Thunder in the East

It’s big. It’s loud. It’s aggressive. It’s dumber than a fifty-pound sack of hammers. By golly, it must be Thunder in the East, the gleaming high point out of Loudness’s four-decades-long career. Even a jaded metalhead like me would have to admit that for a Loudness release, this one actually does pass the mark for being an enjoyable album.

Thunder in the East has a hell of a lot going for it overall: the electrifying energy and speed of early Accept; crazy acrobatic shreddage on the solos from guitar-savant Takasaki Akira on tracks like ‘Heavy Chains’, ‘Clockwork Toy’ and ‘The Lines Are Down’; an infectious melodic catchiness even on the heaviest tracks. I will give it an unqualified recommendation up front for being ear candy: a solid-as-hell piece of heavy/speed metal from the heyday of that style. That said, there are definite high spots and low spots on here.

Let’s start with the highs. Opener ‘Crazy Night’ is an excellent, fist-pumping anthemic energiser with a catchy-as-fuck tank-tread riff guaranteed to mow you down, as well as a guitar solo that sets a high bar for any guitarist to match (but Takasaki does, repeatedly, here). Despite the cheesy lyrics, ‘Like Hell’ is an excellent follow-up, keeping the energy and mood high. The album continues quite strong through tracks like ‘Get Away’ and ‘Clockwork Toy’. And then the raw speed and energy on ‘The Lines Are Down’ is truly worthy of any classic from the mid-80s.

Now the lows. ‘We Could Be Together’ is by no means a bad song, though it does tend to be a bit overwrought emotionally. ‘Run for Your Life’ is one of the weaker songs on here, an attempt at quasi-proggy composition which shades into an almost lightweight J-rock number, with a chorus that doesn’t quite connect and a solo which sounds a trifle limp when compared to other tracks on here. ‘No Way Out’ shades over into hair rock / glam metal territory – your mileage may vary on this one: I find the main melody bouncy and enjoyable, but I can see how heavy aficionados may find it annoying. And closer ‘Never Change Your Mind’ is kind of an obvious throwaway ballad, which is a real letdown, especially coming after the amazing ‘The Lines Are Down’.

With that having been said, did you come here expecting lyrical profundity? From Loudness? I say to you: Ha! The lyrics have about the level of intellectual sophistication you might expect from these guys, which is to say: bupkis. There’s exactly zero of the subversive street poetry of Deaffy’s lyrics for contemporary Accept, or the discontented ‘you-don’t-know-what-it’s-like’ anger of contemporary Judas Priest. (‘Clockwork Toy’ comes the closest on this album to being not-brainless, but never quite gets there.)

It’s basically your standard hard rock tropes of riding hard, ‘gonna rock you’ and ‘gonna shock you’, and the charms and sex appeal of sundry unnamed women, with whom the lyricist is enthralled / bewitched / bewildered / horny in varying degrees. It’s nothing you haven’t heard a dozen times before from any glam band on the Sunset Strip – except it’s coming at you wailed in Engrish by the energetic and goofily-enthusiastic young Niihara Minoru, which actually adds a fair bit of charm here. You gotta crack a smile at lines like: ‘I'm gonna shock you like hell!’ and ‘Without switchblades, you could die!’ Given the stripped-down, no-frills metallic hard rock he’s singing to, that’s par for the course.

Again, Loudness is pulling some real muscle here, and with Thunder gives us a solid album exemplary of what the East Asian powerhouse is truly capable of. Despite their initial albums being a bit disappointing, and their later albums being various levels of confusing, frustrating and irritating, Thunder in the East truly does earn its shelf space.

15 / 20

"Thunder in the East" is among one of the most overlooked, but best heavy metal albums of the 80s and Loudness' undeniable magnum opus. There were the first 3 releases, and then the Japanese and English language versions of "Disillusion", which inched Loudness closer and closer to the widespread international recognition they deserved, but with this release, everything from the riffs, to the arrangements, to the instrumentation, to the vocals, even down to the song placement is perfect. It is the culmination of everything they had done up that point: it still has the aggression of Judas Priest without the overt vocal gymnastics, the occasional prog leanings of Rush without the quirkiness and the tuneful catchiness of Dokken without seeming like it's eyeing the Top 40.

