Released after the legendary frontman's departure from Germany's second greatest '80s metal outfit, Eat the Heat proves Dirkschneider's personification of the band. After picking up Minneapolis metal-club veteran David Reece, Wolf Hoffman and the rest of Accept decided to modify their sound and songwriting enough to fit the replacement singer's more commercial metal style. Filling in for a legend, especially one as unique as Reece's predecessor, is a risky business, and the American wailer doesn't do much to help his cause as he never injects a personality of his own into this 1989 Epic release. While the substitute's vocal abilities are considerable, it's hard to differentiate his delivery from that of many singers of his era fronting secondary metal outfits. Making matters worse, the songwriting and production on Eat the Heat often sound stale when compared to the consistently raw yet musically tight delivery of the group's best work. To understand and admire Accept's quirky appeal is to appreciate the insane rantings of Dirkshneider and the chemistry of his chaos offset against the band's particular musical order.