Loudness- Metal Mad
(Tokuma Communications TKCA-73302)


From Aural Innovations #39 (May 2008)

I have no idea what studio album number this is for Loudness but the band just keeps on going on and playing quite cool music. I am not sure if this is released in the west or not but I got mine from Japan. The CD has a really beautiful booklet and artwork. Very high quality. The CD begins with a killer instrumental track that is quite spacey at the beginning and the end. The title track, Metal Mad, is next and has a really cool guitar riff. This track is a lot like the 80’s material in some ways and Akira plays a killer solo and some cool guitar but the melodic parts are a lot like the 80’s Loudness. The lyrics are like something Saxon or Manowar would write. A true metal anthem about Metal never dying. High Flyer is a slower heavy track with a riff similar to some we have heard on records like Terror. It gets a bit thrashy as well. Spellbound #9 begins with some psychedelic guitar before the track slowly builds up. Crimson Buildup is one of the heaviest tracks on the CD. Nasty guitar… Black and White speeds things up again and is a real headbanger. Whatsoever is a weird ballad of sorts but has a really cool mid section with strange guitar and bass lines going back and forth. Cool stuff. Call of the Reaper has a really nice bass line and groove and a totally different sounding guitar line and some cool psychedelic things going on (must be Akira). It changes though and the what I would call signature Akira guitar riff kicks in. Great song. Can’t find my Way is a quite long track for Loudness at 7 minutes. It starts quite spacey with some backwards guitar effects and birds. Akira is a very creative guy. The song is a ballad at times but then crushingly heavy at other times. Gravity is next and has a really catchy and killer guitar riff that you really get hooked into. Transformation ends the CD. Loudness still goes strong. They toured the USA in 2006... how about Europe in 2008, please?

Check out the band web site at: http://www.loudness.jp

Reviewed by Scott Heller


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