Frank has been an integral part of the German metal scene since the early ’80s, from ACCEPT to VICTORY to his solo project and his work as a producer.
Featuring MASTERPLAN frontman Rick AltziRAGE drummer André Hilgers and JADED HEART bassist Michael Müller, Frank‘s new album contains razor-sharp riffs, sublime, hell for leather solos, consistently delivered high-class vocals between melody and heaviness, and a rhythm section, that drives every single song forward like a clockwork.
“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,” Herman says. “That’s the way I’ve been working with Rick since ‘Right In The Guts’ and the result speaks for itself.”
Altzi sums up his lyrical approach: “It wasn’t my intention to make any political statement on this album but my frustration concerning where we are in the world today somehow led me to write lyrics about that. How do we adapt to the threat and the fear of violence? Mankind seems to have a short memory keeps on doing the same mistakes over and over again. How we in modern time still let’s religion dictate and form the decisions made by people and governments?”
With a slight grin, Rick adds, “but I only wrote eight out of fourteen lyrics, so there’s enough room for love songs and pure rock ‘n’ roll.”
Track listing:
01. Until The End
02. Fear
03. Terror
04. Sinners
05. Hatred
06. Hail & Row
07. Hitman
08. Stay Down
09. Rock You
10. Don’t Cross The Line
11. Are You Ready
12. Wings Of Destiny
13. Waiting For The Night
14. Lost In Heaven
Vocals – Rick Altzi (MASTERPLAN)
Drums – Andre Hilgers (ex-RAGE)
Bass – Michael Müller (JADED HEART)
Guitars – Herman Frank
Herman joined ACCEPT in 1982 shortly before the release of the band’s “Restless And Wild” album and exited the group for the first time after the arrival of 1983’s “Balls To The Wall” LP.
When ACCEPT reunited for festival appearances in 2005, Herman handled second-guitar duties alongside founding axeman Wolf Hoffmann, with Stefan Schwarzmann sitting behind the kit.
Frank and Schwarzmann were involved in ACCEPT‘s comeback with new singer Mark Tornillo and appeared on the reunited group’s first three studio albums: 2010’s “Blood of the Nations”, 2012’s “Stalingrad” and 2014’s “Blind Rage”.
