Udo Dirkschneider has disputed guitarist Wolf Hoffmann’s public claims about inviting him to contribute to Accept’s 50th-anniversary album. Speaking on The Metal Voice, the original Accept singer said that Hoffmann never approached him directly or through his management.
Dirkschneider was asked whether Hoffmann had invited him to appear on the anniversary project. He explained that other former band members had received such invitations instead.
“No. Not me. That’s completely wrong. Oh, I have to say something about this,” Dirkschneider said. “I think Peter [Baltes, former Accept bassist] and Stefan [Kaufmann, former Accept drummer] were asked by Wolf [to participate].”
“But they said, in a way, no. And Wolf is talking about [in interviews that] he was also asking me [to appear on the album]. He never asked me personally or by management.”
Dirkschneider added that he objected to how the situation had been presented publicly. “I don’t like stuff like that. [He] put something in medias, social medias and blah, blah, blah [about me turning down his invitation to appear on the album], and this is not true. It doesn’t matter if I say yes or no, but don’t tell something like this. This is not… I don’t know. I don’t like stuff like that.”
These comments came as Dirkschneider addressed the claims made by Hoffmann regarding the 50th-anniversary album invitation. The dispute centres on whether an actual offer was ever made to the former frontman.
Hoffmann told former Megadeth bassist David Ellefson in an interview that Accept had reached out to former members about contributing to the 50th-anniversary album “Teutonic Titans 1976–2026”. According to Hoffmann, none of the former members agreed to participate. The album was released on September 4, 2026 via Napalm Records and featured 19 iconic tracks reimagined alongside 50 guest artists.
Dirkschneider’s relationship with Hoffmann has been strained for decades. In a March 2026 interview, when asked about his connection to the guitarist, Dirkschneider stated: “I don’t have a relationship with Wolf Hoffmann anymore.” The tension between them traces back to Dirkschneider’s departure from Accept in 1987.
Regarding his exit from the band, Dirkschneider has maintained his version of events. He said: “I never left Accept. They fired me.” According to Dirkschneider, the problem involved Hoffmann and Hoffmann’s then-wife Gaby Hoffmann, who also managed Accept for several decades.
