Introducing HERMAN FRANK to metal fans is like carrying coals to Newcastle: the guitarist has had a lasting impact on the scene with acts such as Accept and Victory, among others. Since 2010, HERMAN FRANK has also released solo albums, the initial project-like nature of this venture having turned into a real band in due course. Following ‘Loyal To None’ and ‘Right In The Guts’ (both re-released on 9 September on AFM, including bonus tracks), the eagerly awaited third album by the guitarist from Hanover will see the light of day on 18 November. Vocalist Rick Altzi (Masterplan) continues to be part of the line-up, complemented by erstwhile Rage drummer André Hilgers and Jaded Heart bassist Michael Müller.
“We’ve never had this kind of band structure before,”
Herman enthuses. “Each of us plays an active part in our collaboration, and the result is a fantastic and highly constructive approach to our work.” In particular when it comes to the group’s lyrics, Frank has always believed in his proven dictum: “I feel that the vocalist should contribute the lyrics, because at the end of the day he’s the one who has to get them across to the audience and fill them with life. That’s the way I’ve been working with Rick since ‘Right In The Guts’ and the result speaks for itself.”
So let’s talk about album #3. Entitled ‘The Devil Rides Out’, the band spared no effort writing and recording their latest offering: not only did the musicians invest a lot of time in the new compositions, they also assigned the mix and mastering of the recordings to an outstanding engineer in Charlie Bauerfeind (Saxon, Blind Guardian), Herman taking care of the album’s production himself.
The Devil Rides Out’ kicks off mercilessly with the uptempo smasher ‘Running Back’, and the subsequent three quarters of an hour allow the listener little time to catch their breath. In view of the album’s consistent quality it’s difficult to pinpoint specific highlights, but following numerous discussions, the band eventually decided on the driving ‘Ballhog Zone’ as a single/video release.
“‘Ballhog Zone‘ is American slang,“ Herman explains. “A ball hog is a baseball player who monopolizes the ball and feels he has to pull the game off all by himself, overlooking other players of his team who may be in a more advantageous position. This way, you may of course be successful to a certain degree, but I firmly believe that you get much better results working together as a team. Although the band is called HERMAN FRANK, I don’t want the group to be like a ‘Ballhog Zone’.
” More frequent live shows by HERMAN FRANK are also in the pipeline. Says vocalist Rick Altzi: “This is our first permanent line-up, so we can’t wait to play live.” Herman adds: “Since I left Accept, this is the first time we’ve really been able to make plans. Negotiations for tours and a number of festivals are already under way.”
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