Japan? EZO, Loudness and Sabbat, right? And that's about it, right? Not
quite! This album by a band called Blaze landed on my hard disc the
other day, and guess what; they're from Japan. Not only are they from the Land
of the Rising Sun, the band has existed since the nineties! Talk about a well-kept secret!
I don't know about their old material, but this album shouldn't be kept secret. No, it deserves full attention from fans of
British Heavy Metal from the 80s and hardrock in general. I can't help thinking
early Riot when listening to 'Blaze'. It's got that lightness in the sound and a
guitar-orientation that can't be ignored. I'm also thinking Iron Maiden quite a
bit when listening to these songs. Not that Blaze haven't got a really heavy
side as well: Try the short instrumental Picture... Black Sabbath heaviness
right there for you.
The eleven songs of this album display a band that is capable of putting
together a bunch of strong heavy metal tunes. Old school, oh, yes, definitely,
but still fresh and eager to worm their way into your ears.
Singer Ike has a good voice for this style, and it's kind of exotic that he's
struggling with the r's, e.g. in the song On the Run (On the Lun), but, hey,
that's part of the charm.
Old school Heavy Metal tip of the week from yours truly - nice one!
(Note: the website is in Japanese!)
