No Smoke Without Fire

While plenty of bands would start to get infected by trends occurring in the 90’s, Anthem were one of those immune to such things. No Smoke Without Fire is the sixth album of these guys and sounds like it easily could have been put out a few years earlier.

While Anthem's progression over the years wouldn't always make perfect sense (the explosive Hunting Time came out after the band's most melodic record, for instance), Anthem weren't afraid to show their Western influences and No Smoke Without Fire might be their most Westernized effort. ‘’Voice of Thunderstorm’’ sounds like Anthem’s tribute to ‘’Freewheel Burning’’ and destroys all in sigh with its gunfire riffing, non-stop guitar solos and intense shrieks – you know the deal. Yes, you’ve heard this kind of track before, but does it really matter since it gets pulled off with such conviction? I don’t think so.

It’s not all crazy speed metal you’ll find here, but in Anthem’s case that’s hardly an issue. ‘’Power & Blood’’ is pure fun karaoke metal (don’t Google this term as I just made it up) that was first designed by Accept and features Yukio Morikawa at his proudest and loudest. If his vocal lines don’t get you in the mood to shout along, you might as well lock yourself into your basement and stare outside of your window into the void of nothingness forever. ‘’Hungry Soul’’ features a serious punch of a main riff and once those soaring guitar leads pop up, you know you’re in for the real deal. While No Smoke Without Fire rocks from the beginning till the very end, its peak gets reached early on, though. ‘’Blinded Pain’’ is easily the best song here - with a serious passionate chorus it’s of larger-than-life-quality and Yukio Morikawa steals the spotlight by belting his heart out, making me believe it could cause a thousand Japs to shed a tear while throwing the horns with pride at the same time.

Unfortunately this would be Hiroya Fukuda's swansong and I wish he had never left. Clearly inspired by K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton, Hiroya Fukuda's guitar playing is classy and rather melodic here; sounding more restrained than on most of the band's past albums and although this would only be a problem if the quality of his compositions would suffer from it, that’s certainly not the case here. With the exception of the aforementioned ''Power & Blood'' each track features a handful of riffs that keep you satisfied until the album is over.

So yes, for me this is Anthem’s last actual good album (none of their stuff that I’ve heard is downright bad, but like I said, without Hiroya Fukuda, Anthem is just not my kind of Anthem) and while No Smoke Without Fire is not very original by any means, it's definitely worthy.

Anthem was on a roll and released No Smoke Without Fire only ten months after the vivid predecessor Hunting Time. It still amazes me how many heavy metal bands released excellent records in one year or less when it takes the same bands numerous years to deliver good average outputs at best these days. No Smoke Without Fire keeps all the excellent elements of its two ferocious predecessors, adds a particularly heavy production, a few skillfully employed keyboard sounds and comes around with a balanced yet coherent songwriting to deliver what might be the quartet's best record ever.

The album wasn't produced by Chris Tsangarides this time around and has a slightly heavier sound than usual which is a pleasant change. Especially the great bass guitar play has never been more audible than on this release as one can hear in the incredibly diversified ''Do You Understand''. This type of song represents this record's particularly heavy approach which almost leans towards thrash metal, not unlike what Judas Priest attempted in the same year with the release of Painkiller.

On the other side, this album is also the first to feature Don Airey whose decently employed keyboard sounds add a longing twist to several songs such as the epic ''Blinded Pain'' with its soothing vocals carrying the emotional track for almost seven minutes.

With the melodic mid-tempo stomper ''Power & Blood'' with its uplifting keyboard sounds, melodic guitar solos and catchy chorus, the record even includes a track with massive single potential, reminding me of a heavier Bon Jovi and Mötley Crüe track despite being the mellowest and most simplistic tune on this release. The more atmospheric and playful album closer ''The Night We Stand'' with its explosive chorus has a similar approach and would have also been a really decent single that would have deserved international airplay. It ends an incredibly strong record on a particularly high note.