Akira Takasaki's guitar playing combines the ingenuity and skill of Eddie Van Halen and George Lynch with the precision of Randy Rhoads, with all the above elements improved upon and being utilized well in the context of expert songwriting and not simply there to exhibit technical flair. His playing is perfect from a technical standpoint with nothing out of place or seemingly throwaway, and the rest can be said for the rest of the bands performance on this album as well.

Anthemic opener "Crazy Nights" starts with a heavy and menacing riff and memorable chorus, and from there on, it is consistent quality throughout all the songs. All the songs are are dynamic, energetic and the album never feels like it is getting tired or reaching for filler songs to pad it out, be it on the A side or be it on the B side. There is not a lot of bluesy heaviness at all on this album in the vein of Led Zeppelin or Aerosmith: even when not exactly mid-tempo ("Heavy Chains"), it is still rhythmically very metallic. This is even more true with uptempo jams like "Get Away" and "Clockwork Toy". The thought put into the songwriting and the construction and placement of Takasaki's guitar work is evident in every song on "Thunder in the East". It is true that you can hear the influences of other contemporaries at times, but the capacity for synthesizing the disparate elements and the precision with which they are executed by Loudness as a whole ensure originality and greatness, all the way to the much-emulated closer power ballad "Never Change Your Mind".

To summarize, "Thunder in the East" is not only excellent on it's own terms but is a kind of passing of the torch from earlier bands like Motley Crue (whose release of the same year is crushed by this one) and quite possibly a standard for 1980s heavy metal in general, along with (arguably) Dokkens' "Beast in the East". There have been subsequent releases by both Loudness and other bands, but none ever seem to match, and certainly not surpass, this particular perfect storm of circumstance and performance that is "Thunder in the East".

In 1984, riding off the high of their recent albums Disillusion and The Law of Devil's Land with subsequent successful tours in Europe and America, it was with good reason that Loudness thought they had a shot at a breakthrough in the States. Under the management of Joe Gerber, Loudness' dream was set in motion when the band landed a deal with Atco records after which the quartet began work on their fifth full-length record and in January 1985, Loudness unleashed Thunder in the East, an album that quite simply revolutionized Japanese heavy metal.

Loudness were already well known on their home soil, with Takasaki and Higuchi famous even earlier when they were in the band Lazy, but nothing Loudness or any other Japanese band had made previously were quite as much of a game changer for Japanese metal as the success that Thunder in the East was. To put it in the perspective of the bands around Loudness back in Japan, all of a sudden here was this band from their own country cracking the American charts, getting their music played on MTV and performing alongside big names like Motley Crue and Stryper at venues such as Madison Square Garden (sorry X Japan, they were first), and better yet, they were experiencing this success without a forced change of musical style, Loudness were still pure, proud heavy metal, so why couldn't these other bands try it too? Of course nobody from there ever "made it" out west to the extent Loudness did, but for a portion of the 80s metal was a big deal in Japan, and it was in large part due to Loudness' effort right here on this album.

Thunder in the East springs into action with perhaps the band's most famous song in America, Crazy Nights, an infectiously catchy, thumping rocker with that will have you shouting along with the band "M-Z-A! M-Z-A!", and gives you an ear-full of what Loudness were all about, chock full of ridiculous little riffs, licks, and solos, you name it, courtesy of Akira Takasaki. Crazy Nights is followed immediately by what are to me two of the very finest songs Loudness ever penned, Like Hell and Heavy Chains, both very different tracks. Like Hell is a highly energetic metal track with a superb introductory riff setting the tone for the whole song, which is a rather fast-paced one, and is about as 80s as heavy metal can possibly get, without being cheesy. It also features riffing reminiscent of the main riff of Crazy Doctor from Disillusion, which I thought to be a cool touch. Heavy Chains is brilliant in its own right, starting as a slow semi-ballad, then exploding into a galloping, pounding heavy metal riff, with vocals as passionate as Minoru Niihara could possibly sing, and the song continues gradually picking up more and more, leading into an absolutely incredible guitar solo before winding to a close.

