Japan's SILVER STARS look for a missing contact lens.
Origin of the species: Wax on,
wax off! Pile up your classic DEEP PURPLE, UFO, and MALMSTEEN records to
prepare for these samurai shred men! While the guitarists that drive these
bands are firmly rooted in the licks of such early gods, the bands themselves
forged a style more dependent on 4-5 minute songs than extended jams. The
watertight, stop-start riff structures and flashy solos seem to be largely
culled from bands like THE SCORPIONS and classic VAN HALEN in the final
presentation. Just substitute a lot of words like "action", "starlight",
"shock", and "warning" in the song titles. For the sake of simplicity, we've limited our choices to those steeped in classic guitar metal or early
incarnations of hard rock. So don't get your drawers in a bind because we left out your favorite SABBAT or GRIM FORCE records, please.
First, buy: SABER TIGER - "Timystery",
1995 - If you buy only one Japanese metal album in your lifetime,
make it this one. The result of a band struggling for 12 years to find the
perfect lineup, "Timystery" captures all the most irresistible aspects of
Japanese hard rock and delivers them with mind-boggling power and precision.
Akhito Kinoshita's snaking riffs and dueling harmonies with fellow axeman
Yasuharu Tanaka stop and start like a Nascar-obsessed mail truck. Frosted
with the luscious female squeals and hooky choruses of vocalist Yoku Kubota,
this disc makes even the twistiest QUEENSRŸCHE tracks sound pale by comparison.
Betcha can't sit through "Distressed Soul" just once
without hitting the back button.
Then buy: 44 MAGNUM - "Street Rock 'n
Roller" , 1984- These guys formed in the late seventies, eventually
putting put out a bunch of good stuff that could have made this list, but
"Street Rock 'n Roller" wins by a nose. At times it's difficult to believe
they had just one guitar player, as Satoshi "Jimmy" Hirose finds endless
ways to create an impressive wall of sound with a lone six-string. Most
of these songs have hooks-a-plenty that seem to be adapted from killer bands
of old. "Victory Oath" blasts away in front of your ears with guitar tones
that match early RIOT discs. "I Just Can't Take Anymore" sounds like an
outtake from THIN LIZZY's "Thunder and Lightning" sessions, and there's
no mistaking the SCORPIONS vibe of the ballad "You Are Everything to Me". SR&R is a remarkably tight and mature hard rock recording for such a young band.
Then buy: ANTHEM - s/t, 1985 - This Tokyo
quartet will probably always carry around comparisons to LOUDNESS (coincidentally,
their rhythm section did serve some time there), but they've got more
than enough uniqueness to keep them out of "also ran" status. Their self-titled
debut really has everything a hard-rocking Japanamaniac could possibly
want, whether it's a fist-pumping, beer-slamming party soundtrack ("Wild
Anthem", "Lay Down") or gloves-off, near-speed metal aggression ("Steeler",
"Warning Action!"). Guitarist Hiroya Fukuda's riffs sound like a blissful
marriage of PRIEST and ACCEPT, and Eizo Sakamoto's enthusiastic bilingual
hooks will have even the most passive
fans singing along. What's more, despite sporting a revolving door of a line-up (including a stint from…Graham Bonnet?), they're still going strong. Now stand up, take your hat off and salute already!
Then buy: LOUDNESS - "Biosphere", 2002 - While it could be argued that "Disillusion" or "Devil Soldier" are the definitive LOUDNESS discs, we'll submit that the wrought-iron riffs of "Biosphere" put the album in a class by itself. Nothing on the early records ever approached the heaviness of "System Crush" or "My Precious". The galloping, classic MAIDEN vibe of "Winds of Tibet" is top-shelf crunchy magnificence to please even the snobbiest true-metal types. And guitarist Akira wastes no time filling every single track to the brim with spastic, razor-sharp lead guitar. The bluesy ZEP III-esque closer, "For You" is a refreshing change of pace and another example of this talented band's refusal to be
pigeonholed.
Then buy: DEAD END - "Shambara", 1988 -
Looking for something a bit more progressive, perhaps? If so, your journey
stops here. This short-lived outfit may have disbanded in 1990, but within
four years they managed to churn out four albums that should make any
FATES WARNING fan salivate. And while the guitar of Yuji Adachi transitions
seamlessly from heavy shred to crisp and clean, the band's biggest strength
is arguably the phenomenal voice of frontman Motoyuki "Morrie" Ohtsuka,
who sounds like the Japanese version of Michael Hutchence. Musically,
this was a band with no shortage of ideas, which is reflected in the song
variety in "Shambara". Within this 50-minute
voyage is the mystical sitar-laced aura of "Embryo Burning", the lively groove of "Psychomania", the fresh, laid-back approach of "Luna Madness", the traditional Japanese folk inspiration of "Heaven" and the premium-quality pop metal ballad "I Can Hear the Rain". While "Shambara" may be painfully underrated, at least there's solace in knowing that these guys would be a big influence for the next batch of Japanese rock bands.
Then buy: BOW WOW - "Warning From Stardust",
1982- Tough to pick a VOW WOW or BOW WOW album, as they have such
a diamond-studded and clunker-free discography. While most hard rockin'
bands in this genre were just getting started, Kyoji Yamamoto and company
had 11 albums under their belt prior to this one. Suffice to say that these
guys scored extra points for a crafty combination of pop-driven campiness
and accomplished hard rockin' power. "20th Century Child" or "Abnormal Weather"
both feature riffs that Stanley and Simmons would have killed for back in
'82. The slithery basslines, muscular ALICE COOPER riffs and sugar-sweet
handclaps of "Jets" take up residence
in your brain after only a couple of listens and refuse to leave for days. It's almost impossible for many bands of this genre to compete with the talents of such seasoned veterans.
Live pick: SNIPER - "Open the Attack"
1984 - - With a smattering of live and studio tracks, this disc is actually both live and rare. You'll simply never find a more clear-cut example of hyperactive guitar insanity than this. Axeman Burny practically tears his guitar to pieces in every song, zigzagging in perfect tandem with Romi's uncanny bass playing. Assaults like "Dadicate" and "Fire" make those RACER X albums sound like early ST. VITUS by comparison. Listening to "Open the Attack" is not unlike watching motorcycle stunt drivers, always on the verge of a headlong collision as this is simply one of the tightest Japanese rock albums ever recorded. It's a shame with the limited pressing that SNIPER
albums have become such fodder for the Goldmine types. Seek this one out, though. It's definitely worth it!
Avoid: LAZY - "Last Album" 1981 -
Hey, don't get us wrong. LAZY's "Earth Ark" record is a speeding chug-heavy
monster capable of smashing Rodan and Mothra simultaneously. But this swan
song live album is about as much fun as watching grandpa practice his putts
in the backyard. It's too bad that Joe Lynn Turner and Lou Gramm were busy
with their own bands, because they would have fit in perfectly here. Puffy,
keyboard-driven boogie-woogie love songs from the band's earlier albums
are the order of the day. Even the tracks from the mighty "Earth Ark" album
sound somewhat limpwristed on this watery live performance. For completists
only.
And in closing: As usual, there's
a ton more where this came from. If you kind of sort through our essential
albums pages, there's more quality hard rock here and there from the land
of the rising sun. We always enjoy reader feedback, so if you've got a precious
vinyl gem shrouded in plastic that we may not know about, feel free to drop
us a line. Now go forth and collect, fanatics of the rising sun.
{Text}