TOKYO BLADE -"Time is the fire"

When you expect inspiration  to meet luck, the success train may have been long gone. For TOKYO BLADE, one of the most underrated NWOBHM bands, this is the case. Tormented by personnel changes, singers in and outs and albums that were never below average which flirted with Melodic rock equally successful with the MAIDENesque metal they were  introduced to us, they are still among us and surprisingly they deliver one of the best NWOBHM albums of the recent years.

 The band now consists of original members, singer Alan Marsh and guitarists. John Wigging and Andy Boutlon, bassist Andy Wrighton and drummer Steve Pierce  has based its music in the twin guitars dwelling some strong songs and a healthy diet of NWOBHM, BLACK SABBATH (Dio-Tony Martin era) and JUDAS PRIEST aggressiveness of the latest era combined with the always existed tendency to melody and the THIN LIZZY twin guitar attack. They play sharp,edge, heavy metal tunes with captivating choruses and steamrolling rhythmi parts. When they decide to leave the in-your-face approach they deliver epic tunes like the "Rameses" a "Powerslave" era slow grinder that transforms into a metal beast, with claws ready to devour the listener and surprises you with a small "when your guitar gently weeps" reference in the solo melody. They can deliver stunning twin guitar THIN LIZZY inspired epics like "The 47' ," The Six Hundred" and "S\oldier On"  or in your face modern metal as in 'The devil you know","Feeding the Rat" and "Moth to the Flame","We burn". But the band has its own unique style crafted over the years that shines in songs like "Going with the flow" and "Are you happy now".

 TOKYO BLADE didn't reinvent the wheel, nor themselves, they just deliver the album they should have 30 years ago, without caring who will listen, a proof that they have still fire in their bellies, primeval fire, that could catapult them to the big league of the metal music, even for a while. With their new album they prove that all those young competitors who were raised on NWOBHM and imitate the 80s are good, but the originals have the sacred knowledge of the right sound the guitar dwelling, the mastery of the vocal delivery and the odour of the heavy metal form the midlands that conquer the world. For those of you who understand how underestimated as a band were Paul Di'anno's BATTLEZONE, this is the next closer example to an undiscovered diamond of an album. 

Better late than never,TOKYO BLADE made a bold statement with their new album, that they have the songs and the musicianship and they won't disappear without a bang. For fans of the metal scene of the 80s, one of the best albums that wasn't released in the 80s but deserves your attention and love.

7.5