In the end, No Smoke Without Fire burns brightly as it combines Anthem's heaviest tracks ever recorded with a few more longing and melodic epics. The album isn't watered down by any ballads or instrumental fillers but delivers nine efficient tracks for almost forty-five minutes of excellent heavy metal. The guitar solos always blend in perfectly, the bass guitar is particularly dominant, the drums are thunderous, the longing keyboard sounds add depth to the production and Yukio Morikawa proves to be one of the most variable and charismatic heavy metal singers who manages to combine longing melodic lines with a heartfelt and raw energy. Every musician involved gives the best he can which makes No Smoke Without Fire my favorite Anthem record of the early years, even though the two predecessors are very nearly equally great. It's a shame that this record was somewhat overlooked and turned out to be the second to last release of Anthem's legendary early years. If you want to rediscover the energy, sound and stylistics of heavy metal in the late eighties and early nineties, give yourself a gift and purchase this outstanding heavy metal milestone.

Of all the traditional Japanese metal bands out there, it must be Anthem who best represent what I love about that country's take on the genre. This is a band who have never flinched in the face of trends, never given a goddamn about the changing times and the onslaught of newer, more extreme strains of the art, and continued to produce good album after good album of old school, NWOBHM-derived riffing, powerful vocals and killer guitar solos. Whether I'm heading out on the highway or in dire need of an adrenaline shock while sitting in front of a stack of bills or being made miserable by a woman or some other life situation, I know that I can always rely on Anthem to get my fist pumping and testosterone amplified. Even at their worst, they are better than most other bands could ever dream. For fuck's sake, this is a band that pulled off an album called Domestic Booty successfully...does someone want to tell me why this treasure festers forever in obscurity while bands like Accept and Judas Priest remain decades deep in the rotation, and HammerFall and Dream Evil can tour internationally?

But No Smoke Without Fire is the album directly before that poorly-titled affair, and their sixth, already well into veteran status due to a string of great releases in the 80s. It doesn't mix up the formula much from its predecessor Hunting Time, though the presence of keyboards has slightly increased, adding a level of atmosphere that one may not have experienced so much on albums like Tightrope or Bound to Break. Anthem seemed primed here for their second decade of ass-kicking, and there is a simplicity and confidence to the writing which does in fact pucker up the buttocks with a red, swollen boot mark. It's amazing that so much of the lineup here differs from the current (only bassist Naoto Shibata remains), but the band sounds comparable to the most recent offering Black Empire. That is true consistency!

There is no weak link among the tracks of No Smoke Without Fire. Though certain of the songs may not stand as eternally triumphant as others, this is the sort of record you can put on playthrough 20 years after it was released and enjoy in its full 45 minute glory. The riffing is clearly inspired by Judas Priest, falling somewhere between Ram It Down and Painkiller in intensity but with the added layer of keyboards, used primarily to accent particular sections of songs like the opener "Shadow Walk". This mix of street metal and melodic sensibility only compounds the album's qualities, and when Hiroya Fukuda arrives at that blissful solo, you are either fully on board this train or a fucking poseur still standing on the tracks. No explanation is needed for the all out mid-paced rocking of "Hungry Soul". If you've ever found yourself head banging to a slower power metal riff in your life, you will like this song. "Blinded Pain" feels like the sort of anthem that would have a whole lot of Japanese fists in the air in the pause between the rollicking guitars, where the bass and Yukio work in melodic tandem.

Now would be the time for some dopey ballad if you were any other band performing in the late 80s power/speed metal genre, but NOT Anthem! No, the middle chunk of this record is the fastest and probably the best, beginning with the no-frills hammering of "Do You Understand", which should light a fire under your duff if you've ever dreamed of leather or a distant roadway. "Love On the Edge" features a righteous melodic hook that reminds me somewhat of the band's countrymen Dead End, and may be my single standing favorite from this entire disc. Simply an unforgettable composition, and when the synths arrive over the bridge, you get that unshakable feeling of generations being crossed. "Voice of Thunderstorm" picks up the pace even more, the sort of song Primal Fear should be writing instead of all the boredom they've induced with their latest offering. Excellent speed metal hooks, guitars going wild all over, and never forgetting its core melodic values as it heads straight for the top.

