4 Lp Lot Japanese Metal Loudness (Lightening Strikes, Thunder) Anthem S/T+ Bonus LP of Hiroshima "Another Place" Covers and LPs-Ex. 

Loudness (ラウドネス Raudonesu) is a   band formed in 1981 by   and  . They were the first Japanese heavy metal act signed to a major label in the , releasing twenty-six studio albums (five in America) and nine live albums by 2014 and reaching the  in their moment of maximum international popularity, as well as charting on  dozens of times. Despite numerous changes in their roster, the band continued their activities throughout the 90s, finally reuniting the original line-up in 2001. On November 30, 2008 original drummer Munetaka Higuchi died from liver cancer at a hospital in Osaka at age 49. He was replaced with .

1980–1984: From Lazy to Loudness[]

The band was started by guitarist , bassist Hiroyuki Tanaka and drummer , coming off the split-up of the rock band  in February 1980. The three musicians, Takasaki in particular, were unsatisfied with the musical direction of their previous band and wanted to test their abilities in new areas. The rising movement of new Japanese  acts (,, etc.) fit the aspirations and musical tendencies of the young musicians. Nevertheless, bassist Tanaka soon renounced to be part of the new metal group, searching success in the  soundtrack business with the band . Takasaki recruited his childhood friend  as bass player and, after a few auditions, the band found a singer in former member .

With this line-up, Loudness signed for the major label  and recorded their Japanese-language debut , . Despite the reduced presence of the heavy metal genre in the Japanese media at the time and the lack of a single to launch the album, The Birthday Eve and the concerts to support it were quite successful. The flashy  work of Takasaki and the solid musicianship of the other band members became soon a trademark of their performances in studio and on stage. The band, excited by the good sales response in Japan, produced four studio albums in rapid succession, while guitarist Takasaki found the time to start his solo career, releasing the album , which the other group members played in.

In 1983, after recording their third album , they embarked on their first United States tour, followed by a tour in Europe. They moved to  to record their fourth album , performing several concerts there, as documented in their second video . As an attempt to break in the international scene, the band re-recorded the vocal tracks of the album Disillusion in English language, releasing their first album outside of Japan in 1984.

1985–1991: American years[] Loudness in 1985. Original/Classic 1980–1988, 2001–2008 line up. (l-r) Yamashita, Niihara, Takasaki, Higuchi

Finally in 1985, through the management of  co-manager Joe Gerber, they signed an international record deal with . Such an achievement was the first in Japanese music history for a heavy metal band. Their fifth album, the  produced , was recorded in the USA and was very successful. It was their first American release and it peaked at No. 74 in the , relying much on the strength of the single "Crazy Nights".

Their sixth album, , was once again produced by Max Norman and charted at No. 64, receiving very good reviews and making Loudness a worldwide attraction. The album was released in Japan in a different version, under the name . Their success in the  had pushed the group to write more commercial pop-metal tunes, like the single "Let It Go", which was quite different from what they had done in all their previous albums. Following this new and apparently chart-rewarding direction, the band lost some of their supportive Japanese fan base, which did not accept the homologation to the US  sound.

Following the  EP in 1988, singer Niihara was fired from the band, after producer Max Norman's suggestion that an English speaking vocalist could help the band break through in the American market. The chosen American vocalist was former  frontman .  continued his singing career in Japan as frontman of the metal bands ,  and , besides releasing a solo album. The new Loudness’ line-up recorded two studio albums,  in 1989 and  in 1991. The latter included only three new songs among remakes of older material translated and sung by Vescera. Despite extensive tours and strong support from their label, the new albums did not improve the band's status in America and, on the contrary, reduced further the Japanese fanbase of Loudness. After the release of the single "Slap in the Face", Vescera left Loudness during their 1991 American tour, to join 's band. He was replaced by former  vocalist  to finish the tour. The change of personnel did not influence the success of the band, because the sudden predilection of the American audience for the gritty and aggressive sound of  and  bands at the beginning of the 90s, had already de facto put an end to the American adventure of Loudness, as well as to the careers of many other bands from the glam and heavy metal scene.

Anthem (アンセム Ansemu) is a Japanese  band that was formed during the early 1980s in . They are among the handful of heavy metal bands founded in Japan during that time and are considered to be one of the most successful and influential, alongside ,  and .

History[] Early years (1980–1985)[]

Anthem was founded in Tokyo during 1980 as a quartet, composed of singer Toshihito Maeda, guitarist Akifumi Koyanagi, bass player Naoto Shibata (also known as "Ski") and drummer Takamasa Ohuchi. Koyanagi left in late 1983 to be replaced by Hiroya Fukada. In December 1984, vocalist Toshihito Maeda also left and Anthem drafted  for their debut eponymous album, issued in July 1985 by Nexus and licensed to Europe via .

Success (1985–1992)[]

Their first studio release featured classic songs like "Wild Anthem" and "Warning Action". Their first EP single in 1986, entitled "", was the first known song to be used for promotion of a video game, namely 's computer  "". The next release,  showcased a more catchy, melodic sound with an improved vocal performance by Sakamoto.  was to be the last album featuring  for nearly two decades, and was by far his most impressive vocal performance to that point. The album was full of classics ("Empty Eyes", "Bound to Break", "Soldiers") and introduced the band's long-time world-famous producer,  (perhaps best known for producing 's classic 1990 album, ). With the departure of Sakamoto in 1988, Shibata recruited Yukio Morikawa to the band's vocal position. With Morikawa came the album , considered the band's most popular album. Morikawa's voice made the band a great success at that time and he was similar in style, vocal range and ability to . In 1989, the album  was released and the song "The Juggler" was used as a PV. In the beginning of 90s, Anthem dealt with another departure, this time Hiroya Fukuda (guitar) left and was replaced by Hideaki 'Shadow Walker' Nakama which recorded the album , this time without the band's staple producer / engineer . Hideaki Nakama left the band after recording just that one album and the search for a new guitarist began.