Herman Frank, Accept's guitar player since 1982 just released his second solo effort, and mark my words, that one will make some waves ! It's fast, heavy, melodic and just plain majestic ! I personnaly not expected this album to too's Accept last opus but after 5 listens I have to say that it actually does !

The first song, Roaring Thunder reminds me of the best songs of Primal Fear and is one hell of an album opener ! Right in the Guts is holding more resemblance of old-style Accept with cubic riffs and a great chorus. What becomes clear very quickly, is that every song is different and the album is anything but repetitive. It contains some of the best guitars, doubled with more melodies and about the same heaviness than the last two Accept albums. The vocal melodies are more flushed out than on Accept's records and that brings the songs an extra mile in my opinion. The guitar solos are absolutely brilliant and the riffing is earth shattering. There isn't a single boring moment in the album, and the eleven songs will pass you by like a snap of a finger. The production could have been a little clearer but I'm nit-picking here, it's heavy and addequate, but a clearer sound (think Edguy) might have brought the album even higer. Still, it has that old-time 80's sound and that's maybe what Herman Frank wanted to achieve. It's a guitarist album so maybe the guitars being in front sound-wise is to be expected :). A great album to headbang too with great hooks, great energy and a rocking attitude second to none. What I like the most in this Right in the Guts, is the fact that the songs are variated, from true heavy tunes a la Accept, to more melodic songs and even borderline Power Metal jewels like the opener Roaring Thunder or Waiting (one of my favorite tracks), the album is constantly giving you something new. The album ends on a rollercoaster of a song, the heavy fast and powerful So They Run.

A true guitar tour-de-force filled with amazing songs, great vocals by Swedish singer Rick Altzi as well as great vocal melodies, a rocking attitude and the right amount of Hard Rock influence, Right in the Guts is an amazing album that not only equals but actually tops Accept last killer album Stalingrad (a little) ! Melody is what is sometimes a little lacking in Accept, but here it's there in spades without compromising much on heaviness and I think that's why this is actually a small step higher than Stalingrad. Still, 2012 is a great year for Heavy metal with both these amazing releases, and I hope Herman Frank continues to release albums between Accept's release, as Right in the Guts shows a more melodic face that I like very, very much ! Headbang hard, Raise your Hands, Right in the Guts is definitely what Heavy Metal is all about !