Loudness
The Birthday Eve

NEVER JUDGE A RECORD BY ITS COVER.

Write it down in large letters on a piece of paper and post it near your record collection, or at least, I hope you have one... The album in question has a cover that is more than ugly, anonymous. If it had been terrible, it would have struck the minds in some way. But this one is so flat that it might discourage the curious from purchasing it. All this preamble is to say that the debut of the Japanese Loudness, "The Birthday Eve", marked with 1981, is as far as it gets from its cover.

Namely, a dazzling and sparkling example of uncompromising heavy metal (so much so that there's no "radio-friendly" track nor any single has been released), with a slight anchor to hard rock, with subtle blues nuances, especially in the mid tempos. At times dazzling, showy, eccentric. You can tell it's played by young hopefuls, destined to become the most famous metal band of the Land of the Rising Sun. Sure, not everything that glitters is gold. The singer's voice appears a bit too strained, although pleasant and functional to the cause, and often you can't tell in which language they are singing... The other downside is represented by a lack of optimal cohesion among the various band members and a wooden sound of the drums that might irritate occasional listeners of certain sounds. And you can't think of Loudness without the lead guitar of Akira Takasaki, who, despite his young age, shows he has digested various past experiences, from the prog of Yes to the primordial sound of Hendrix up to Van Halen and Randy Rhoads, perhaps his major influences. A refined guitar style, yet equipped with a forcefulness and genuineness that only the enthusiasm of youth can bestow. An aspiring shredder who can move and entertain (as in this case) even those who are not guitarists is a rare thing. A final mention on the bassist, a bit apart, but able to support the structures of the tracks more than well during all 40 minutes and 30 seconds of the record. Some will say that's not much, and will make the length of "The Birthday Eve" a flaw, but my advice - if after listening you think "is it over already?" - is to press the play button again and let yourself be carried away into the exotic world of these champions. And if you are still skeptical, listen to the compelling opener "Loudness".

Conclusion: just a little behind the great names of classic worldwide heavy. They would have deserved much more success, but you know, if you don't come from certain geographical areas (England, USA, Deutschland), your chances of making it big are unfortunately much smaller.

Unleashed (only) in the East.