Also featured on Thunder in the East is a diverse selection of other songs, all of which are excellent, The Lines are Down, Clockwork Toy, No Way Out and Get Away are more signature Loudness tracks, with the expected mind blowing guitar of Takasaki and some excellent bass from Masayoshi Yamashita, especially his work on The Lines are Down. Run For Your Life is a very slow and very heavy song which has a really odd but good and somewhat funky opening riff and a pleasant chorus. Even the songs that aren't necessarily as well liked by many people as others on the album are very far from being bad, We Could Be Together I find to be ultra catchy and the solo section of the song is superb, due to the combined work of both Takasaki and Higuchi, and then Never Change Your Mind being one of the band's very rare ballads is probably the best one they ever attempted, despite it perhaps not being the greatest choice as album closer.

For a Japanese import band looking to make a statement overseas, they could have picked no better artwork to do so, the cover is very eye catching with the red and white of the Rising Sun flag in the background and Loudness' logo front and center with Thunder in the East spelled out in big bold metal studded letters. I also think the band's attempt at English is very respectable too, despite funny little instances where Niihara would blurt out goofy lines such as the many found in Get Away, gems like "Without switchblades you could die!" or "Without leather you could die!". It's really all just part of Loudness' charm though, as they're all superbly talented men outside minor linguistic difficulties.

Minoru Niihara has always been to me the weakest link in Loudness, but when he truly got going as he was on this album, he was a perfectly fine vocalist, and his sheer energy was vital to Loudness' sound during this era (they would regret losing him in the late 80s big time). Masayoshi Yamashita does a great job on bass, he doesn't do anything super fancy, but is very steady and reliable, and most importantly audible, not hidden in the back as many bassists tend to be. If you want an album to best demonstrate the abilities of guitarist Akira Takasaki though, this album is a great choice as it features many of his most iconic riffs and complex solos, and he's supported beautifully at all key moments by the drumming of the late great Munetaka Higuchi.

It goes without saying that this is pretty easily the most internationally famous heavy metal album to ever come from a Japanese band, and very deservingly so, Loudness showed they were more than ready to take a stab at the North American metal scene at this point in their careers and Thunder in the East was an incredibly respectable effort in doing so, aging gracefully in the many years since its release. If I were asked to name the one album that best embodies Japanese metal as a whole, this is it, without question. Very highly recommended to all fans of traditional heavy metal.

This album is the most popular release by Japanese hard rock/heavy metal band Loudness. I had never listened to this band before, and was recommended to give them a try, and I must say, I'm impressed. There are two big things that stand out to me about this album. First, the guitar work is marvelous here, Akira Takasaki is a ridiculously talented guitar player, his riffs and leads here are fantastic. Second, this album is insanely catchy, not cheesy glam catchy, but actually catchy in a well done and memorable way. All of these riffs are amazingly well done and are all extremely memorable, and the chorus' are all really great, a little cheesy in places, but they pull it off, and who doesn't like a little cheese? The album is really consistent and it's not bogged down by any terrible tracks, this is generally a really great album.

The songs on Thunder in the East are generally all around the four minute mark, being either mid-paced or faster in tempo and all sharing a similar, more traditional heavy metal sound. Having an overly simplistic sound can easily ruin albums, but Loudness pull all of these off with really awesome, and rather unique riffs combined with catchy hooks and lead sections. With all of the songs being so similar, it can be easy for tracks to become homogenized and bland, as is with lots of other heavy metal bands similar to this one, but each track has its own charm and its own unique riff. It's actually amazing how many good ideas these guys have fit into this one album, most of these songs start off really badass, but you'd naturally expect them to get kinda lame, but this doesn't happen. The album is sometimes frighteningly consistent in this aspect, as the good riffs and solos just keep coming. My favorite tracks on this album are "Like Hell", "Get Away", "We Could Be Together" and "Run For Your Life". "Like Hell" and "Get Away" show off the great riffing and soloing that Akira is capable of, and the chorus' to these two are way too awesome. I would say that the only weak tracks on here are "Heavy Chains" and "Never Change Your Mind", but they are still pretty decent. "Heavy Chains" has a ridiculously good solo section that completely redeems the song, and it's one of my favorite solos on the album. I think that "Never Change Your Mind" could have been scrapped, and it is a definitely weak track to end an album with. Generally though, this album is shockingly good, especially to someone who has never heard this band before.

