Wow, I didn't know they were still doing their thing. A bit of an obscure metal band out of Japan from the 80s. I always really enjoyed their work. Too bad they didn't get more recognition back in the day. One of the best concerts I can remember from back then, TNT, Loudness, & Stryper. What am amazing show. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Lzen:
Wow, I didn't know they were still doing their thing. A bit of an obscure metal band out of Japan from the 80s. I always really enjoyed their work. Too bad they didn't get more recognition back in the day. One of the best concerts I can remember from back then, TNT, Loudness, & Stryper. What am amazing show.
I saw Stryper just a couple of years ago, right before Oz got sick. Met the guys and everything.
One of the few bands of that era that haven't gotten bloated and impossible to watch. In fact, Mike's pipes sound pretty damn good for a guy nearing 60. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Lzen:
Wow, I didn't know they were still doing their thing. A bit of an obscure metal band out of Japan from the 80s. I always really enjoyed their work. Too bad they didn't get more recognition back in the day. One of the best concerts I can remember from back then, TNT, Loudness, & Stryper. What am amazing show.
While Loudness was a killer band with an amazing guitarist, they were far from obscure.
They released five albums in America, all of which charted in the Billboard Top 100 and recorded 25 albums in total to date. They toured with Motley Crue, Twisted Sister and so many more huge 80's metal acts and their albums on Atlantic Records were produced by the great Max Norman.
While I really liked their debut US album, Thunder in the East, I like Lightening Strikes even better. Akira Takasaki's guitar tones are freaking killer on Lightening Strikes and he wrote some crazy awesome riffs as well.
I think they would have been huge had their lead singer's English had been better, say, like Klaus Meine from Scorpions, but he always had a difficult time with pronunciation and enunciation, along with translating lyrics from Japanese to English. Max Norman worked closely with him to refine his lyrics but they were often silly ("Never change your mind"????!!) to full on gibberish.
GREAT players though. Really, really great players. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud:
I think they would have been huge had their lead singer's English had been better, say, like Klaus Meine from Scorpions, but he always had a difficult time with pronunciation and enunciation, along with translating lyrics from Japanese to English. Max Norman worked closely with him to refine his lyrics but they were often silly ("Never change your mind"????!!) to gibberish.
I listen to a lot of metal from Scandanavia as well as from places like Greece and Malta. A lot of the bands I like have kind of cheesy lyrics, especially the doom bands (the power metal bands are cheesy to begin with :-)) for the exact reason you state - the translation just doesn't work quite right. [Reply]
Originally Posted by htismaqe:
I listen to a lot of metal from Scandanavia as well as from places like Greece and Malta. A lot of the bands I like have kind of cheesy lyrics, especially the doom bands (the power metal bands are cheesy to begin with :-)) for the exact reason you state - the translation just doesn't work quite right.
I haven't heard much of the metal from those countries but what I have heard, especially with the Scandinavian bands, is amazing, pristine production, great players and singers. I mean like Dream Theater level musicianship and even better production.
Sadly, I also have difficulty connecting with it because of the language barrier, which is really a shame because there are more than a few bands out there writing absolutely killer music. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud:
I haven't heard much of the metal from those countries but what I have heard, especially with the Scandinavian bands, is amazing, pristine production, great players and singers. I mean like Dream Theater level musicianship and even better production.
Sadly, I also have difficulty connecting with it because of the language barrier, which is really a shame because there are more than a few bands out there writing absolutely killer music.
Sweden and Norway have some really, really amazing stuff out there, especially power metal and even some stuff on the darker side like technical death and black metal.
I've long listened to a band out of Sweden called Narnia that has put out a couple of really, really good albums lately. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud:
While Loudness was a killer band with an amazing guitarist, they were far from obscure.
They released five albums in America, all of which charted in the Billboard Top 100 and recorded 25 albums in total to date. They toured with Motley Crue, Twisted Sister and so many more huge 80's metal acts and their albums on Atlantic Records were produced by the great Max Norman.
While I really liked their debut US album, Thunder in the East, I like Lightening Strikes even better. Akira Takasaki's guitar tones are freaking killer on Lightening Strikes and he wrote some crazy awesome riffs as well.
I think they would have been huge had their lead singer's English had been better, say, like Klaus Meine from Scorpions, but he always had a difficult time with pronunciation and enunciation, along with translating lyrics from Japanese to English. Max Norman worked closely with him to refine his lyrics but they were often silly ("Never change your mind"????!!) to full on gibberish.
GREAT players though. Really, really great players.
Dane you are the bomb! I ALWAYS LOVE YOUR IN PUT! :-) [Reply]
