Posts Tagged ‘ Anthem ’

Best of 2023: The Albums

As announced, my list of the best albums released in 2023 is a day early in order to fully devote January to Peruvian Metal Month, but that should not have any effect on the actual list. Once again, it wasn’t too difficult to fill the list with twenty titles. After the incredible year for new music that was 2022, I sort of expected the new release market to come crashing down the year after. But the differences were minimal. Especially bands that hadn’t released anything of note for a while managed to blow me away with their new albums.

Unlike most of my end-of-year list introductions, I don’t have much else to mention, so let’s dive straight into it:

1. Onmyo-za – Ryūō Dōji

Like with so many new Onmyo-za releases, I fell in love with ‘Ryūō Dōji’ the second I heard it. For a while, I thought my glasses were rose-tinted, because it is the first Onmyo-za album in nearly five years, but I just put it on again and it still gives me goosebumps. What more justification do I need to make ‘Ryūō Dōji’ my album of the year? Stylistically, the album feels like a bit of an anthology of all the directions Onmyo-za took through the years, with a slight focus on the tight, modern productions of the latter years. ‘Ryūō Dōji’ is nowhere near as heavy as ‘Hadō Myōō’ was, however. The vocal harmonies of Kuroneko and Matatabi are as beautiful as ever, while the hard rock and heavy metal riffs that dominate the album are simultaneously surprisingly familiar, yet always manage to find a surprising twist. A masterpiece.

Recommended tracks: ‘Nurarihyon’, ‘Gekka Ninpōchō’, ‘Shiramine’, ‘Karura’

2. Angra – Cycles of Pain

Somehow, I can’t get enough of proggy Angra. ‘Cycles of Pain’ is another piece of evidence that the Brazilian quintet never stops challenging itself. Unpredictable songwriting, huge power metal hooks, South American rhythms, virtuosic playing, gripping arrangements and no two songs sounding even remotely similar: ‘Cycles of Pain’ is simply everything I could have wished for. Fabio Lione also lays down his best vocal performance in a long, long time. People who would like to hear the more power metal side of the band should go to Edu Falaschi’s solo albums and ignore his godawful ballads. Those who like to hear an album that manages to surprise and improve with every single spin should stick with ‘Cycles of Pain’. Another masterpiece.

Recommended tracks: ‘Faithless Sanctuary’, ‘Generation Warriors’, ‘Dead Man on Display’

3. Vocifer – Jurupary

No, I’m not done praising Brazilian bands. Vocifer’s sophomore album ‘Jurupary’ took me completely by surprise. Their 2020 debut ‘Boiuna’ was fine, but how much their songwriting, arrangements and overall performances have improved since is just unbelievable. The foundation of their sound is a mildly proggy power metal, in which the way Vocifer makes dense, complex parts sound effortless, accessible and almost dreamy strongly reminded me of Labÿrinth. João Noleto’s smooth vocals and gorgeous melodies are enhanced by the fantastic songwriting, while the ever so subtle touches of Brazilian music increase the unique character of ‘Jurupary’. I honestly wish all melodic power metal was this good.

Recommended tracks: ‘Vanity in Disguise’, ‘The Voice of Light’, ‘We Are’, ‘Pleasure Paradise’

4. NoGoD – Now Testament

Another massive surprise, because I naively thought that Kyrie’s departure from NoGoD would mean that the band was finished. Instead, they released what is arguably their best album since ‘V’, and I may like ‘Now Testament’ even better. The songwriting on the album is just awesome. NoGoD excels at energetic hardrock songs with massive choruses, but ‘Now Testament’ ends up sounding surprisingly progressive at times – maybe the influence from bass monster hibiki joining the band? Dancho’s powerful, hyper-emotional vocals are at their very best as well, all accounting for an intensely enjoyable album that surpassed any expectation I may have had.

Recommended tracks: ‘What Do You Say’, ‘Mind’s Eye’, ‘Shikabane wo Koeteike’, ‘Genyaku Seisho’

5. OverKill – Scorched

My relationship with OverKill runs deep and has been going for several decades. They are the perfect band for such a relationship as well, as their output tends to be as dependable as it gets. You always know what an OverKill album will be like: uncomplicated thrash riffs with a modern production style, Sabbath-ish twists around the halfway marks of the songs and Bobby ‘Blitz’ Ellsworth’s high-pitched, raspy vocals never seem to lose any of their conviction. And while all of that is true for ‘Scorched’, it is also their most dynamic and organic-sounding album in ages. ‘Won’t Be Comin’ Back’ is the best OverKill song in well over a decade and it’s far from the only highlight on ‘Scorched’.

