Canada's The Metal Voice spoke to Former Accept members, vocalist David Reece and guitarist Herman Frank about their new band Iron Allies along with other topics.
Their debut album ‘Blood In Blood Out’ will be released on October 21st via AFM Records
Watch Full interview here
When asked how they started this band
"One a half years ago, I wanted to form another band because it's not that easy to find people that keep up with my pace. So David (Reece) was on my mind for a couple of years and then I just searched for him on Facebook and sent him a message. Hey David I'm planning on a new thing please give me a call and the next day David called. So we talked a little on the phone. I then sent him in the same week two or three of songs I wrote and he sent them back to me two days later with vocals. So I was overwhelmed and quite surprised by him sending me back the songs two days later. Three songs with nice Melodies and I said to myself, hey this is catchy, that's the thing I want to do. So we started talking and that's what happened. " Herman Frank
When asked about the musical direction of the new album Blood In Blood Out
"Herman Frank and I discussed after the three tracks that I turned over to him he (Herman) said you know Dave I really want to go traditional metal, that's who I am I'm not gonna change who I am. I'm not gonna be modern metal and I'm like cool cool. Herman Franks in my opinion his riffs speak for themselves and the influence, obviously there's Judas Priest in there, there's a lot of stuff that he and I came up with to cut our teeth on. Herman style, my style I mean that that's the only way I can kind of put it all in one basket. Herman was emphasizing you know Melody we gotta have Melody, so feel free to do what you do Dave and I'll do what I do. But somehow it just glued together and I'm not going to question why sometimes things just work out. I was really getting tired of being in bands and a couple guys that we all know said Reece you need to go back and sing heavy, that's what people expect from you. So after the U.D.O. tour (opening act) I realized the truth of it and so I've been kind of slowly going back into that." David Reece
"I wanted to have an album which sounded real fresh, different to this to the stuff I've done before. I do love the combination of this heavy guitar sound and a little bit of this bluesy thing what David gives. It's not just like screaming Heavy Metal like a lot of people do, there's so much Melody and so much the way he pronounces the words. He's (David) finding the melody, he starts a melody and then he builds up to the chorus, it's just fantastic. It was one of the easiest things for me to work out an album. It just fitted from the start. In terms of lyrics Dave is the most talented poet in the Universe on my side." -Herman Frank
On other topics
When asked about David Reece's audition for Badlands after Singer Ray Gillen Left
"They (Badlands) were thought that I was the guy and Jake (E Lee) you know was the boss and Ray (Gillen) I don't know if he had passed yet or was at home at his mother's, I don't know, God bless him. But I had done a bunch of shows with Badlands and we'd open for them and Ray would always come in the dressing and put his arms around me and say dude damn dude you're nailing it and I mean here's Ray Gillen you know the guy was amazing. But Greg (Chaisson Badland's Bassist) kept an eye on me and then when they kind of fizzled out. He called me one day and said come down to the rehearsal Studio I've told Jake about you and Jake he's interested. So I went down there it was basically the three of us we waited three hours and Jake just opened the door, his hair in his face, cigarette burning his air cranked his Randalls (Amps) to ear bleeding volume, played to the set a few times and in those days I could do "High wire"(The Song) pretty easily. It went really well and Jake and I exchanged numbers and he's a vampire. I mean the guy sleeps all day and the guy would call me at four o'clock in the morning. Hey man, I'd be like hello. Who's this? Jake, dude what are you doing? Well I'm sleeping, what's up? Then one night he called me and said I've changed my mind I'm gonna work with Mandy Lion and I'm gonna do a Prince meets Death metal project called World War III and I went okay......Yeah, Prince meets Death Metal I didn't know what he was talking about and then he just kind of disappeared, I mean and that's Jake. He's a brilliant player but in and out. I think he said at rehearsal about five words and then he'd call me and just kind of mumble and then hang up. You know, it was never like do I get the gig? Or what's going on? It was weird." David Reece
Iron Allies, the new band of the two esteemed rock/metal gladiators who both once played with Accept, albeit at different times. Herman Frank and David Reece are the classic combination of song-writing guitarist and first-rate lyricist singer, a combination that, more than once, has caused a stir in music history. With drummer Francesco Jovino, bassist Malte Burkert and rhythm guitarist Mike Pesin, Herman and David have gathered like-minded, exceptionally talented forces around them.
Blood In Blood Out was recorded at renowned Horus Sound Studio in Hanover with co-producer Arne Neurand, and was mixed and mastered by Dennis Ward.
Blood In Blood Out track listing:
01 - Full Of Surprises
02 - Blood In Blood Out
03 - Destroyers Of The Night
04 - Fear No Evil
05 - Evil The Gun
06 - Martyrs Burn
07 - Blood On The Land
08 - Nightmares In My Mind
09 - Selling Out
10 - Freezin
11 - Truth Never Mattered
12 - We Are Legend (You And I)