Loudness is a Japanese heavy metal band formed in 1981 by guitarist Akira Takasaki and drummer Munetaka Higuchi. They were the first Japanese metal act signed to a major label in the United States. Loudness subsequently released twenty-six studio albums and nine live albums by 2014 and reached the Billboard Top 100 during their heyday as well as charting on Oricon dozens of times. Despite numerous changes in its line-up, leaving Takasaki as the sole constant member, the band continued their activities throughout the 1990s, finally reuniting the original line-up in 2000. This incarnation released a further seven albums until November 30, 2008, when original drummer Munetaka Higuchi died from liver cancer at a hospital in Osaka at age 49. He was replaced with Masayuki Suzuki.
Mari Hamada is a Japanese rock singer and songwriter. Having performed in bands since high school, Hamada made her professional debut as a solo act in 1983. She quickly became known as the "Queen of Heavy Metal". In 2019, Hamada become the first Japanese musician to top the vocalist category of heavy metal magazine Burrn!'s readers poll in its 36 year history. Throughout her career, she has released 25 singles and 23 studio albums.
Minoru Niihara is a Japanese singer. He is the original and current lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Loudness.
Ling Tosite Sigure are a Japanese rock trio, formed in 2002 in Saitama Prefecture. The band's style resembles post-hardcore and progressive rock, math-rock, often incorporating rapid changes of tempo and mood framed in complex guitar melodies and technical drumming. They utilize both male and female vocals ranging from soft singing to loud wails and screams.
Outrage is a Japanese thrash metal band, formed in Nagoya in 1982. They made their debut in 1987 with a lineup of Yosuke Abe on guitar, Yoshihiro Yasui on bass, Shinya Tange on drums and Naoki Hashimoto on vocals. Hashimoto left the band in 1999, but the group continued as a three piece and he returned in 2007. With a career spanning over four decades, Outrage are one of few Japanese metal bands to have never disbanded or paused activities.
Loudness is the tenth studio album by Japanese band Loudness. It was released in 1992 only in Japan, after the band had terminated the recording contracts with US labels. Original bass player Masayoshi Yamashita was replaced with former X Japan bassist Taiji Sawada and the American vocalist Mike Vescera with former Ezo singer Masaki Yamada.
Lazy is a Japanese rock band founded in 1973 by young classmates Hironobu Kageyama, Hiroyuki Tanaka and Akira Takasaki.
King of Pain is the twenty-third studio album by Japanese heavy metal band Loudness. It was released on May 19, 2010 only in Japan and marks the full-length debut of drummer Masayuki Suzuki. Guitarist Akira Takasaki would later say King of Pain was focused on featuring Suzuki. The album reached number 21 on the Oricon chart.
Eve to Dawn is the twenty-fourth studio album by Japanese heavy metal band Loudness, released on September 14, 2011. The album reached number 36 on the Oricon chart.
Babymetal is the debut studio album by Japanese heavy metal idol group Babymetal. It was first released on February 26, 2014, in Japan through BMD Fox Records, and was re-released on May 29, 2015, in Europe through earMusic, and June 16, 2015, in the United States through RED Associated Labels (RAL) and Sony Music Entertainment. Music from the album dates back to the origins of the band in 2010, and incorporates tracks from their earliest released singles, back when the band was a sub-unit of the Japanese idol group Sakura Gakuin.
The Sun Will Rise Again is the twenty-sixth studio album by Japanese heavy metal band Loudness, released on June 3, 2014. A US mix of the album was released on October 7, 2015, in which the songs were remixed, and the album cover shows a blue-and-white rising sun design, instead of the traditional red-and-white. The tracks "Nourishment of the Wind" and "Got to Be Strong" are only released on the Japanese edition of the album, while "Rock Will Never Die" is only released on the US edition.
Japanese metal is heavy metal music from Japan. The country's first metal bands formed in the mid-to-late 1970s. The number of acts increased significantly in the next decade, but only a few saw their material released internationally, including Europe and North America with their pre-established metal bases. Domestic metal saw its commercial peak in Japan in the late 1980s and early 1990s, with the top acts selling millions of records. Many metal bands from the visual kei scene toured and gained recognition in the West in the 2000s. The 2010s saw a boom of all-female metal bands form and gain mainstream attention.
Live at Budokan: Red Night & Black Night Apocalypse is the third live video release by the Japanese heavy metal band Babymetal. It contains two concerts performed at Nippon Budokan shortly after the release of the band's eponymous debut album, and was released on January 7, 2015 in a standard edition and a limited-edition box set exclusively for "The One" fanclub members.
Metal Resistance is the second studio album by Japanese heavy metal band Babymetal. It was first released on March 29, 2016, in Japan through BMD Fox Records, and on April 1, 2016, worldwide through earMusic, RED Associated Labels (RAL), and Sony Music Entertainment. Most work for the album began in 2014, shortly after the release of the band's debut album Babymetal. The members of the band describe the album as more diverse in heavy metal, with the recurring theme acquired while on tour.
Japanese rock, sometimes abbreviated to J-rock, is rock music from Japan. Influenced by American and British rock of the 1960s, the first rock bands in Japan performed what is called group sounds, with lyrics almost exclusively in English. Folk rock band Happy End in the early 1970s are credited as the first to sing rock music in the Japanese language. Punk rock bands Boøwy and The Blue Hearts and hard rock/heavy metal groups X Japan and B'z led Japanese rock in the late 1980s and early 1990s by achieving major mainstream success.
Gracia is the 23rd studio album by Japanese singer/songwriter Mari Hamada, released on August 1, 2018. The album coincided with Hamada's 35th anniversary in the music industry and marked her return to Victor Entertainment, which had published her albums from 1983 to 1990. It features a roster of guest musicians, including Loudness guitarist Akira Takasaki, Mr. Big members Paul Gilbert and Billy Sheehan, Impellitteri leader Chris Impellitteri, Symphony X guitarist Michael Romeo, Act of Defiance guitarist Chris Broderick, and Planet X keyboardist Derek Sherinian. The album was released in two editions: a single CD and a limited edition two CD + DVD set. A music video for "Black Rain" was released online to promote the album.
Legenda is the 21st studio album by Japanese singer/songwriter Mari Hamada, released on February 15, 2012, by Meldac/Tokuma Japan. The album continues Hamada's heavy metal sound that began with Aestetica in 2010, with Loudness guitarist Akira Takasaki returning as a guest musician. It is also the first album since Romantic Night to not feature longtime collaborator Hiroyuki Ohtsuki. The album is offered in two editions: a single CD and a limited edition with a bonus disc.
Sunburst is the twenty-eighth studio album by Japanese heavy metal band Loudness. It is their first double album, as well as the first album released on their own label, Katana Music. It was released to commemorate the band's 40th anniversary. It was later released worldwide through earMUSIC on July 29, 2022.
Soar is the 24th studio album by Japanese singer-songwriter Mari Hamada, released by Victor Entertainment on April 19, 2023. The album coincides with Hamada's 40th anniversary in the music industry. It features a roster of guest musicians, including Loudness guitarist Akira Takasaki, Symphony X guitarist Michael Romeo, Act of Defiance guitarist Chris Broderick, veteran session guitarist Michael Landau, Mr. Big bassist Billy Sheehan, Steve Vai bassist Philip Bynoe, veteran session bassist Leland Sklar, veteran keyboardist Jeff Bova, Planet X keyboardist Derek Sherinian, and violinist Lili Haydn. The album is available in two editions: a single CD and a limited edition CD + DVD set. The lead track "Tomorrow Never Dies" was released on streaming platforms on March 3, 2023.