Recommended tracks: ‘Won’t Be Coming Back’, ‘Twist of the Wick’, ‘Know Her Name’

6. Metal Church – Congregation of Annihilation

Speaking of metal veterans with a well-established sound that manage to outdo themselves… ‘Congregation of Annihilation’ is far and away my favorite Metal Church album since their initial break-up in the mid-nineties. Sure, it’s notably more thrashy than the band usually sounds – no doubt helped by the vicious bite of newcomer Marc Lopes’ excellent raspy vocals – but that’s exactly the shot of adrenaline this band needed. Too many bands of Metal Church’s vintage aren’t encouraged to write great albums anymore, because they will only have to play two songs live and fill the rest of the live set with classics. Kurdt Vanderhoof was apparently having none of that and produced his best set of songs in decades.

Recommended tracks: ‘Making Monsters’, ‘Another Judgement Day’, ‘Say a Prayer with 7 Bullets’

7. Lovebites – Judgement Day

Bassist miho’s departure from Lovebites was a source of concern for me, as she tended to write my favorite songs. Fortunately, the highlights on ‘Judgement Day’ are as good as Lovebites can possibly be. It helps that the band is very well-aware of its own strengths: the spectacular guitar work by Midori and Miyako, plus Asami’s incredible, soulful vocals. ‘Judgement Day’ is full of power metal songs with hints of thrash metal, hardrock and traditional heavy metal. It might have even cracked my top 5 if it wasn’t for uninspired Lovebites-by-the-numbers songs like ‘Wicked Witch’ and ‘Stand and Deliver (Shoot ‘Em Down)’, but ‘Judgement Day’ is good as it is.

Recommended tracks: ‘We Are the Resurrection’, ‘Soldier Stands Solitarily’, ‘Lost in the Garden’

8. Ningen Isu – Shikisokuzekū

Another dependable band that ocasionally transcends itself. And that is exactly what Ningen Isu does on ‘Shikisokuzekū’. For all its Japanese lyrics and references to the country’s myths and legends, Ningen Isu is a British-style power trio first and foremost. All the Sabbath-inspired riffs and the songwriting that takes more than a few hints from the likes of Budgie, Rush and latter-day Led Zeppelin are still here, but Ningen Isu’s willingness to be more than just a seventies band is what makes ‘Shikisokuzekū’ an above average album for them. Especially the bookending tracks are timeless works of heavy metal genius, but there is more than enough to enjoy in the intervening hour or so as well.

Recommended tracks: ‘Shide no Tajibi no Monogatari’, ‘Saraba Sekai’, ‘Ikiru’

9. Insomnium – Anno 1696

Something about that typically Finnish blend of melodic death metal, doom metal and subtle folky touches just works for me. And Insomnium is the band that, in my opinion, does it best. They are hardly the most intricate or technically dazzling of the scene, but they can create an atmosphere and there is incredible beauty in even their most aggressive sections. The melancholic atmosphere of ‘Anno 1696’ just comes flooding over and refuses to leave until the album is over. For some reason, ‘Anno 1696’ needed more time than Insomnium albums usually need to sink in, but it truly is one of their greatest works yet.

Recommended tracks: ‘Godforsaken’, ‘Lilian’, ‘The Rapids’

10. Arjen Lucassen’s Supersonic Revolution – Golden Age of Music

With his tongue planted firmly in his cheek, Arjen Lucassen set out to honor his heroes from the seventies. The results are something I happen to enjoy a lot more than his rock operas. It helps that he has one incredible singer in John ‘JayCee’ Cuijpers rather than a multitude of varying quality. Cuijpers’ powerful, rough-edged hardrock voice and incredible range are exactly what ‘Golden Age of Music’ demands. The seventies rock songs with modern metal rhythm guitars just exude joy, energy and a lack of the pretense that I think undermines some Ayreon releases. This was a hobby project gone out of hand, so let’s hope there will be a follow-up in the future.

Recommended tracks: ‘Holy Holy Ground’, ‘Odyssey’, ‘Burn It Down’, ‘Golden Boy’

11. Malón – Oscuro Plan del Poder

For a while, I thought that Malón had used up all their great ideas on their first two albums. Which is fine, some bands don’t even get to two great albums, but I am more than glad that ‘Oscuro Plan del Poder’ proves me wrong. This is the first album of the Argentines in eight years and their best since the mid-nineties. Although ‘Oscuro Plan del Poder’ is not quite as thrashy as their first two albums, I actually think Malón does a great job by going for a more contemporary heavy metal sound not too far removed from Accept’s recent output here. Every riff sounds powerful and Claudio O’Connor’s high-pitched, scratchy voice fits this material perfectly.

