For 40 years, Herman Frank’s name has been synonymous with larger than life, Teutonic metal riffs. Whether it be with Accept, Victory, or as a solo artist, his hunger to create pure hard and heavy music is as ravenous today as it was back then. Hot off the heels of a new solo album, Frank is back with yet another album, this time with the long inactive Victory. We sat down with Frank to discuss this new album, Gods of Tomorrow, as well as balancing various projects, staying active during the pandemic, and a hypothetical mega Accept reunion.
Greetings Herman and welcome to Defenders of the Faith! How are you doing this afternoon?
Herman Frank: I’m fine. How are you?
I’m doing fantastic, thank you. We have so much to unpack, so let’s hop right into it. Despite the ongoing events of the past nearly 2 years, you’ve managed to stay busy as ever, first with your solo album, Two for a Lie, and now with a brand new Victory album. When the pandemic first hit, was your plan to remain as productive as possible?
HF: For me, there was no reason to calm down or get depressed. I’m not the kind of guy who gets depressed. I’m always looking forward. Sure, there had been lots of shows cancelled, but on the other side, I said to myself I wanted to release a couple albums anyway. I love to work on music. My head is full of new songs. That was the only way I could get rid of them, otherwise my head would explode *laughs*.
Gods of Tomorrow is Victory’s first album in a decade. It also features a brand new lineup. How did this incarnation of the band come together?
HF: It’s kind of a long story. I’ll try to keep it simple and short *laughs*. Jioti (Parcharidis), the former singer, got problems with his voice. The doctors said you have to stop singing and he probably had to, otherwise he would’ve lost his voice forever. So there was that in between 10 years. I was doing a little bit of Accept, a little bit of my solo albums, but people kept asking, “Why don’t you release a new Victory album? We want to hear some new stuff.” I said, “Hey, I’m trying to. I’m just doing my best, just looking for a new good singer.” It’s not that easy to find a guy who can replace Charlie Huhn and Fernando Garcia and Jioti.
All of a sudden, I was doing a show two years ago with my solo band at a festival in Germany. I entered the venue and I heard this voice with this band and said to myself, “Wow, maybe it’s worth listening to their whole set.” The band was called The Order. It was Gianni’s (Pontillo) original band. I was so impressed about this guy. He was acting onstage like a real rockstar. He looked like a rockstar and he sings like a fantastic rockstar. After the show, I started talking to him about my new ideas for Victory. He was quite excited and that’s how we started. With this singer, it was worth it to work on some new material. He’s really able to perform the way I would love to and wish to.
We started with writing a couple new songs, nearly two years ago *laughs*. After the first two or three songs, it felt like coming home. In the last decade, I was really busy with this kind of metal. It was a totally different scene to come back to this classic rock. It’s a different kind of style of music anyway. Victory is a rock n’ roll band. It felt like coming home, like in the olden days. It came out very easy, out of my head, into my fingers, and we came up with some new tunes.
It’s funny you mention the stylistic difference with Victory. I’ve always felt that about the band, even going back to those 80s albums. Yes, with you on it, I’m going to hear some Balls to the Wall here and there, but with Victory there always seemed to be a more melodic approach.
HF: For sure. Accept is metal. Victory is rock n’ roll. You can hear it from the riffs, from the melodies, from the kinds of leads and solos I play on top. It’s more melodic and, maybe it’s the wrong word, but not as aggressive. It’s got catchy hook lines, catchy verses. I really like to come up with smooth harmonies too.
Speaking of that writing process, do you write music with the intention of it being specifically for either Victory or your solo project, or does it just come naturally?
HF: You have to sort it out *laughs*, otherwise it wouldn’t make sense to have two different bands if you do the same kind of music. I love to have two or three different playgrounds in my life. I really enjoy that I’m able to separate these both kinds of music. As The Blues Brothers famously said, “We do both kinds of music: country and western.” I do the same: rock and metal. You have to separate it. When I start writing an album for Herman Frank. I definitely use different riffs, different kinds of arrangements, different voicings, different melodies, different vocals and vocal styles than I do with Victory. You have to think about catchy leads. Not only show your technical stuff, but you have to show the melodic stuff. Maybe people will whistle to it or also remember the lead parts, and especially the vocal parts.
