Fast as a Shark


"Fast as a Shark" is a song by German heavy metal band Accept and a single from their 1982 album Restless and Wild. Its fast double bass drumming is recognized today as reaching a new level in the development of the subgenres of speed, thrash and power metal.

Song intro

The intro to the track is a snippet from a crackly old children's recording of a traditional German tune titled "Ein Heller und ein Batzen". The band thought it would make a humorous contrast with their heavy metal sound, and the fact that a young Dieter Dierks was singing on the recording made it even more of an inside joke. The band soon found themselves in an unintended controversy, however: even though the song dated from 1830, it was a popular marching song during the Nazi era and still held that connotation for many listeners, a fact the band was unaware of at the time. "So out of a funny little idea we created somewhat of a monster", Wolf Hoffmann recalls.

Legacy

"Fast as a Shark" was ranked number 33 in Martin Popoff's book The [Top 500 Heavy Metal Songs of All Time].
The song has been covered by Witchery, Helloween, Holy [Grail |Holy Grail], Rage, Altar, Destruction and Hammercult.

Track listing

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