It was with some trepidation I unwrapped, opened and loaded my CD player with 'Mastercutor', the memories of their last outing 'Mission No. X' still palpable. Need I have been so cautious of such a longstanding Metal institution? well this is definitely an improvement over it's predecessor, but after an impressive start, the album loses its way somewhat and ultimately is yet another frustrating '.U.D.O.' release. 'Mastercutor' incredibly marks 'Udo' and Co's eleventh studio album, now equalling that of 'Accept'!

My initial fears were soon realised as the title track opens with some embarrassingly lame TV quiz show style introduction, thankfully and I really mean thankfully, this soon gives way to an old school no thrills 'Udo' rocker, good driving melodic rhythm and the master himself delivering impeccably. This follows memorably with 'The Wrong Side of Midnight', probably the finest and best penned track of the album, eastern influences are prevalent from the off immediately giving an extra facet, while lyrically it's strong especially for '.U.D.O.' and further complimented by sharp fret work. Next up is 'The Instigator' and at this point 'Mastercutor' has the makings of a damn fine album, as this cut is a very good pulsating groover, highlighting a punchy yet appealing chorus. The tempo falls for the customary ballad, this goes by the name of 'One Lone Voice', '.U.D.O.' ballads are always an acquired taste, this however is definitely one of his better ones, vocally 'Udo' gives the song plenty of passion, while the melody is splendidly executed. More generic is the bland rocker 'We Do - For You' which to be honesty is the standard '.U.D.O.' album filler, while 'Walker of the Dark' takes a more modern darker, down tuned approach, nice to see they're broadening their horizons but this does nothing for me. 'Master of Disaster' ensues and balances aggressive passages with a melodic chorus, which has potential in parts but is flawed with the sound effects adding nothing and the song lacking any kind of ending. The second ballad is brought about by 'Tears of a Clown' and to be frank is a pretty dismal affair, whereas 'Vendetta' gets us back on track, well and truly in the 'Accept' mould. If you own the limited edition version of 'Mastercutor' you can now hear 'Borderline', one of the better tracks in the simplistic, catchy chorus mould, perhaps should have been included on the album proper instead of the final track? Ensuing in a similar fashion is 'The Devil Walks Alone' your typical slightly repetitive if solid and effective track, typical of this band, while the only available as a bonus track 'Screaming Eagles' is a brisk, slashing affair that should also have made it onto the album proper. The heavy plodding 'Dead Man's Eyes' follows and by this stage of the album, is pretty unidentifiable and unmemorable, while the closing track 'Crash Bang Crash' is just awful and not even worthy of a mention.

Another inconsistent release for '.U.D.O' and although better than 'Mission No. X', improvements are still needed. One way this release could have been better, would have been to swap the bonus tracks with the awful 'Crash Bang Crash' and 'Tears of a Clown'- the album would take on a whole new shape!