280 - Loudness Angel Dust 1982

The kings of Japanese heavy metal are unquestionably the group Loudness. The band was formed in 1981 from the ashes of Lazy, which had contained guitarist Akira Takasaki and drummer Munetaka Higuchi. They joined forces with vocalist Minoru Niihara and bassist Masayoshi Yamashita to form one of Japan’s first significant heavy metal bands. Van Halen are frequently cited as one of the bands influences, however more specifically, like Eddie Van Halen, Akira Takasaki blew minds with his incredibly fast, loud, intense guitar playing. The band’s first two albums, "The Birthday Eve" and "Devil Soldier" were produced by a Japanese American from California named Dan McClenden, was playing in and producing local bands at the time, and who also worked with metal princess Carmen Maki. This "Angel Dust" appears on their sophomore work "Devil Soldier".