Written by Alex Stojanovic TRACK LISTING Running Back Shout Can't Take It No Tears In Heaven Ballhog Zone Run Boy Run Thunder Of Madness License To Kill Stone Cold Dead Or Alive Run For Cover I Want It All Release Date: November 18, 2016 Label: AFM Records Website: www.hermanfrank.com www.facebook.com/hermanfrankband |
Rick Altzi - Vocals Herman Frank - Guitars Michael Muller - Bass Andre Hilgers - Drums
In terms of great songs, The Devil Rides Out falls just a tad below Right In The Guts. There seems to be more songs on here that are more good than great and couple more fillers than on Right In The Guts. For example, "Running Back" is a fast opener with the classic speed metal groove we've all come to love, an ear-perking intro lead and fantastic vocals, but that's not enough to make it a great opener. What the song is lacking to make it a great opener is those enticing riffs that hook you instantly like in "Roaring Thunder" (opening track on Right In The Guts). Certain tracks also come to sounding a little too close to Accept like "Can't Take It", "No Tears In Heaven" and "Run For Cover".
Now that we've gotten the lows out of the ways, let's talk about the highs. "Ballhog Zone" is designed to be a live track where you can envision fists punching the air in unison with the driving groove and destructively heavy riffs. When I compare "Running Back" and "Thunder Of Madness", the latter should've been the album's opener in my opinion. It contains all the elements that "Running Back" lacks for a great opener. Another highlight is "License To Kill" with its slamming sludge groove giving just under 5 minutes of enjoyable riffs and vocals. A couple other highlights include "Dead Or Alive" which leans more in thrash territory with fast chugging riffs and a relentless double-kick attack and the more up-beat rocker "Run Boy Run".
Aside from Frank's exceptional guitar performance, as I mentioned above, Altzi's vocal performance is the icing on the cake, and he definitely deserves more attention. Rasp and clean together always produce a great vocal. In closing, not every song is a home run, but there's still plenty of enjoyable moments on The Devil Rides Out that should satisfy every Herman Frank fan in the world.
Highs: "Ballhog Zone", "Thunder Of Madness" and "License To Kill"
Lows: Just a tad more filler than on Right In The Guts, but not many.
Final Rating: 6/10