Album
Balls to the Wall
Balls to the Wall is the fifth studio album by Accept, the German heavy metal band, and it came out on 5 December 1983 on Portrait. It follows Restless and Wild from the previous year and sits at the centre of their early run, ahead of Metal Heart in 1985. Its sound is rooted in heavy metal, with a hard rock edge.
It is the only Accept record to reach Gold certification in the US, which makes it a landmark in the band's story. The title track became their signature song and is still regarded as a metal anthem, a trademark of the genre as much as of the band. If you only know Accept by that one chorus, the full album is the place to hear what surrounds it.
Balls to the Wall: tracklist, credits and charts
10 tracks · 43:57Tracklist
- 1Balls to the WallBaltes, Dirkschneider, Hoffmann, Kaufmann, Deaffy5:30
- 2London LeatherboysBaltes, Deaffy, Dirkschneider, Hoffmann, Kaufmann3:49
- 3Fight It BackBaltes, Deaffy, Dirkschneider, Hoffmann, Kaufmann3:19
- 4Head Over HeelsBaltes, Deaffy, Dirkschneider, Hoffmann, Kaufmann4:19
- 5Losing More Than You Ever HadBaltes, Deaffy, Dirkschneider, Hoffmann, Kaufmann4:53
- 6Love ChildBaltes, Deaffy, Dirkschneider, Hoffmann, Kaufmann3:34
- 7Turn Me OnBaltes, Deaffy, Dirkschneider, Hoffmann, Kaufmann5:02
- 8Losers and WinnersBaltes, Deaffy, Dirkschneider, Hoffmann, Kaufmann4:10
- 9Guardian of the NightBaltes, Deaffy, Dirkschneider, Hoffmann, Kaufmann4:24
- 10Winter DreamBaltes, Deaffy, Dirkschneider, Hoffmann, Kaufmann4:57
- Produced by
- Accept
- Recorded at
- Dierks Studios, Dierks (Stommeln, Germany)
- Recorded
- July and August 1983
- Mixed by
- Michael Wagener
- Mixed at
- Dierks Studios
- Engineered by
- Louis Austin
- Labels
- Portrait, RCA
- Length
- 43:57
Line-up
- Peter Baltes · bass guitar
- Herman Frank · guitar
- Wolf Hoffmann · guitar
- Stefan Kaufmann · drums (drum set)
- Udo Dirkschneider · vocals
Singles
- “Balls to the Wall” · April 1984
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 · 1983–1984 | 74 |
| Swedish Albums · 1983–1984 | 10 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1983–1984 | 43 |
| German Albums · 1983–1984 | 59 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Canada · 1985 | Gold |
| United States · 1994 | Gold |
From MusicBrainz and Wikipedia. Only what the sources record is shown.
70.2
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
2.9k
ListenBrainz listeners
46k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
8.2k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
Also released on 5 December
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More from Accept
Full discography →
Accept
1979
I’m a Rebel
1980
Breaker
1981
Restless and Wild
1982
Best of Accept
1983
Midnight Mover
1985
Metal Heart
1985
London Leatherboys
1985
Kaizoku‐ban
1985
Russian Roulette
1986
Generation Clash
1989
Eat the Heat
1989
Staying a Life
1990
I Don't Wanna Be Like You
1993
Slaves to Metal
1993
All or Nothing
1993
Objection Overruled
1993
Bad Habits Die Hard
1994
Death Row
1994
Predator
1996
All Areas - Worldwide
1997
Rich and Famous
2002
The Abyss
2010
Blood of the Nations
2010
Stalingrad
2012
Blind Rage
2014
Restless and Live
2017
The Rise of Chaos
2017
Too Mean to Die
2021
Humanoid
2024
Accept Losers and Winners 2026
Losers and Winners
2026
The best of 1983
All of 1983 →
Kill ’Em All
Metallica · 1983
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David Bowie · 1983
War
U2 · 1983
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Iron Maiden · 1983
The Final Cut
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Bark at the Moon
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Supergroups
David Bowie · 1983
Holy Diver
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No me puedes dejar así / Decídete
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More on Portrait
The label →
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 5 December 1983 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 5 December 1983 | |
| Wikidata | December 1983 | |
| UK / Europe release | 1983 | earliest UK or European date |
19 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | GB | Portrait | other | |
| 1983 | SE | Polydor | other | |
| 5 December 1983 | DE | RCA | 035627018619 | original |
| 1984 | JP | Portrait | other | |
| January 1984 | US | Portrait | 074643924115 | other |
| 21 April 1989 | JP | Epic Records | 4988010239855 | other |
| 1990 | DE | RCA | 0035627447228 | other |
| 1990 | DE | RCA | 0035627447211 | other |
| 1995 | GB | Antisocial Le Label | 3307511491127 | other |
| 1995 | US | Epic | 07643924122 | other |
| 28 August 2001 | — | Epic | 696998575622 | other |
| 28 August 2001 | US | Epic | 696998575622 | other |
| 21 May 2002 | DE | RCA | 743219321428 | other |
| 20 July 2005 | JP | Epic | 4571191053398 | other |
| 2012 | GB | Back on Black | 803341346291 | other |
| 16 January 2015 | DZ | Epic | 5099750449127 | other |
| 17 July 2019 | JP | Epic | 4547366409000 | remaster |
| 19 July 2019 | XE | Music on Vinyl | 8719262010093 | other |
| 2025 | — | Silver Lining Music | 5034644361796 | other |
Cover art sources
deezer · upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| deezer ✓ | 1200×1200 | upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25) |
| coverartarchive | 1000×1000 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |