If you’re as big of an Accept fan as myself, the past decade has been quite a treat. The newly revitalized band has released a string of strong albums with Mark Tornillo on vocals. If these albums haven’t been enough to hold you over, there’s always the namesake band of original singer Udo Dirkschneider, U.D.O. And if both Accept and U.D.O. don’t satisfy your itch for German greatness, there’s the solo project of former Accept guitarist, Herman Frank. Frank initially joined the band in 1982. He played on their landmark Balls to the Wall (1983) album before exiting in 1984. He’d return in 2009 for the much heralded Blood of the Nations (2010), only to leave for good in 2014.
Frank’s departure from Accept has been greatly felt. Their last two releases, The Rise of Chaos (2017) and Too Mean to Die (2021), fall flat in comparison to the first three of the 2010s. It’s not that these albums aren’t good. They are, and nothing more. What they lack is the variety and excitement of past Accept releases. While we like to pigeonhole Accept as one of those classic metal bands with a signature and singular sound, there’s nuances within that would argue otherwise. Despite those nuances being largely absent from the last two Accept releases, they’re fully on display on the new Herman Frank album, Two for a Lie.
The album opens with a standard modern metal rager in “Teutonic Order”. It’s filled with those big, chunky riffs characteristic of recent Accept. “Teutonic Order” isn’t bad, but it pales in comparison to the array of sounds and styles that’ll be explored throughout this release. There’s a hard rock tinge within the melodic riffs and singalong chorus of “Venom”: a song reminiscent of any number of bands on the Frontiers roster. Other songs that veer into hard rock territory are “Liar”, which sounds like it could be a WWE theme song, and the metallic Whitesnakeified soul of “Danger”. I better trademark that adjective before other online metal reviewers start abusing it.
Frank and company don’t keep it limited to traditional metal and hard rock. In true Accept fashion, there’s a fair share of high speed thrashers as well. “Hate” is an industrial strength headbanger with double bass drums that cut like a knife. The uplifting lyrics of “Stand Up and Fight” give a slight power metal vibe. Finally, there’s my choice cut, “Hail to the New Kings”. Imagine Restless and Wild era Accept with Graham Bonnet on vocals! Rick Altzi is a powerhouse of a singer. Although his voice is most comfortable in a gruff, midrange Rock ‘n’ Rolf style delivery, he can take it upstairs to the Dio/Bonnet realm when need be.
I doubt Wolf Hoffmann will read this review, but I hope he checks out Two for a Lie and hears what he’s missing. There is hope for Accept! It lies within the riffs and solos of the mighty Herman Frank. With Frank back in the songwriter’s seat, their possibilities are endless. But in the event that never happens again, at least we have Frank’s solo band as the next best thing.
7 out of 10
Label: AFM Records
Genre: Heavy Metal
For fans of: Accept, Judas Priest, Dio