Peter Baltes Joins U.D.O./Dirkschneider

Five years after leaving the ranks of Accept, bassist Peter Baltes will be reuniting with one of his former bandmates. Udo Dirkschneider, who co-founded Accept with him in 1976, has announced that Baltes is now a permanent member of U.D.O. and the side project, Dirkschneider.

Baltes filled in for Tilen Hudrap, who had to depart the band for health reasons late last year. In a statement, he explained the whole situation.

“Since my departure from Accept, I kept myself very busy writing and recording for film/TV productions and various artists around the globe,” Baltes wrote. “That’s how I reconnected with Udo working on his solo album My Way, the U.D.O. album We Are One, and the Dirkschneider & The Old Gang album Arising. Since [guitarist] Stefan Kaufmann [ex-Accept drummer] was also involved, it all had a very familiar feeling. That’s why, when Udo called me in September to fill in for his injured bass player, I did not hesitate. The set list had mostly U.D.O. songs which I was not familiar with, and a few Accept tunes. When I arrived in Berlin a few days later for the first show, I was nervous and had no idea what to expect. But as soon as we all took the stage standing next to Udo, it felt like home: His voice took me right back to where it all began. It was a total surprise for the audience at first, but as we played on, I realized they were as happy as I was to see Udo and me together again. Over the next three months, I really got to know Sven, Dee, and Andrey as extremely talented musicians but also as very humble and respectful guys. It all feels very authentic. That made my decision to say, ‘yes,’ very easy when Udo asked me to join the band permanently.”

Baltes will be on the road with U.D.O. and Dirkschneider this summer with festivals across Europe.

U.D.O. / Dirkschneider 2023 Tour Dates:

* as Dirkschneider