This project was a labour of love for Wolf Hoffmann, and that love shines through on every second of this release.

Accept's Wolf Hoffmann has always been a fan of Classical music; not content with slipping such pieces into Accept songs such as 'Metal Heart', he actively pursued the theme back in 1997 during an extended hiatus from the band, when he recorded 'Classics', an album of his interpretations of some of Classical music's most loved tracks.

Now, almost twenty years later, Hoffmann has released a follow-up, 'Headbanger's Symphony'. Using a different approach to his previous release, on this occasion he decided to record the album with a full orchestra to create a more bombastic sound – and for sure he has succeeded.

This time around he has also chosen some less well-known tracks, but on many occasions the listener will detect a sure familiarity, whether it's Mozart's bombastic 'Symphony No. 40' or Bach's more gentile 'Air On The G String'.

But don't be fooled into thinking these are merely Classical music covers in the traditional sense – there are many instances of guitar shredding, such as on opening track, Beethoven's 'Scherzo', and Russian composer Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky's 'Night On Bald Mountain'. In fact, Accept producer Andy Sneap was so impressed when he heard Hoffmann's version of 'Scherzo' he insisted the riff was used for Accept, eventually becoming the foundation for 'Teutonic Terror' from the 'Blood Of The Nations' album.

Rock artists doing Classical covers is nothing new – Rainbow turned Beethoven's 9th into 'Difficult To Cure' back in 1981 – and Hoffmann has created another wonderful collection of Classical tracks re-imagined through the Rock prism. You want to hear completely different versions of 'Madame Butterfly' or 'Swan Lake'? Look no further. This project was a labour of love for Wolf Hoffmann, and that love shines through on every second of this release.

However, I'm not sure exactly who the target audience for this album will be. I certainly hope it finds one as these wonderful musical interpretations deserved to be heard.

Bruce Mee