Frank, Herman: Two For A Lie

Back once more with a sound we all know and love comes one-time Accept and Victory guitarist Herman Frank, this time with Two For A Lie. Flanked as he was on his previous solo outing by singer Rick Altzi and bass player Michael Müller, the addition of guitarist Mike Pesin and drummer Kevin Kott brings flesh blood to the project, even if musically we are in very familiar territory.

Don’t take that remark as a complaint though, because the riff-fuelled metal Frank is known for is exactly why I picked this album up for review in the first place and with the gargantuan guitars, powering drums and the ever impressive vocals from Altzi all nicely in place, I haven’t been disappointed. Yes, Accept are, as you’d expect, a touching point for much of Two For A Lie, and yet, while breaking little new ground, Frank and his cohorts are also willing to introduce a whole host of other influences that keep things interesting. “Eye For The Storm�, for example takes us into the realms of fellow Germans Helloween, the big stomping chorus embellished by some cracking guitar lines and a riff that simply knocks everything from its path. Slightly unexpectedly, it’s a beefed up Whitesnake that comes to mind when “Venom� spits its fury, but then with Altzi as much a hard rock singer as he is a metal howler, maybe it shouldn’t be that much of a surprise after all?

Interestingly, “Stand Up And Fight�, while not quite copying anyone does suggest through its full throttle guitars, a hybrid of the Dio classic “Stand Up And Shout� and “Kill The King� from Rainbow, and there’s even a strong element of Blackmore in the solo! Possibly it’s opener “Teutonic Order� that most strongly reminds of Accept, but given its title, that was the intention anyway. However, that this album then veers into paths that include touches of Black Sabbath through “Liar� and Whitesnake (again) on the proud strut of “Danger�, illustrates that while most of these moves are pretty well signposted, the results are still a solid, proud display of metal that hits the mark time after time.

Track Listing
1. Teutonic Order
2. Venom
3. Hate
4. Eye of the Storm
5. Liar
6. Hail the New Kings
7. Just a Second to Lose
8. Danger
9. Stand up and Fight
10. Open Your Mind

Added: June 16th 2021
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Herman Frank @ facebook
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Language: english

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