Accept Guitarist Wolf Hoffmann Shares Some of His Personal Photography Work With Noisecreep (EXCLUSIVE)

Posted on Oct 18th 2012 3:00PM by Chris Epting Comments

Mark Tucker

Accept's roots go all the way back to the late 1960s, and their place in the international metal scene of the 1980s saw them lead an important role in the development of speed metal. The German titans have been through various lineup changes and many other challenges over the years, but as longtime guitarist Wolf Hoffmann told Noisecreep, this is a band that is built to last.

The group's latest album, 2012's Stalingrad, has been met with critical raves and impressive record sales.

During our recent chat with Hoffmann, Noisecreep learned that the influential guitarist is also an avid photographer in adopted home of Nashville, Tenn. After our interview, Hoffmann generously shared some photos he's taken over the years on the road.

Check out the pics and our new interview with the Accept mastermind below!

Wolf, what do you think it is about Accept that has helped the band endure for so long?

We're just persistent. We love what we do we have great energy we keep plugging away - the last three years have been phenomenal in how we pulled it off with a new singer [former T.T. Quick vocalist Mark Tornillo]. A lot of times that doesn't work, getting someone new, and we were fully aware of that. But this voice of Mark's is so perfect that we have to do this.

What is it about Mark's voice that you think works so well for Accept?

It just fits this band. It's hard to describe. The voice is first and foremost, plus we all get along great in the band. But if the voice didn't feel right, this would not work. The fans are so critical and they initially created a huge backlash – there were a lot of naysayers, people that wouldn't buy the record without even hearing it. They thought it was a done deal that it was gonna be terrible. Then they heard the album and were blown away. So it was totally rewarding in the end. At first we had to swallow many bitter pills, plus we were up against so many internet opinions so many strong voices. But again, then people hear it and all of a sudden in all of these forums - it works in your favor.

Watch 'Pandemic' Video
The internet has changed things so much since you guys started out.

For sure. I think the biggest change has been in how immediate the feedback is; and the interaction between artist and audience. I remember in the '80s doing press dates – then the magazines come out four month later! We couldn't talk about anything current – we just spoke in generic terms and never mention anything time related. Today, we sit on the tour bus and see YouTube clips posted from that night's performance!

When did you first discover heavy metal?

I was a kid who liked the Beatles - and even more softer stuff like Steely Dan and Jethro Tull Then I had a neighbor who opened my eyes with the first metal albums – like Black Sabbath. It wasn't even called metal back then. Then there was the first real metal show I ever saw – AC/DC in 1976 with Bon Scott close to my home in Essen, Germany. They had that young kid Angus Young jumping around - I'd never seen anything like that and it changed my life for the better.

Wolf, you're also a professional photographer. How long have you been doing that?

I love to shoot. I started documenting things on the road in the '80s, shooting the world, just things that we would pass in our travels. Just doing artsy things. This led to a serious obsession and one day I decided to make it into a career like music. So today, when I'm not on the road, I shoot corporate advertising in Nashville where I live, for the city. It's so much fun. People don't really know I'm in a band – they hire me because of my photos – though some people do figure it out eventually [laughs]. It's a nice side career in addition to the music, and I'm very passionate about it.

Check Out Some Wolf Hoffmann's Photos