest of the tribute album should be solid, too. Some of the other icons who will participate include Metallica's Kirk Hammett, Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins, Judas Priest vocalist Rob Halford, and former Judas Priest guitarist K.K. Downing, among others.
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