Review Summary: Classic Heavy metal that's been overlooked.
Holy *** is this awesome! I’ve been recently exploring the Japanese metal scene, because I’ve only heard a very small amount bands such as Galneryus, Sigh, Dir En Grey, and X – Japan and they’ve all been stellar 95% of the way. So I thought that there has to be more awesome bands out there. When I was searching I stumbled upon Loudness, and the main reason that sparked my attention in the first place is because their lead guitarist is considered to be a guitar virtuoso and an awesome shredder. So I did my research, and their album
Thunder in the East was suppose to be a classic, and very influential in the Japanese metal scene. So I took a shot at in the dark without knowing what to expect.
Once listening to the first song “Crazy Nights”, my mind was blown!!! Straight up soaring vocals that are catchy as hell, that sing in the English language, rather than their own native tongue (which they do every now and again throughout their discography). Then there’s Akira Takasaki. He is literally one of the best guitarists I’ve listened too in a long time – while his main riffs are always maintaining his signature sound with a heavy upbeat tone to it all, with the constant compliment of pinch harmonics, which makes his riffs so much more tasteful. Then there are his solos, which are ***ing badass. Need I say more? But, that’s not all. Even the bass player can put out some awesome licks as well. For the most part, it’s hardly audible, because your main focus is on the guitars and vocals. But it’s a hell a lot more noticeable then what’s going on in the recent trend of metal bands. Unfortunately, the drums aren’t that impressive, but they’re solid none-the-less.
To conclude,
Thunder in the East is an amazing refresher for anyone who can enjoy classic heavy metal. With amazing guitar arrangements, both in the riffs and solos, along with catchy vocals, makes this album an original masterpiece and should be owned by any metal fan. The best part is that there are no fillers what so ever! So go check it out now! And stop listening to your ***ty chugga -chugga deathcore that claims to be progressive!
