Herman Frank - Loyal To None |
Published March 13 2009
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Moon II* |
| Genre | Heavy Metal |
Jiotis Parcharidis
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Vocals
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| Tracks | 10 |
Herman Frank
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Guitar
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| Runningtime | 46 Min. |
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Guitar
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| Label | Metal Heaven |
Peter Pichl
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Bass
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| Release | 27 February 2009 |
Stefan Schwarzmann
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Drums
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| Country | Germany |
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Keyboard
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| Similar artists | --- | ||
I have for quite a while longed for a new and really good album in this style, sounding exactly like this with a singer like the one present on this album. The result on Herman Frank's solo album is good but not entirely what I have waited for, or not as it good as it could be, to put it differently.
Some of you may, or may not, know Herman Frank as a veteran in the german metal business. Former member of Accept, Victory and Sinner, he also released three albums with his own band Moon 'Doc between 1995-2000, which passed quite unnoticed at the time despite pretty solid material if you ask me. He has also worked as a producer/engineer of bands like Saxon, Messiah's Kiss, Molly Hatchet and Rose Tattoo. He is now back again under his own name and has gathered around him names like Stefan Schwarzmann (Running Wild, U.D.O., Accept, Helloween) and Peter Pichl (Running Wild), and the marvellous singer Jiotis Parcharidis (Victory, ex-Human Fortress).
This is classic and melodic heavy metal as I define it, with very distinct riffs and catchy choruses that still have a lot of power behind them, and the 80's feel is strongly present. The tempo is overall midtempo or quite above with Heal Me as pretty much the only song that falls out of that frame. The sound is thick and massive and I really like it like this, but unfortunately the production itself leaves a bit to wish for. It is juicy and has power behind it, but with a more clear production this would have been top notch in that area. I can't really explain it since I am but a layman in technical terms regarding sound, but the mid range sounds a tiny bit wrong.
There are a few real killers on this album (Father Buries Son, Down To The Valley, Welcome To Hell), and the rest of the album holds a good level overall since there is not one single bad song to be found, far from it. Sometimes a chorus or a main riff can be of the more standard type, and a couple of songs are merely standard rock cuts (Hero, Bastard Legions), but as a whole this album guarantees you good listening. The intensity and pace increases throughout the album, and the second half is the best. It almost feels as they are getting warmer in their clothes along the way and the album peaks during the last third.
I am still waiting for that really awesome album in this
genre, but I want it to still sound like this with this type of vocalist,
only with a slightly better production and just a few more killer songs.
But in the meanwhile this album will continue to spin quite a lot at
my place.
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Performance
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Originality
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Production
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Vocals
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Songwriting
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7,5 |
6 |
7 |
8,5 |
7 |
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Summary
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7 chalices of 10 - Tommy |
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