The instrumentation on Thunder in the East is a pretty big cut above average, these guys are great. The star of the show is without a doubt Akira Takasaki, this guy is a beast. A few of his licks are even in the vein of Eddie Van Halen, I'm not kidding Akira's solos are ridiculous. His riffs are outstanding too, riffs like the verse riffs from "Crazy Nights", "Like Hell", and "Get Away" are all spectacular, and the good bass playing and vocals are the icing on the cake. The vocalist, Minoru Niihara, is pretty abrasive with his voice, and he has a thick accent. He might be a bit hard to get used to for those who are overly picky about their vocalists, but I loved his vocals right off. He never tries to act all prissy like a lot of the similar 80's hard rock/heavy metal acts did, he keeps it heavy effing metal all the way, and I think his vocal performance is fantastic. The bass player has an excellent performance on here as well, all of his basslines are well done and full of good fills and licks that really complement the songs. His bass tone is thick and heavy, and it has a great sounding low-range that gives a great full sound. The weakest performer here is probably the drummer, he is not at all bad, but pretty simplistic in his delivery. He pounds the drums with fervor that fits the music, and he doesn't take away from anything, but he is by no means a great drummer on this album. Taking into account the style of music these guys were playing, he really didn't need to be Neil Peart, and he does an okay job.

Overall, Thunder in the East is a great album. I really enjoy this, I did NOT expect it to be this good. Some of these songs will stick with you for days, I couldn't get the "Crazy Nights" riff out of my head the day I heard it. I really should check out the rest of this band's discography, this album was testament to some great talent! I would recommend this to fans of more traditional or simplistic heavy metal, and hard rock fans will love this. I would definitely consider this album a hidden gem, it's not perfect, but damn is it good. This whole record screams 80's and has a great vibe that I really enjoy, I am definitely a fan of this album. The whole album is consistently good, full of great riffs, wicked solos, and a really catchy vibe at the same time that makes this band unique. If you come across this, snag it; and if you have not heard this yet, check it out, it is bound to impress.

"Wock and Wooooo!!"

This was the record that finally put the Japanese metal pioneers Loudness on the map for the Western metal world thanks to an emblematic cover artwork, a simple but very effective album title and songs that are now entirely performed in English. Thank God, the band didn't abandon their already quite unique sound to appeal to a larger mainstream public and this record still delivers everything one likes about the band. Some tracks maybe have some more radio potential than before but this doesn't mean that they are not technically impressive or original.

The first track "Crazy Nights" already proves that the band takes no prisoners and still focuses on gripping Hard Rock and Heavy Metal riffs plus a catchy chorus. I think that this kind of song has a big feeling of rebellious freedom inside and could play in any traditional metal pub. You really have the image of some black dressed and long haired Japanese rockers in their wild youth in a metal club that are having some drinks with their friends and flirting with some female metal maniacs when you listen to the first tracks on this strong release. It has a somewhat nostalgic feeling nowadays but this world of pure passion is still alive and these songs perfectly explain why I am so much into the metal genre. I have lived this kind of nights in some metal clubs and they are memorable and crazy indeed.

The truly impressive songs though come later. The Japanese always had a talent for great romantic love songs. The one in here is the rocker "We Could Be Together" that features a cool love message crowned by an epic radio rock orientated chorus. To use the idea of the metal pub again, this is the moment where the guys get on the dancing stage to impress the shyly smiling women in one corner. Another half ballad comes in the end with the chilling album closer "Never Change Your Mind". This is the moment just before the pub closes its doors and when only the troughest guys have remained conscious. The metal guy is holding the beuatiful lady in his arms and they walk or even ride away through the sunrise just like in a stereotypical movie. By the way, the lyrics of this track are also truly beautiful. It's about a guy that watches his girlfriend change and become a fashion victim for him and he looks at her from head too toe and says that he loves her the way she is and that she shouldn't change a thing at all. Now, many people claim that metal heads can't be romantic but I actually think it's the opposite. I feel very touched by this track.

