On disc: Herman Frank

 
 Loyal To None
 
- Claudia Ehrhardt -
 
 


 
 Right In The Guts
 
- Claudia Ehrhardt -
 
 

Right In The Guts

(Metal Heaven - 2012)



 
 

 

Every fan of German heavy metal will know guitarist Herman Frank, so let's start talking about Right In The Guts! The cover shows similarities to the one of Loyal To None, looks like this is Herman's new mascot. He has a new band, well bassist Peter Pichl is still on board, but the rest of the crew is new. Singer Jioti Parcharidis had to quit due to serious health issues, but no idea what happened to the rest of the crew. Drummer Michael Wolpers and guitarist Mamalitsidis Cristos are nobodies to me, but singer Rick Altzi many metal fans will know from Sandalinas, Thunderstone and / or At Vance.



The opener Roaring Thunder is a riff-based up-tempo rocker and is quite what one expect from Mr. Frank. And obviously Rick Altzi is the perfect singer for Herman Frank's compositions. The title track Right In Your Guts has some Accept moments, mainly the guitars... A real metal hymn! and then they storm off into Ivory Gate - and Mr. Altzi shows that he is a top notch singer! And then Herman Frank let his guitar sing before they head back to the main theme. Great tune! At other songs a dash of hard rock have been added and so the whole album is pure fun. Falling To Pieces has not just a hard rock edge, Rick Altzi sounds like a young David Coverdale.... This one should win over all hard rock fans! One of my favorites is Waiting, a fast rocker with a great hook. Actually every song is a winner!



I can only recommend to get the CD now and play it! Half-way through 2012 this album is a top candidate for the 'Top 10 Heavy Metal albums of 2012'! Kudos! Let's hope that Herman Frank find time to tour with his solo stuff and that Accept isn't eating up all his time! Thanks for a great album!

 
 










Claudia Ehrhardt


  
up 













Loyal To None

(Metal Heaven - 2009)



 
 

 

Herman Frank is well-known in the metal community since the early 80's as a guitarist of Accept. He later joined Sinner, then Victory and later started Moon'Doc. So everybody who followed the German heavy metal scene will know him. Now he is presenting his first solo album! It's called Loyal To None and kicks off with Moon II, an up-tempo guitar-driven track. Singer Jiotis Parachidis adds his powerful voice and varies by adding some screams. The vocal melody is catchy and the refrain will hook you up soon. Roughly I would describe the songs as melange of Victory and Accept... Btw, Herman is not just joined by Victory singer Jiotis Parachidis, he also got Peter Pichl (Running Wild) and Stefan Schwarzmann (ex-Helloween) involved. The following 7 Stars is another fast one, but a bit more melodic... But surprises with a spoken words part. More riff-based is Father Buries Son, another up-tempo tune with a dash of aggression. Slowly starts Heal Me, but they speed up a bit and so the track becomes a balladesque rocker. The chorus reminds me a bit of the late 80's where you had this big backing vocals... While Hero is a stomping rocker with a singing lead guitar. The song reminds me a bit of some Victory tune - Fernando Garcia era... The mid-tempo tune Kill The King is one of my favorites - it combines heaviness and melody. With fast drumming and heavy riffs he presents Down To The Valley, faster then any other song so far on this album - and something Gamma Ray fans should like, even if the vocals are deeper. With the up-tempo riff-based rocker Welcome To Hell he closes the album. The catchy refrain will hook you up and you'll find yourself listening again to Loyal To None!



The album is a kind of tribute to the heavy metal of the 80's, but it sounds modern. In a way Herman Frank is presenting songs which just follows the tradition of his former bands. In vein of the music he's playing for almost 30 years. If you like traditional German heavy metal, then get yourself a copy!

 
 










Claudia Ehrhardt


  
up 







 
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