"Power & Blood" is like a "Breaking the Law" or "Balls to the Walls" only with a graceful keyboard cheery on top. Sure, it might feel dated, but all the best wines are... It's total party in the sun metal of the most accessible sort, with only subtle shifts in the vocals that herald the KISS-like chorus. Almost as if to apologize, "Fever Eyes" returns to a frenzy of burning lead speed metal, perfect for the motorcycle or any dragster you own. If anything, it suffers from sounding a little similar to many other tracks in the bands now vast repertoire, and it's not as memorable as the rest of this album, but it fits in snugly. "The Night We Stand" suffers no such fate, with a roaring twin melodic intro that drips on the ears like hot wax on the chest, before Yukio's swaggering vocals herald the shuffling, moody NWOBHM blues of the wandering verse riffs. More epic keyboards arrive here, like a clarion bouncing off the walls of a castle.

Pound for pound, Anthem are one of the few bands that have delivered almost 30 years of consistent, excellent metal for fans of the classic stylings which surfaced in the 80s. They deserve far more credit for their longevity and personal investment in quality, and I feel like they could appeal to a wide variety of metal fans, from the Accept and Judas Priest worshiping core of the power metal fanbase, to fans of edgier, moody hard rock like Deep Purple or Whitesnake. No Smoke Without Fire may not be their grand slam, but it's another of many album's in the band's catalog which continue to impress me today. Unless you were born in like 1993+ and thus have no exposure or concern for anything aside from death, black and metalcore, they are more than worth your attention, so what exactly are you waiting for?

Highlights: Shadow Walk, Hungry Soul, Love On the Edge, Voice of Thunderstorm, The Night We Stand

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

Anthem in the mid-to-late 80's is pretty well known, particularly for the vocals of Eizo Sakamoto, who after leaving Anthem in 1988, rose to superstardom as a solo artist and with his Animetal band. But the material after Eizo's departure is worth a look, particularly the early-90's output such as the album in question, 1990's 'No Smoke Without Fire'. First off, out of the entire Anthem discography, this is far and away the easiest to track down and cheapest to purchase from Ebay or Amazon or what have you. The reason why is apparent as soon as you spin this record: it's Anthem's 'Painkiller'. It was released in the same year as the Judas Priest opus, and the songwriting is just as solid, and at times resplendent, as the album I'm comparing it to. The only difference here is the vocals.

Yukio Morikawa is an incredible vocalist, but like the man he replaced, he is a man with a naturally high range, who sings full-voice, rather than falsetto, and does an incredible job plying his craft here. The triumvirate of tunes that hold this record together are actually the first three, which will tear the face off any Classic Metal fan, without question. 'Shadow Walk' is perhaps the most instantly recognisable of the three, but 'Hungry Soul' is the real gem, here. You will have the second track on this album spinning for weeks to come, and when it's not playing, it will be stuck in your head. It's a downpace, straight-forward Metal tune in the vein of Accept's 'Balls to the Wall' with an awesome driving riff and a bridge and chorus that are instantly memorable. 'Blinded Pain' caps off the unholy trio, with a similarly addictive chorus, but its real strength comes in the reverb-drenched haunting guitar solo sandwiched right in its middle.

The album at this point exchanges most of its catchiness for sheer brutality and thrashiness, which has always been one of Anthem's staples. 'Do You Understand?', 'Voice of Thunderstorm', 'Fever Eyes', and 'The Night We Stand' have a heavy Thrash / Speed Metal vibe, while 'Love on the Edge' and 'Power & the Blood' are more Classic Metal anthems that wouldn't be at all out of place on an Accept album. The songwriting remains spectacular until the very end, with a perfect Metal guitar tone and Morikawa's soaring performance keeping the proceedings together. Anthem experiments throughout this album with some keyboards, but never once do you feel as if it's over the top, and it certainly never detracts from the heaviness. Think of how keyboards were used on 'Painkiller', and you'll get the idea of what's going on. An exceptional album, and my personal favourite in their entire discography. Highly recommended for Classic Metal nerds and fans of bands like Accept and Judas Priest.

Standouts: Shadow Walk, Hungry Soul, Blinded Pain, Love on the Edge