The band still reserved us a lovely surprises in form of two bonus tracks added to the original issue. "Gotta Fight" is another straight rocker in the key of the opening tracks to the original release but sounds a little bit edgier and wilder and impresses with a variable vocal performance. The final "Odin" is a rare gem and pretty unknown little masterpiece. It features some atmospheric keyboards that could also fit to a New Wave track and a truly epic and impressive atmosphere crowned by dreamy vocals. Yes, this track is commercial and could have become a hit at the time but the eighties had plenty of appealing commercial music and this description really isn't meant as a negative point. This track only proves how open-minded Loudness are. What Judas Priest and Iron Maiden are to the Western world, Loudness and X Japan are to the Eastern world. It's as simple as that. It's a shame that Loudness still don't and probably will never get the attention they would have deserved for a long time. This is a perfect album closer and great track to peacefully fall asleep to. Anybody that doesn't know these two tracks yet should go and change this right now.

In the end, we have another impressive and varied Loudness record in here that feels a little bit more commercially orientated than the thrashier and more progressive tunes of the past but this little change feels quite fresh and Loudness still sound the way they should. I prefer "The Birthday Eve" and especially "Disillusion" to this album but not by far as this one really comes close. As this release is a landmark for the Eastern metal culture, any true rock and metal fan should know this record and try to make it her or his own.

Loudness, the first metal band to become rather popular in North America, releases their first all English album.

The album begins with the song that was also released as a single, "Crazy Nights". This is by far the best known Loudness song, at least in North America. It is a cool song, but is not one of the highlights. "Like Hell" is next, and is definitely one of the best Loudness songs ever. It has great riffs, and sick leads. "Heavy Chains" is a semi-ballad, but is still pretty solid. "Get Away" is speed metal. There is some awesome riff work and great solos to be found here. The lyric work is quite awkward ("Without shadows, you could die!"), but the song still rules. "We Could Be Together" is a relatively commercial sounding traditional metal song, but is still a good song, carried by solid riffwork.

The second half begins with the more progressive sounding, "Run For Your Life". "Clockwork Toy" is another faster track, and is overall pretty good. "No Way Out" is decent, but has a few misplaced parts. Then we have the awesome "The Lines Are Down". This is possibly the best song Loudness ever recorded. Unfortunately, it is followed by the worst song on the album, "Never Change Your Mind". It is a rather boring sounding ballad...fairly forgettable.

This is a very memorable album, definitely worth getting.

Loudness ranks as one of my all time favorite metal bands. They were technical, had an excellent guitarist, and a fine singer who sang in the upper register, and they wrote catchy songs. Thunder In The East, one of 1985's best albums, was Loudness at their peak.

Produced by Max Norman, who was THE metal producer of the time, the record is terrific from start to finish. The production is outstanding and one of Norman's best ever. The song that was pushed by the label and by rock radio as the single, "Crazy Nights" is OK but actually one of weaker songs on the album. Unfortunitely, as is often the case, labels and radio stations don't look past one song in which to define a band, where if they had more forsight, they could increase the shelf life of the CD by releasing more songs as singles.

Back to Loudness. "Like Hell" is an up tempo rocker with a fabulous solo, and a progression similar to song #4 "Get Away", which offers up another terrific solo very reminiscent of a fast Richie Blackmore solo from his Deep Purple days."Heavy Chains" and "We Could Be Together", are both quite good, but it is "Run For Your Life" which is the standout track here. A slow, ballad-like build up to a great chorus and melodic solo, this should have been a hit. "Clockwork Toy" is next and is also excellent and heavy. Another song which I just love is the albums closer, "Never Change Your Mind", which despite its unintentionally humorous lyrics (got a new hairstyle I see, you're dressed to kill, bright colored lipstick for me against my will) due to the language gap, is a stellar track. It builds up and builds up with great hooks and is one of their best songs.