Recommended tracks: ‘Pacto Pesado’, ‘Ancho Falso’, ‘La Soledad del Miedo’

12. Vuma Levin – The Past Is Unpredictable, Only the Future Is Certain

One reason why Vuma Levin is one of the most interesting modern jazz guitarists for me is his strong focus on compositions rather than just improvisation. This is brought to the next level on ‘The Past Is Unpredictable, Only the Future Is Certain’. Despite a handful of solos, Levin’s guitar is really just one of the many colors on his palette to paint his picture of modern jazz, traditional African sounds and subtle touches of classical music. The album is full of awesome grooves, while it manages to stay exciting and unpredictable (no pun intended, I swear) all the way through.

Recommended tracks: ‘Rites’, ‘Yaka Yaka’, ‘Guima’

13. Rodrigo y Gabriela – In Between Thoughts… A New World

What do you do when you have explored all the extremes of what is possible within instrumental acoustic guitar music? You add electric guitars, of course! While Gabriela Quintero still provides the familiar powerful acoustic rhythm guitars with pronounced percussive effects – she truly is one of the underrated guitar heroes of our time – Rodrigo Sánchez barely touches any acoustics on ‘In Between Thoughts… A New World’. The album is also full of extra layers of synthesizers, effects and live strings, creating an immersive, cinematic listening experience that I don’t think anyone could have predicted when the Mexican duo released their first couple of albums.

Recommended tracks: ‘Finding Myself Leads Me to You’, ‘Seeking Unreality’, ‘Broken Rage’

14. Cannibal Corpse – Chaos Horrific

Cannibal Corpse’s last album ‘Violence Unimagined’ was very underwhelming to me. I missed Pat O’Brien’s songwriting – and to be honest, I still kind of do – and I think only Rob Barrett picked up the slack. ‘Chaos Horrific’ shows a unit far more comfortable working with each other after the crazy departure of O’Brien. As for everything else… It’s a Cannibal Corpse album full of blunt death metal, so everything is going to depend on the quality of the riffs. Fortunately, ‘Chaos Horrific’ has the some of the best Cannibal Corpse riffs since ‘Kill’. The overall thrashing vibe of the album really makes it an above average album for the death metal veterans.

Recommended tracks: ‘Vengeful Invasion’, ‘Frenzied Feeding’, ‘Fracture and Refracture’

15. Foo Fighters – But Here We Are

The most remarkable thing about the Foo Fighters’ eleventh studio album ‘But Here We Are’ is how hopeful and optimistic it sounds overall. Sure, the Foo Fighters were never exactly the darkest band of the American rock scene, but this is their first album since the untimely tragic death of drummer Taylor Hawkins, so its relatively upbeat nature took me by surprise. People who enjoyed the band’s earlier work know what to expect: loud guitar pop songs that sound like they could have come from any given decade with larger than life melodic hooks and an excellent use of dynamics in the songwriting department. In a way, this is the sound of a band re-establishing itself. Dave Grohl and his men do it with gusto.

Recommended tracks: ‘The Teacher’, ‘Rescued’, ‘Hearing Voices’, ‘Nothing at All’

16. Robin Trower feat. Sari Schorr – Joyful Sky

Despite writing for a fairly high-profile guitar magazine, it wasn’t Robin Trower who drew me towards ‘Joyful Sky’. It was Sari Schorr, one of the greatest rock, blues and soul singers of the world right now who – along the incredible Dana Fuchs – deserves to be mentioned alongside Beth Hart far more often. ‘Joyful Sky’ isn’t just a Robin Trower album that Schorr guests on either. The material was clearly written with Schorr’s voice in mind, taking a slightly more R&B-ish direction. Schorr has no trouble enhancing Trower’s dark, shimmering grooves with her powerful vocals, though she does get to show a few colors that may not be all that common on her solo albums. An excellent collaboration, and hopefully not the last time these two work together.

Recommended tracks: ‘Peace of Mind’, ‘The Distance’, ‘Flatter to Deceive’

17. Lynch. – Reborn

Full disclosure: I have never enjoyed a Lynch. album as much as I enjoyed ‘Reborn’. Singer Hazuki’s voice and charisma have always made Lynch. an above average J-rock band for me, but extensively involving every band member in the songwriting process – formerly Hazuki’s duty almost exclusively – has really been the right move for the band. It has resulted in a pleasantly varied album that is a bit lighter on the nu-metal and metalcore leanings than Lynch. usually is. Instead, the band has crafted a handful of excellent, vaguely gothic alternative rock songs that leave a lot of space for Hazuki’s warm, pleasant baritone. Let’s hope this will remain the band’s modus operandi.