There’s been three singles released off this album thus far, the first being the self empowering “Cut to the Bone”. Were the lyrics of this song directed towards anyone in particular?
HF: I mean, everybody’s got somebody in particular *laughs*. You think about back in your life, and my life has lasted longer than yours for sure. Maybe there’s a couple of guys to which this song is dedicated *laughs*. I’m talking about some managements, some agencies, booking agents and stuff like that.
Yeah, it’s called the music business for a reason.
HF: Not only business wise, but a couple of people who called themselves “friends”. As one of the first Victory albums says, Don’t Get Mad…Get Even.
That is true, and we’re gonna be talking about that album soon. The second single is the title track, “Gods of Tomorrow”. What inspired this song and why is it the title of the new album?
HF: Because Gianni is one of the most known poets in the whole universe *laughs*. Quite honestly, if you look around at the situation of the world right now, this ship is going into stormy weather. A lot of people are just waiting for any voice out of the universe from any god to tell them what they have to do or what they have to change. I don’t believe in this. I think we have to lead our fate. We have to manage all these things by ourselves to get the world turning around for a couple more years or a couple more decades. You can be the “God of Tomorrow”. Everybody can be the “God of Tomorrow” and everybody should be the “God of Tomorrow”. We should tell people what we have to do to solve our problems.
So it’s carrying on that theme of empowerment like on “Cut to the Bone”.
HF: I guess so, yeah. You said it.
The third and final single released is the hard rocking “Love and Hate”, which seems to lyrically reflect the return of Victory. Are you amazed that 35 years later you’re still creating music and performing with this band?
HF: It’s unbelievable actually. I really never gave up the faith to come up with some new Victory stuff. When I was out with Accept and my own band, people kept asking me, “Why don’t you release another Victory album with these really good rock n’ roll songs?” I said, “Hey, I’m really trying to do my best. I’m working on it.” Now it becomes true. I’m very excited about it. I’m very proud of this project, After 35 years, it’s unbelievable that we’re gonna release an album and people like it. That’s what surprises me the most *laughs*. As the producer and songwriter, you always wonder what people are gonna say about it. So far, the reviews have been really good, Everybody’s looking forward to the release of this album.
As am I and all the readers of the site. I know in preparation for it you’ve done some shows in Germany, Belgium, and France. How were these shows?
HF: *laughs* Quite fantastic! I didn’t expect that good of a reaction from the crowd, but everybody was excited. It was the second, third, and fourth concert we’ve done together because of COVID, but we managed it quite well. There was one song, “Are You Ready”. It was a little bit longer than the original version *laughs*. Maybe the bass player composed a new arrangement onstage, but he kept smiling and went through with it. It went out very well. Going back to the “Love and Hate” song, that’s one of the songs that reminds me most of the successful days of Victory. It has the same spirit, grooves, and harmonies. It’s a really good single.
You speak of those successful days and I promised we were going to get to them. This year is the 35th anniversary of Don’t Get Mad…Get Even *pulls out vinyl*.
HF: Is there the picture on the back side?
*Flips over* Here we go.
HF: Wow *laughs*! Young pretty boys!
Which songs on that album stand out as favorites?
HF: “Arsonist of the Heart”, that’s one of my favorites. “The Check’s in the Mail” for sure. It’s a different question when you ask a musician who performed on the album. I really do like every song *laughs*.
“Arsonist of the Heart” has always been my favorite. How did that song come together?
HF: I had this riff in my mind. Then Charlie showed up and we fiddled around. We came up with this idea of going back and forward and there it was. Actually, we might play it on this upcoming tour in January. So many people ask for this song and I really would love to perform it. Maybe I have to listen back once and have the guitar with me.
Now when a band like Victory has been around for as long as they have, is it hard to put a setlist together?
