U.D.O. have announced the mutual parting of ways with guitarist Andrey Smirnov, who had been a member of Udo Dirkschneider's band since 2019. The split was confirmed through official channels and described as a mutual decision. No further details regarding the circumstances of the departure have been shared.
The announcement comes as Dirkschneider prepares to embark on the Balls to the Wall 40th Anniversary Tour, celebrating the landmark ACCEPT album that the German singer fronted in 1983. The Latin American leg is scheduled for late April, with shows in Mexico City, Medellín, Bogotá, São Paulo, Santiago, and Montevideo. U.D.O. are expected to announce a replacement guitarist ahead of those dates.
Separately, Dirkschneider has confirmed that a new U.D.O. studio album will not arrive before late 2026 at the earliest, with early 2027 a more likely timeframe. The band is currently focused on live activity.
Udo Dirkschneider remains one of the most recognizable voices in German heavy metal — his tenure as ACCEPT's frontman produced iconic records including Breaker (1981), Restless and Wild (1982), and Balls to the Wall (1983). Since forming U.D.O. in 1987, he has continued releasing music at a remarkable pace, with over a dozen studio albums to the band's name.