Recommended tracks: ‘Pragma’, ‘The Forbidden Door’, ‘Eclipse’, ‘Sink’

18. Anthem – Crimson & Jet Black

If uncomplicated traditional heavy metal is your thing, there aren’t many bands more reliable than Anthem these days. What makes ‘Crimson & Jet Black’ such a good album is that it doesn’t try to be more than that. Imagine Accept or Judas Priest, but with even fewer frills, although the production and guitar arrangements do sometimes have some nifty power metal twists to them. The songwriting on ‘Crimson & Jet Black’ is excellent as well, with memorable hooks for days and strong performances by everyone involved – including the aging, but still incredibly powerful vocal cords of Yukio Morikawa. I might have placed it even higher if it didn’t end with two remakes, one of which of a not particularly thrilling track.

Recommended tracks: ‘Faster’, ‘Blood Brothers’, ‘Howling Days’

19. Vandenberg – Sin

Adrian Vandenberg and Mats Levén working together? Yes, please! It was a match everyone in their right mind knew would work, because Levén’s voice occupies the same space between hard rock and heavy metal that Vandenberg’s songwriting does. ‘Sin’ is both a continuation of and a step up from ‘2020’. Vandenberg continues writing some of the heaviest riffs he has ever come up with, but the hooks are better and the rhythms beefier. What’s weird is that Vandenberg really doesn’t do that much different than when he was touring arenas with Whitesnake in the late eighties and early nineties, but it doesn’t sound the slightest bit dated. Must be the mark of timeless rock music.

Recommended tracks: ‘Hit the Ground Running’, ‘Out of the Shadows’, ‘Sin’

20. Peter Gabriel – i/o

It always amuses me when artists work on an album for a really long time – nearly two decades in this case – and the results sound more or less exactly like one would have expected if they came out much earlier. The harshest thing I can say about ‘i/o’ is that it’s Peter Gabriel being Peter Gabriel. Overall, it sounds a bit more subtle and low-key than ‘Up’, but it’s still Gabriel in all of his carefully crafted, dense art pop glory. While I wish he would have just released the album with the most suitable of the two available mixes for every track – because in most cases there is one – ‘i/o’ is another creative triumph by an artist who consistently and stubbornly refuses to take the easy way out.

Recommended tracks: ‘Love Can Heal’, ‘The Court’, ‘Panopticom’, ‘So Much’

2023
12/31
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Album of the Week 17-2023: Anthem – Crimson & Jet Black


Solid. Dependable. This may sound like a car commercial, but really, those adjectives describe Japanese heavy metal titans Anthem just as well. Since the early eighties, Anthem has been churning out quality heavy metal album after quality heavy metal album. Where many of their peers have had extended periods of hopelessly trying to adapt to the trends of the rock landscape, Anthem’s bassist and main songwriter Naoto Shibata never even dreamed of it. There were some productions that leaned towards a sligthly power metal-esque sound – never their forte – but ‘Crimson & Jet Black’ is yet another excellent slab of heavy metal.

Anthem represents traditional heavy metal at its most stripped-down. The closest western counterpart would be Accept, though without the prominent neoclassicism in the lead guitar department. Akio Shimizo has a keen ear for melody, but he spends most of Athem’s albums laying down thick, meaty guitar riffs with a surprisingly ballsy bottom end in his sound. One thing Anthem has over Accept is their excellent lead vocals. ‘Crimson & Jet Black’ is the third album of original material into Yukio Morikawa’s second tenure with the band and while he’s not as young as he used to be, his power and grit continue to impress.

Good as they are at mid-tempo stompers, Anthem is at its best when they play pre-thrash high-speed heavy metal bangers. Fortunately, there are plenty of those to be found on ‘Crimson & Jet Black’. My favorite is probably the hyper-energetic ‘Blood Brothers’, on which Isamu Tamaru’s rolling bass drums never let up and the vocals sound particularly bombastic in the chorus. The riffs, like all the best Anthem riffs, are uncomplicated, but brutally effective. Opener ‘Snake Eyes’ is another strong track in that style of Anthem tracks. The open string pull-off heavy main riff gives it a slightly looser rock ‘n’ roll feel, although the cleverly contrasting chorus has a tight, modern punch.

One of the biggest advantages of ‘Crimson & Jet Black’ is that the songs that aren’t speed monsters are just as good. ‘Howling Days’ is still quite uptempo, but far more melodic and catchy, while the upper mid-tempo ‘Master of Disaster’ is built upon a very cool half-gallop rhythm. ‘Roaring Vortex’ and ‘Faster’ are the more power metal-inclined songs here, with the latter having a fantastic sense of drama in its chord work. ‘Burn Down the Wall’ closes the original material of the album strongly, after which two reworked songs with English lyrics follow. ‘Mystic Echoes’ (originally ‘Wayfaring Man’) isn’t one of their better tracks, but ‘Danger Flight’ (originally ‘On and On’) is a nice energetic rocker with great vocal melodies.

