• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

The first couple of Herman Frank solo albums got quite a positive reaction here at The Metal Crypt and I missed the boat so I was jazzed when album number three, The Devil Rides Out, dropped into my review queue. After a couple weeks of listening, I have to admit my enthusiasm is somewhat diminished. Sure, Frank knows his way around a muscular, chugging riff and squealing solo and vocalist Rick Altzi has a voice tailor-made for this kind of energetic, traditional Metal but I find the songwriting lacking. The aforementioned riffs certainly chug but they sound recycled and Altzi's vocal lines are hampered by trite lyrics. Many of the song titles are clichés lifted from 80s Hard Rock songs like "License to Kill" (Malice), "Stone Cold" (Rainbow), "Dead or Alive" (Bon Jovi) and "No Tears in Heaven" (KISS, OK, it's "Tears in Heaven" but close enough). In the end, The Devil Rides Out is not an album I hate and I enjoy "Dead or Alive" and "Run for Cover" but I was expecting so much more and it just falls short of my expectations. Sorry Mr. Frank, you may have set the bar too high and this one feels forced.