Whilst not out and out better than the debut 'Animal House', 'Mean Machine' is a more consistent release which sees some of the quirkiness and inconsistency ironed out and overall feels a more accomplished album. Major changes to the line-up were made with 'Udo' only retaining guitarist 'Mathias Dieth', the fret work to me feels sharper and more finely etched, which may be down to the addition of new guitarist 'Andy Susemihl'. Although there's not many standout tracks which will leave you with lasting memories, it's a very pleasant and consistent journey especially for fans of Accept and those who appreciate 'Udo's' distinctive voice.

'Don't Look Back' kicks us off in good fashion, a tasty raw rocker which is brisk in pace and driven by a rapid pulsating rhythm, 'Udo' quickly proves he's on top form with his usual ripping vocal display, while the improved guitar work I mentioned earlier is evident in the exceptional instrumental break. Less frenzied is the tough groover 'Break the Rules' a strong effort fuelled by another fine head-moving rhythm and a couple of choice guitar licks, lyrically it's not one of the most imaginative but this can easily be overlooked. Not quite making the mark is 'We're History' again the penmanship is average but the difference here is the relatively bland melody and repetitive chorus. Better is the more up tempo 'Painted Love', lyrically I find this an strong improvement and overall has a very 'Accept' feel about it, the backing vocals work well and give the track depth, while the sweet guitar solos are a very nice addition. Next up is the title track and whilst there's superior songs on 'Mean Machine' this is a decent rocker complete with 'Udo's' ripping vocals and a decent fist raising chorus. Even better is the simplistic 'Dirty Boys', the shredding guitar intro promises a lot and this carefree belter fails to disapoint, with sweet driving riffs, a cracking sing-a-long chorus and more cutting 'Udo' vocals. Not quite as impressive is 'Streets on Fire', while it's far from a poor number, it gradually begins to feel repetitive and musically it remains too static throughout. The tempo is lifted with the pulsating 'Lost Passion' a well written track which rides upon a delightful melodic rhythm and features strong vocal harmonies and some more tasty fret work. The pace is softened for the balladsy 'Sweet Little Child' and although it's a fair effort with some great softer vocals from the former 'Accept' man, it does tend to drag. 'Catch my Fall' is the last full track and in all honesty probably one of the weakest present, this mid tempo number is let down by the predictable chorus and a disjointed structure. The final cut is a 50 second guitar and vocal blitz, too short to really be appraised but would have made a nice burnout to a slashing rocker.

Overall an enjoyable release which is consistent from front to back and shows a strong development from 'Animal House'. As is the case with 'Udo's' material it betters the releases from 'Accept' following 'Russian Roulette', even including the three albums with 'Udo' when he returned to the fold don't match up to this.