Whether or not ‘Crimson & Jet Black’ is worth owning is really down to one question: do you like old school heavy metal? This style is rarely done as well as Anthem does it, to this day. With that in mind, it would sell ‘Crimson & Jet Black’ short to call it just another Anthem album. While it’s just short of a latter-day masterpiece like ‘Immortal’ or ‘Absolute World’, it is definitely an above average release for the band. It is also much easier to obtain outside Japan, because Reaper Entertainment released it in Europe. Truly a must-have for fans of old heavy metal bands who crave something that lives up to the classic standards of their heroes.

Recommended tracks: ‘Blood Brothers’, ‘Howling Days’, ‘Faster’

2023
04/30
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Album of the Week 49-2020: Anthem – Burning Oath


Unlike many of their contemporaries, Anthem never actually released any bad albums. They just laid low for a while when the nineties inevitably ruined the music business for traditional heavy metal. They did, however, struggle a little bit with how many productional traits associated with power metal they should incorporate into their music after they reunited in the early twenty-first century. After all, Anthem was always best when they made ballsy, uncomplicated heavy metal – which why ‘Immortal’ is still my favorite album of theirs. ‘Burning Oath’ is one of the few Anthem albums that strikes a perfect balance between traditional and contemporary.

Keyboards and hypermelodic choruses have not completely disappeared from Anthem’s music, especially the latter are fairly prominent here, but after two albums on which the riffs kind of took a back seat to melodicism, ‘Burning Oath’ turns the tables. The album is chock-full of meaty riffs from the Accept and Judas Priest school of heavy metal, which combined with one of Eizo Sakamoto’s best vocal performances ever to be recorded creates a highly enjoyable album that is low on pretense and high on headbanging memorability. Where the live staples on ‘Black Empire’ and ‘Heraldic Device’ were immediately obvious, ‘Burning Oath’ is solid all the way through.

Because of this newly restored balance, the sporadic times when the pseudo-symphonic leanings of early 2000s power metal do crop up, they make much more of an impact than on most post-reunion Anthem albums. ‘Ghost In The Flame’, for instance, is largely a grinding midtempo track with a highly dramatic chorus, but the little bombastic touches added to the outro really help the otherwise overlong finale get off the ground. Elsewhere, ‘Unbroken Sign’ has a bit of an adventurous vibe, which is only enhanced by adding synthesized strings and layered guitar arrangements.

Like Anthem as a whole, however, ‘Burning Oath’ is best when it hits the gas for some riff-based heavy metal. ‘Struggle Action’ kicks up the tempo a notch without moving too far into thrash territory, whereas opener ‘Evil One’ is an excellent moodsetter with its strong build-up and surprisingly pounding chorus. ‘Face To The Core’ doesn’t get talked about quite as much, but damn if that is not a tasteful slice of moderately fast, dynamic heavy metal. ‘On And On’ is a little more melodic, but built upon a cool playful riff and would open the band’s live shows on the ‘Burning Oath’ tour. Guitarist Akio Shimizu is usually responsible for the more power metal-ish moments and his best contribution this time is the powerful closer ‘Dance Alone’.

If you cannot fault bassist and band leader Naoto Shibata for anything, it would be dubious quality control. Anthem albums are always the very best they can put out at that particular moment. The best they could was just slightly better than usual on ‘Burning Oath’. Its follow-up ‘Absolute World’ shared many of this album’s strengths, though Sakamoto had sadly left the band before it was created. He certainly left the band while he was at his peak – post-reunion Sakamoto is the best singer Anthem has ever had. Anthem is still going strong and releasing worthwhile albums to this day. ‘Burning Oath’ can even be compared favorably to some of their classic works.

Recommended tracks: ‘Evil One’, ‘Unbroken Sign’, ‘Face The Core’, ‘Dance Alone’

2020
12/06
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Album of the Week 12-2019: Anthem – Nucleus


Some European label – Nuclear Blast, no less – finally has the balls to release Anthem’s music outside of Japan. Sure, the band needed a set of songs with English lyrics to accomplish an international record deal, but apart from the lyrics, Anthem was always easily one of the more European sounding of all Japanese metal bands. Their first international release ‘Nucleus’ is a collection of re-recorded songs from the last ten albums of the band. As a compilation and an introduction to the band, ‘Nucleus’ works remarkably well and even the transition to English feels suprisingly natural.