HF: Actually, that’s the most difficult part of the show *laughs*. Everybody’s asking for so many songs. “Do you play “More and More”? Do you play “Never Satisfied”? Do you play this? Do you play that?” Yes, I wish I could. It would take us 4 to 5 hours and I’m turning 63 now, so it might take me two breaks in the set: One to pee and one to get food *laughs*. I really don’t know how we can solve this problem. For this upcoming tour, we for sure want to do 5 or 6 songs from the new album. Then imagine if you have to do 15 songs from the other albums. We’re up to at least two hours. Maybe we’ll change a couple of songs in between the days during the tour, but then all the people will say, “Why did you play this song on this day? I wasn’t there.” It’s always a problem, but I guess in ’22 there will be a lot more Victory shows. Sooner or later we’re gonna play every song…well, not every. A couple of them I’d rather leave out *laughs*.
I’m not sure if it’s been formally announced, but the word going around is that you’re working on a new project with David Reece named Iron Allies. When can fans expect to hear this?
HF: Why did I expect this question *laughs*? Yeah, as you know by now, I can’t sit back on my own, leaning back in my chair. I’m not that type of guy. I’m always doing music, music, music because I love it. About a year ago now, it came up in my mind, “Wow, I really would love to have a band with grown guys, experienced guys.” David came up in my mind because I always read about him and his career, and he always read about my career, but we never met personally. I called him up and said, “David, I’ve got an idea. Guess what?” He said, “We’re going to form a band?” “Yes, right!” *laughs* I met personally with him for the first time this past summer in Italy. He’s kind of a brother. I can’t think of the right word, but I think you get what I’m talking about. Yes, it’s true. Right now, we are writing a couple songs and looking for some labels who might release it or not, sooner or later. I guess we will have some news hopefully soon. Actually, I haven’t heard any answers from any labels. Maybe we are too expensive. Maybe we are asking too much money *laughs*.
It’s such an interesting concept to have a band with two former Accept members who weren’t in the band at the same time as each other.
HF: That’s unbelievable, isn’t it? I wasn’t thinking about that, but then David mentioned, “Can you believe that we’ve been in the same band, but have never met each other?” So we’re forming a new band. David is such a great singer. He’s got this character voice and because he’s a native speaker, if he opens his mouth, you’re gonna believe what he’s telling you. And he’s got lots of feeling in his voice.
I just checked out that new album of his a couple weeks ago. He sounds fantastic as ever.
HF: Yeah, right now we’re not sure which direction we’re gonna do *laughs*. We checked out two songs that sound a little bit like power metal. I said to myself, “Maybe people don’t expect these kinds of songs.” *laughs* So we stepped back and did more in the style from when we grew up. Then David said, “Nah, we can’t do it like Black Sabbath. That’s to old.” So we’re really in the process of finding that fine line. Everybody believes in what we’re doing. It’s not easy, you know?
Yeah, and with both of your careers being as long and storied as they are, some fans might be expecting something along the lines of your past.
HF: It should not sound like a cheap copy of Accept. That’s not what I’m looking for.
While on the topic of Accept, I can’t finish this interview without asking this question. If the opportunity presented itself, would you partake in an Accept reunion?
HF: Somebody was asking me about that and I said, “Hey, that would be fantastic.” Look at what Helloween did. That would be one of the biggest things on the planet, aside from a Beatles reunion *laughs*. And now ABBA is doing a reunion! That would be fantastic. Just think about of Udo (Dirkschneider) and Mark Tornillo entering the same stage. People would freak out. As a musician, I don’t wanna mention it, but think of all the dollars and bucks *laughs*.
What I think has really spurred this discussion is in recent years, between what Helloween is doing and what Michael Schenker is doing with Michael Schenker Fest, we look to a band like Accept who’s been around this long, had this many members, and say, “Why don’t you do the same thing?” Everyone would come out full force all around the globe.
HF: Yeah, it might be interesting if you have a lot of original members onstage at the same time. On the other hand, Wolf (Hoffmann) quite good with his new group of musicians, but you can’t beat the originals. It’s interesting to me. I would pick up the phone…or maybe not. Maybe I’d hang up *laughs*. “Who’s it? Who’s that calling?”
The new Victory album, Gods of Tomorrow, comes out Friday, November 26 on AFM Records. For more information on Victory, visit www.victory-band.com. For more information on Herman Frank, visit www.hermanfrank.com.