What do you call a solo album that isn’t a solo album at all?
Fight The Fear.
You see, this brilliant thing might have the name Herman Frank attached to it, but it sounds like a band to me – especially given that singer Rick Altzi contributed most of the lyrics.
And that’s just fine, because everyone who likes metal knows that Herman Frank can play the guitar like a God. That’s why he’s been so in demand since he started with Accept back in the 1980s.
He’s had his balls to the wall ever since, you might say, and after leaving Wolf and the chaps the first time (he was back for the reunion, before leaving again) and his list of achievements would fill this review. Briefly, though, he’s had a go at Victory, Sinner and Panzer amongst others. And “…Fear” is his fourth solo outing.
It’s his best too.
The German metal bands have a certain way of sounding. Whether its Accept, Schenker, Edguy, Rage (who’s former drummer André Hilgers is here) or any of the others, they do grandiose stuff with a hard rock heart. But few do it better than Frank, right here.
That much, to be honest, is abundantly obvious from the opening of “Until The End”, the riffs crush, the leads pierce, and the rhythm section pummels. But then, well then, there’s a hook, a soaring chorus.
And that really, is all you need to know because there’s a lot more where that came from.
But there’s still more to be said, because “Fear” adds a guitar solo to start (and that’s always fun) before sounding like early Maiden might have if Di’anno had been a power metal bod. “Terror” to be fair is aptly named as there is something unsettling lurking here, while “Sinners” just fancies a trip to the moshpit in its hi-tops – but goodness there’s a melody here too.
There’s more of a chug about “Hatred”, something a little dark maybe and there’s a Priest like turn in the chorus, while there is something of the Dio about the wonderful “Hail And Row” which is unashamed in its wish to have thousands of people thrusting their fists into the air immediately.
The variety in Frank’s playing is shown throughout, but “Hitman” just takes a hard rock turn – did someone say UFO? – and yeah, lets be honest, you might be able to think Accept in the leather clad sounds of “Stay Down”.
There is a glorious simplicity about this whole record, but nowhere is it better shown, perhaps when Altzi sings on “Rock You” that “I’ll take you to the holy place where I rock you….” Purely and simply this sounds like a celebration of what they all love. “Don’t Cross The Line” on the other hand seethes with anger, but crackles with energy, “Are You Ready?” proves that even in the deep cuts there’s a joy to be had here, and you best believe they are playing this one live.
“Wings Of Destiny” has just a touch of Edguy about it, while “Wings Of Heaven” is the kind of power ballad that the brilliant Magnum might look at enviously. You can really imagine Bob Catley wrapping himself around this one.
If we may be Frank, as it were, there is nothing to be fearful of. Just a confident, classy and actually, downright magnificent heavy metal record by someone who helped shape the sound.
Rating 9/10