For those who don’t know: Anthem is one of the oldest heavy metal bands in Japan and still one of the best. Unlike many contemporary Japanese bands, Anthem does not dazzle you with displays of virtuosity, instead opting for ballsy, riffy metal that is actually heavy and uptempo, but not too fast. This band truly belongs alongside the likes of Accept and Judas Priest in any serious heavy metal collection. The spirited performances and excellent songwriting of the band make Anthem more than just a nostalgia act though. The fact that almost all of these songs have originally been recorded in the 21st century says enough.

Apart from the English lyrics and having Yukio Morikawa on lead vocals instead of original lead singer Eizo Sakamoto on some of these tracks, they really are not that much different from their original versions. I am quite happy that the keyboards have been pushed a little more to the background on tracks like ‘Black Empire’ and the goosebumps-inducing closer ‘Unbroken Sign’, allowing Akio Shimizu’s rhythm guitar to give the songs just a little more force. Producer and engineer Jens Bogren also makes the best out of Isamu Tamaru’s drums, which end up sounding modern, but not triggered to hell and back.

The song selection on ‘Nucleus’ is commendable as well. Sure, with a collection like this one, everyone misses a favorite, but Anthem really did a good job picking the songs that fit Morikawa’s voice best. There’s a few instances where I think Sakamoto did it better, but ‘Ghost In The Flame’, ‘Echoes In The Dark’, ‘Eternal Warrior’ and the aforementioned ‘Unbroken Sign’ almost appear to be written for Morikawa, while he wasn’t even in the band when they were originally released. The sequencing is done really well, as the album flows like a new studio record rather than a loose collection of songs.

It is good to see Anthem try their hand at conquering the European market almost four decades after bassist and main songwriter Naoto Shibata started the band. Everyone who enjoyed Accept’s post-reunion material will undoubtedly like ‘Nucleus’ as well, but in fact, every fan of traditional heavy metal should give the band a chance. High import prices are no excuse anymore. Anthem has more good riffs and memorable choruses than the average young power metal band and the rhythms are never less than extremely powerful. Hopefully this will not be their last European release.

Recommended tracks: ‘Immortal Bind’, ‘Unbroken Sign’, ‘Echoes In The Dark’

2019
03/24
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Album of the Week 40-2017: Anthem – Bound To Break


Back in 1987, heavy metal did not get much better than ‘Bound To Break’. It meant the beginning of Anthem’s long-standing relationship with British producer Chris Tsangarides and whether it was his influence or not, the band ended up sounding more focused and streamlined than ever, finally fulfilling the potential displayed on their first two albums without sacrificing any of the hungry energy of those records. Though ‘Bound To Break’ was the finale for Eizo Sakamoto’s first tenure with Anthem, he sings much better here than on the two predecessors. All of these elements result in what can be considered the definitive Anthem album.

While Loudness was the most successful of the classic heavy metal bands from Japan, Anthem had the most ballsy sound. Their uncomplicated, but not too simple brand of heavy metal was built upon the strong rhythmic foundation of drummer Takamasa ‘Mad’ Ohuchi and bassist and main songwriter Naoto Shibata, upon which Hiroya Fukuda built his riffs, that vary from pumping chords to classic beefed-up hard rock riffs. As stated before, Sakomoto improved considerably before the recordings of ‘Bound To Break’. His performance is still raw-edged and passionate, but he gained a range that he would further expand when he returned to Anthem around the turn of the century.

Many bands could learn a lesson from how Anthem streamlined its sound and somehow ended up sounding heavier instead of watered down here. The opening title track, for instance, is not that different from what the band did prior to this album, but there is a sheen to the song that lifts the track to its classic masterpiece status. The rest of the record varies from powerful midtempo stompers (‘Machine Made Dog’, Headstrong’, ‘Show Must Go On!’) to speedy adrenalin rushes (‘Empty Eyes’, ‘No More Night’, ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Survivor’). No ballads or crossover hit attempts; ‘Bound To Break’ is Anthem’s mission statement.

Almost every track on this record is a winner, but none more so than the classy melodic heavy metal of ‘Soldiers’. Due to the somewhat more melodic nature of Fukuda’s minor key main riff, the song is reminiscent of their early classic ‘Shed’, only even better. Through the melodies and the calmer middle section, Shibata really succeeded at creating a dramatic feeling of defeat on the battlefield here. Truly one of Anthem’s crowning achievements. Closing track ‘Fire ‘n’ The Sword’ adapts a similar approach, albeit it in a somewhat more aggressive and straightforward fashion.

Since ‘Bound To Break’ even created some minor interest in the west – the live album ‘The Show Carries On!’ from the same year was recorded in Los Angeles – so it is safe to say that Anthem is not one of those “only in Japan” bands. This is timeless, solid, honest and simply excellent heavy metal in the best Judas Priest and Accept tradition. Heavy metal that makes sure the bottom end is secure before adding showy frills on top. Though Anthem is quite likely the most consistent band in the Japanese heavy metal scene, ‘Bound To Break’ is one of the absolute peaks in their career.