While Loudness put out many more albums after "Thunder", none were as consistant, and none had as many great songs packed into one album.

Huge amounts of respect must be given to them as a band for their ability to pen decent lyrics in English and rock the western world at a technical level that few western bands can attain.

Loudness' "Thunder In The East" is a must for any complete metal collection, and in this writers opinion, their best work.

If you've never heard of Loudness and saw this album at the store, you might not purchase it. Probably because the picture of the band makes them look like glam rock. That is not the case for Loudness, especially on this album. Loudness was never really successful in other countries until Mike Vescera joined the band as the lead singer. This is very unfortunate for the band, because their earlier work displays some awesome heavy metal.

Thunder in the East actually happens to be the seventh full-length release, but it is probably the best. Thunder In the East really opened the door for Loudness in the sound they were shooting for. Musically, this band brings it to the plate. The drumming and the bass are decent, but add that with the awesome skills of Akira Takasaki and you have sure madness.

The riffs and solos are really good. Takasaki, latter to form his own band/solo career, could well be noted for being a guitar legend. The riffs and solos are very technical, and some of the riffs even show pure power behind them. Like the main riffs for Crazy Nights and The Lines Are Down. Minoru Nihara is a decent singer; actually I think he was the best singer for Loudness. His accent is very thick, and on some songs the English words sound different. But who cares, he hits all the high notes just as well as any singer in this genre. Best singing performance comes on the slow song/ballad Never Change Your Mind.

What really makes this album spectacular is the song writing and development. Without Takasaki on guitars this album would be different. The songs are powerful and all have a lot to give. This would be the best Loudness album to get, because it is probably the best Loudness album period. If you still don't believe me just listen to the song Crazy Nights, then listen to Heavy Chains, Get Away, Run For Your Life, and No Way Out and you will be set.

One afternoon, while exploring the labyrinth that is our local antique mall with my girlfriend , I came across a large selection of classic metal albums on vinyl. Among such platters as British Steel and Don't Break The Oath, a certain red-and-white cover, with hysterical pictures of Japanese dudes in make-up on the back, caught my eye. The album in question was none other than the fifth full-length release by Japan's Loudness, a band who, until this point, I had never actually heard. Despite my expectations that the album would be some kind of bad Japanese cock-rock, I decided to drop the $3 on it and see what exactly Loudness had in store for the unsuspecting listener(besides, I would have bought it anyway, just for the novelty of owning a record by Japanese guys in tights and eye-liner). What emanated from my stereo speakers was an enjoyable blend of traditional metal and glam rock, equal parts Iron Maiden, Scorpions, Lizzy Borden and early Motley Crue. Opening track "Crazy Nights" has a great fist-pumping vibe, flowing into headbanger "Like Hell", my personal favourite off this record. Even a comparison to Rush can be made - the chorus in “Run For Your Life” sounds somewhat like the Rush tune “Subdivisions”, while “The Lines Are Down” contains guitar and bass lines that could be mistaken for the work of Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee, circa late 1970s, which is a-ok in my books. Throughout the album, great(or cheesy, depending on how you look at it) lyrics like "without switchblades, you could die!" can be found, and add to the overall feel of this album. Personally, traditional/power metal has always reminded me of the music found in video games and anime, Japan's two biggest pop culture exports, so the vocals and not-so-hot English lyrics fit the album perfectly; for example, the motorcycle imagery in the track "Get Away" reminds me of the movie Akira whenever I hear it. There's not too much negative to say about Thunder in the East - if you like/"get" traditional/power metal or glam rock, it's definitely a safe purchase; for those of you who don't, it has novelty value at the very least, and should you find a vinyl copy for $3(and that’s $3 Canadian, folks), it couldn’t hurt to add it to your collection. Now excuse me, I have 30 more milk crates of LPs t dig through for my next find.