Loudness is one of those legendary bands, like Iron Maiden, Saxon, and so forth, who have pretty much been consistently great for their entire career. Sure, there was the ill advised foray into alt metal come the late 90s, but are you really gonna fault this otherwise class act for a handful of creative slipups? After all, aside from Scorpions, Loudness is the only metal band I can think of who took a musical 180 and still killed it. Whether you prefer the raw, complex, Rush derived prog metal of their early 80s releases, or the slick, melodic, AOR infused metal of their late 80s releases, Loudness offers something for everyone, and it all comes together on their latest release, Sunburst.
Now technically speaking, Sunburst is not a “new” album. Well, not brand spanking new at least. It was initially released at the very end of 2021 (December 29 to be exact) as a Japanese exclusive. Which is rather disheartening to a Yankee like myself. It’s like, “Come on guys! Don’t you remember us from when you opened Mötley Crüe’s Theatre of Pain tour in ’85?” I’m sure Loudness’s collective memory is a lot less clouded than the Crüe’s, but that didn’t stop the latter from writing an award winning novel! I mean, “autobiography”. Anyways, where was I? Oh yeah! Bands who DON’T rely on nostalgia tours!
Sunburst is divided into two albums, the first celebrating the band’s early years with a collection of new songs written in the same adventurous spirit. It starts rather simple with the no frills “OEOEO”, but picks up the pace with the fast and powerful “大和魂”. “Crazy World” is another classic 80s metal onslaught, boasting Akira Takasaki’s ironclad riffs and Minoru Niihara’s ageless vocals front and center, while “Stand or Fall” channels triumphant power metal and “日本の心” thrashes things up. My favorite cut however is the eerie epic that is “The Sanzu River”. With its sinister guitar parts, evil atmosphere, and a full blown black metal passage to boot, 2nd wave derived rasps and all, “The Sanzu River” will have headbangers talking for a long time.
Those who find Sunburst‘s first half to be too extreme will be pleased by its second half, which for all purposes is the lost successor to Hurricane Eyes (1987). “輝ける80’s” kicks off this latter offering, and while I know zero Japanese, I can only assume the inclusion of “80’s” in the title means it’s a tribute to the decade of big hair and big guitars. It sure sounds blatantly retro. The same can be said for the punchy “エメラルドの海” and poppy “天国の扉”. Cuts like “All Will Be Fine with you” and “Wonderland” put the “power” in power ballad, while the doomy “Fire in the Sky” and motörcharged “Hunger for More” serve as the obligatory headbangers, as every MTV friendly metal band had to include to remind everyone they still were indeed metal.
Despite touring and recording for over 40 years, Loudness are anything but old and tired. These legends are as invigorated today by the spirit of metal as they were then, if not even more so. Sunburst is a double album done right: All killer and no filler; an upright musical portrait of the multifaceted beast that is Loudness. This band of heavy metal samurais remains a force to be reckoned with, katanas in hand and vengeance on their mind. Someone has to uphold “The Law of Devil’s Land”.
8 out of 10
Label: earMUSIC
Genre: Heavy Metal
For fans of: Judas Priest, Scorpions, Accept