Recommended tracks: ‘Soldiers’, ‘Bound To Break’, ‘Empty Eyes’

2017
10/08
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Album of the Week 32-2017: Anthem – Domestic Booty


Some of Anthem’s best records have something awkward to them that has nothing whatsoever to do with the actual music. ‘Immortal’ has its album cover, ‘Domestic Booty’ its title. And maybe the fact that the band broke up for about a decade in the aftermath of this album’s release. Changes in the musical trend department are often cited as the reason for that hiatus and anyone who has heard ‘Domestic Booty’ can safely conclude that the quartet was certainly not running out of inspiration. The record is full of blazing heavy metal songs, some of which are among the best of Anthem’s catalogue.

While ‘Domestic Booty’ isn’t the most consistent record of Anthem’s original run – that would probably be ‘Bound To Break’ – they do sound like a band rejuvenated on the album. Frontman Yukio Morikawa truly shines with his most aggressive and energetic vocal performance thus far, while newcomer Akio Shimizu, who is still the band’s guitarist these days, lends a subtle contemporary edge to the record without altering the powerful, not too complicated heavy metal compositions of bassist and band leader Naoto Shibata too much. It is truly difficult to believe that the band creating this music would split up less than a year later.

These days, opening track ‘Venom Strike’ is still on most Anthem live sets and its classic status is easy to understand. This borderline thrash metal song with rolling bass drums by Takamasa ‘Mad’ Ouchi is probably the most aggressive Anthem song to date and therefore begs to be played live. Even better, but not quite as popular, is the intense, moving heavy metal of ‘Renegade’, which has probably the best chorus the band recorded with Morikawa on vocals and really showcases the guitar talents of Shimizu. Sure, there is some awkward English going on, but that should not ruin the listening experience.

Since these two tracks open the record, it may seem a tad frontloaded, but there is plenty more to enjoy. ‘The Dice Of No Mercy’ is one of the darker Anthem tracks yet and as such, a very pleasant surprise. The euphoric ‘Cry In The Night’ and the brooding ‘Gold & Diamonds’ greatly profit from the subtle synth flourishes courtesy of current Deep Purple keyboard player Don Airey and the uptempo triplet frenzy of ‘Devil Inside’ is exactly what the album needs at that point. But even the less notable tracks, such as mid-tempo stomper ‘Mr. Genius’ and the semi-epic closing track ‘Silent Cross’, are very much worth hearing.

If Anthem would have definitively called it a day after the release of ‘Domestic Booty’, it would have been a great closing chapter to a strong career in heavy metal. Nowadays, it sort of gets lost in the shuffle, because Anthem has released seventeen albums to date and the record spawned only one live staple. If it was up to me, ‘Renegade’ would at least have been one as well. Farwell albums, even if the farewell eventually turns out to be temporary, often feel like a bit of an afterthough. ‘Domestic Booty’, however, is another excellent Anthem record. Not one of their best, but it’s pretty damn close.

Recommended tracks: ‘Renegade’, ‘Venom Strike’, ‘The Dice Of No Mercy’

2017
08/13
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Album of the Week 14-2015: Anthem – Immortal


Album covers are supposed to seduce people into buying the sound carrier they contain. Though not quite as hideous as…let’s say ‘In The Court Of The Crimson King’, the cover of ‘Immortal’ doesn’t suggest that we’re dealing with one of the best Heavy Metal records of the 21st century here. Yet that is the case. ‘Immortal’ has the Japanese quartet running the extra mile and therefore, it is the band’s best studio album thus far. Their perfect blend of traditional Heavy Metal and early Power Metal may be relatively simple in composition, but intense and unbelievably effective in execution.

When the nineties destroyed just about anything good about every Heavy Metal band that was active in the eighties, bassist and band leader Naoto Shibata did the right thing and Anthem laid low for a little while. As a result, ever since the band reformed around the turn of the century, they have been churning out albums that were decent at the very worst. ‘Immortal’ is one of those albums where the blend of aggressive energy, recognizable melodies and expert musicianship is just inexplicably perfect. It also seems to be just a tad faster than the average Anthem record, which contributes to the exuberant, powerful nature of the album.

