U.D.O. Unleashes New Video/Single For Anthemic Touchdown Title Track; Record Nears Release Via Atomic Fire Records

Photo by Martin Häusler

Between current Summer festival appearances (also as DIRKSCHNEIDER), iconic German heavy metal group U.D.O. – legendary singer Udo Dirkschneider and his son, drummer Sven, guitarists Andrey Smirnov and Fabian Dee Dammers plus bassist Peter Baltes — has returned with a sportive music video for the title track of their forthcoming studio album, Touchdown, which will be released on August 25th via Atomic Fire Records.

Musically, “Touchdown” kicks off rapidly before culminating into an anthemic, fan block and stadium capable chorus, graced by a highly fitting violin solo contributed by Stefan Pintev. The music video is in no way inferior and allows the worlds of football and heavy metal to collide brilliantly.

Sven recalls, “The song but also album title began to take root when we were sitting in a sports bar in São Paulo, Brazil where a football game was shown. The word that came out of the speakers the most and therefore was remembered the best afterwards was simply ‘Touchdown.’ That’s why my dad [Udo] suggested that it should become the name of our new album – and a touchdown is also what we have created musically with our new songs in my opinion. We’re very happy with the results! The title track deals, of course, with nothing but the type of sport itself, and it also represents us as a band very well: We’re a team that enters the stage together evening after evening to win the crowd. That’s what we do; highly motivated, in a way aggressively but powerful too — qualities that can be found in football and a bridge to our music.”

U.D.O. - Touchdown (Official Music Video)

View U.D.O.’s “Touchdown” video at THIS LOCATION. Stream/purchase the track at THIS LOCATION.

Watch U.D.O.’s previously released video for “Forever Free” at THIS LOCATION.

Touchdown will be available in the following formats:

– CD jewel case

– CD digipak (EU; incl. bonus DVD Dirkschneider – Live At Wacken 2022)

– Limited Box Set available at:

* Atomic Fire Records in Yellow-Green Splatter vinyl

* Nuclear Blast in Purple Black Dust vinyl

* EMP in Red-Clear Black Dust vinyl

– 2xLP in gatefold in the following variants:

* Black, Silver, Clear/Blue-White Splatter (US excl.),

* Clear-Blue Marbled (AFR excl.),

* Yellow-Green Splatter (AFR excl.),

* Purple Black Dust (Nuclear Blast excl.),

* Red-Clear Black Dust (EMP excl.)

* Clear-Black (Sweden Rock Magazine excl.)

– digital

PreorderTouchdown,presave it on your favorite DSP, or preorder it digitally to receive “Forever Free”instantly now, here: http://udo.afr.link/touchdownPR.

Subscribe to Atomic Fire Records on YouTube HERE. Listen to “Touchdwn” as well as other new tracks in the AFR New Releases playlist on Spotify HERE.

Crafted with producer and mixing engineer Martin “Mattes” Pfeiffer at Redhead Studio (Wilhelmshaven, Germany), the massive, thirteen-track Touchdown was mastered by Stefan Kaufmann at ROXX Studio (Solingen, Germany). The record includes a guest appearance by violinist Stefan Pintev on the closing track, and bass tracks were recorded by new member Baltes. Artwork was provided by Martin Häusler who was also responsible for shooting band photos in support of the new album campaign.

European fans can catch U.D.O./DIRKSCHNEIDER live throughout the coming months. For tickets and to stay up to date on upcoming shows go to THIS LOCATION.

U.D.O. / DIRKSCHNEIDER Live:

7/29/2023 Rock Of Ages – Rottenburg-Seebronn, DE *

8/12/2023 Leyendas del Rock – Villena, ES *

8/16/2023 Summer Breeze Open Air – Dinkelsbühl, DE

8/17/2023 Rock Castle Open Air – Moravský Krumlov, CZ

8/20/2023 Rock The Lakes – Vallamand (VD), CH

8/25/2023 Baltic Open Air – Haddeby, DE

9/16/2023 Beast Of Rocks @ Stadthalle – Tuttlingen, DE

10/07/2023 Keep It True Rising III @ Posthalle – Würzburg, DE *

10/22/2023 Wildstyle & Tattoo @ Tabakfabrik – Linz, AT

10/29/2023 Wildstyle & Tattoo @ Messezentrum – Salzburg, AT

5/10-11/2024 Rock In Rautheim – Braunschweig, DE