Loudness - The Law of Devil's Land (1983)^{Release ID: 5883}

The first couple of albums from Japanese four-piece heavy metal band Loudness (their 1981 debut album “The Birthday Eve” & 1982’s sophomore effort “Devil Soldier”) didn't impress me terribly much. Both records showcased some excellent musicianship & a good pedigree in 70’s hard rock however they also suffered from production problems & lacked consistency in the song-writing department. Loudness’ strength could clearly be found in the impressive skills of lead guitar shredder Akira Takasaki & the band’s diverse array of influences however it was rare that Loudness would offer us up something genuinely original rather than simply putting together their own take on the material of their idols. Their sound sat somewhere in the grey area between heavy metal & 70’s hard rock at the time however Loudness’ third album (1983’s “The Law Of Devil’s Land”) would see the same lineup returning with a fresh & more defined direction.

The production problems that had plagued the band’s first two albums would be greatly improved upon with "The Law Of Devil's Land" with a much more professional package being presented on this occasion. The record would see Loudness dropping the hard rock side of their sound altogether in favour of a more focused, modern & accessible 80’s heavy metal sound with more in common with the likes of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest & Ozzy Osbourne. The progressive rock elements that were scattered across the first two records are still evident here but are presented inside more of a metal framework than before. Rush has undoubtedly been a huge influence on the band with several sections sounding like tributes at best & plagiarism at worst.

Despite the more metal direction of this material, you’ll find a couple of tracks here that see Loudness taking a more commercially-focused & radio-friendly approach similar to Judas Priest’s early 80’s material. But that’s not such a bad thing as one of those songs happens to be amongst my favourite on the album due to its catchy hooks & its overall simplicity. The rhythm section seems to take a more minimal & spacious approach during these moments. Their performance is less showy in general on this album actually which is another hint that the band were hoping for a higher level of commercial success. The same cannot be said of guitarist Akira Takasaki though. He’s stepped up to another level of technical proficiency & melody once again with a stunning display of modern metal lead guitar work. Randy Rhoads’ influence is undeniable from a melodic perspective & I find myself really looking forward to his solos in each song.

The lyrical approach is the same as that of the first two albums with the choruses sung in English & the rest of the songs sung in Japanese but to be honest I’m not sure that vocalist Minoru Niihara sounds as comfortable over the band’s new sound here. It could have something to do with the quality of the song-writing too to be honest. In fact, even though “The Law Of Devil’s Land” is generally regarded as the first in a trio of Loudness albums that represent the pinnacle of their career, I just don’t quite get it. To me the song-writing still lacks quality & many of the heavier songs fall short in the riff department so I don’t hold it in any higher regard than Loudness’ earlier material. If I’m honest I actually have a slight preference for “Devil Soldier” over this one & that’s not saying all that much. Perhaps these guys just aren’t my thing.