The increase in tempo can be heard right from the start; opening track ‘Immortal Bind’ – still one of the best Anthem tracks thus far – is borderline Thrash with Hiro Homma’s rolling bass drums and Akio Shimizu’s fast palm-muted riffing. Eizo Sakamoto’s brooding double-layered vocals in the verses and triumphant approach in the chorus are the cherry on the cake. The slightly Motörhead-ish Speed Metal monster ‘Soul Motor’, the delightfully chaotic ‘Betrayer’, the more traditional ‘Road To Nowhere’ and the highly melodic ‘The Beginning’ are all uptempo scorchers that make my blood boil with old school Metal euphoria.

However, when the band slows down a little, their class and versatility really shines through. ‘Mob Groove’ is a groovy little stomper with an irresistible chorus, but Shimizu’s masterpiece ‘Echoes In The Dark’ really takes the cake. The midtempo song has a dangerous sounding groove that, combined with Sakamoto’s clean but raw vocal assault, is somewhat reminiscent of Dio’s darker work. Elsewhere, Shibata’s compositions allow both Sakamoto and Shimizu to shine. The former with his passionate, enthusiastic vocal performance and the latter with his melodically strong and enviably fluent fretboard magic.

Not judging an album by its cover once again proves useful when it comes to ‘Immortal’. If you like good old Heavy Metal, it’s simply impossible to dislike anything on this record, apart from maybe its poor to non-existent distribution outside of Japan. After this album, Anthem would continue to make more really good Heavy Metal records with Sakamoto and later – on last year’s pleasantly surprising ‘Absolute World’ – Yukio Morikawa on lead vocals. Every good band just has that one record where they rise above themselves. While many traditionalists may point to ‘Bound To Break’, ‘Immortal’ is that record for Anthem.

Recommended tracks: ‘Immortal Bind’, ‘Echoes In The Dark’, ‘Soul Motor’

2015
04/05
CATEGORY
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Album of the Week 45-2014: Anthem – Absolute World


While many old school Heavy Metal bands had an enormous identity crisis in the nineties due to the rise of Alt-Rock and – in this case – Visual Kei, Naoto Shibata did the right thing; he put his band Anthem to rest until new artistic and business opportunities presented themselves. The result: Anthem exclusively released solid, quality Heavy Metal records throughout their career. ‘Absolute World’ is one more piece of evidence proving that the band can still make fantastic records over three decades into their carreer. In fact, it is on par with ‘Immortal’ and ‘Black Empire’ as the band’s best post-reunion albums.

Iconic singer Eizo Sakamoto left the band after the album’s predecessor ‘Burning Oath’. His replacement – for the second time in Anthem history – is Yukio Morikawa, who has obviously aged since he last worked with the band on ‘Domestic Booty’, but still has a set of pipes many young singers can be jealous of. Admittedly, I sometimes miss Sakamoto’s primal energy, but Morikawa’s performance on the album is stellar. In addition, Isamu Tamaru became the band’s full time drummer, after replacing Hiro Homma during his injury.

However, what counts in the end are the songs and Shibata has once again written a collection of fantastic Heavy Metal and Power Metal tracks. Throughout recent years, many keyboards carrying the main melodies crept through Anthem’s songs, but ‘Absolute World’ is very much a guitar riff driven album. Opening track ‘Shine On’ misleads you for a second, but turns into a fantastic Power Metal track – as well as the most logical first single – with a couple of fantastic melodies courtesy of Morikawa.  Furthermore, there’s an awesome 2 minute Speed Metal track in the shape of ‘Destroy The Boredom’, as well as the blazing ‘Stranger’ with its fantastic chorus and the driving ‘Pain’.

From the moment he joined, guitarist Akio Shimizu quickly became an important part of the band. His contributions here include his usual instrumental track (‘Absolute Figure’) and the more traditional Power Metal tracks ‘Edge Of Time’ and ‘In The Chaos’, which both build upon strong riff work and fantastic choruses with spirited performances by Morikawa. Shimizu also throws around some of the sickest guitar solos in contemporary Metal, most notably on the brooding midtempo masterpiece of a track ‘Sailing’ and the closing triplet riff monster ‘Run With The Flash’. Shibata himself, meanwhile, has an incredible bass sound.

In the end, the only bad thing about ‘Absolute World’ is that no European or American label has the balls to release an album that has mostly Japanese lyrics and therefore, the album is quite expensive. That and the fact that ‘Love Of Hell’ is about a minute and a half longer than it should be. But those are just minor complaints that in no way ruin the enjoyment of one of the best old fashioned Heavy Metal records in recent times. Not even the financial aspect. It helps that Shibata isn’t only a great riff writer, he’s a great songwriter with a bunch of fantastic musicians around him. If that doesn’t make a fantastic Metal album, I don’t know what does.

Recommended tracks: ‘In The Chaos’, ‘Sailing’, ‘Destroy The Boredom’

2014
11/09
CATEGORY
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