ANTHEM
ANTHEM "Crimson And Jet Black"
By Dr. Abner Mality
Sometimes bands get overlooked in the constant crush of releases. They call it "sleeping on a band". And for 35 years, I've been guilty of this with Japan's ANTHEM. I've known the name since their beginnings in the 80's but always found an excuse to pass them by. That was inexcusable stupidity on my part and I wonder how many others have made the same mistake. "Crimson And Jet Black" is the first real listen I've had of this classic Japanese band and what an eye opener it is. This is heavy metal in its purest form.
ANTHEM have always kind of been in the shadow of LOUDNESS but on this album, they should take a back seat to no one. "Snake Eyes" hits like a lightning bolt...this is sizzling speed metal with guts and melody! This is how you start an album...the speed is there, the guitar work of Akio Shimizu is impeccably shredding, but despite the aggression, the vocals are smooth and the chorus has the melody of a great AOR band. The LOUDNESS comparisons are valid but really don't matter because the quality is so high. "Wheels of Fire" and "Howling Days" follow in similar fashion with headbanging speed and passion. The quality is consistent throughout!
A change does come into play in the second half of the album. "Roaring Vortex" slows things down with a kind of creeping riff that reminds me of yet another great Japanese band, the sadly missed EZO. "Blood Brothers" and "Master of Disaster" deliver more fast metal goods before a notable change takes place with the instrumental "Void Ark". On this track, ANTHEM turns towards a symphonic and progressive power metal sound even featuring keyboards. The track is a splendid showcase for Shimizu's scorching leads. The power metal comparison continues with "Faster", "Burn Down the Walls" and the very melodic and almost KAMELOT-like "Mystic Echoes", where the AOR qualities of Yukio Morkawa's voice are really evident. I can't say I like this side of ANTHEM as much as what I heard on "Snake Eyes" or "Blood Brothers", but it's still top notch stuff. The album concludes with the speedy "Danger Flight", bringing an end to an outstanding heavy metal album.
Sadly, I think many will still sleep on ANTHEM even after this killer album. The world is cruel and unjust, but this is hardly news. Do what you can to rectify it...