Thunder in the East

Loudness | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 14, 2003)
• Original Release Date: 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Wounded Bird Records
• ASIN: B0000CNY4N
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #41,526 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #58 in Music > World Music > Far East & Asia > Japan

Editorial Reviews

Loudness was a Japanese hard rock quartet that had numerous hit albums in the 80's and early 90's. Thunder In The East reached number 74 on the Billboard charts in 1985. Wounded Bird. 2003.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loudness At Their Finest, January 23, 2005

By 

Benjamin P. Brown (Everett, Washington United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Thunder in the East (Audio CD)

Loudness ranks as one of my all time favorite metal bands. They were technical, had an excellent guitarist, and a fine singer who sang in the upper register, and they wrote catchy songs. Thunder In The East, one of 1985's best albums, was Loudness at their peak.

Produced by Max Norman, who was THE metal producer of the time, the record is terrific from start to finish. The production is outstanding and one of Norman's best ever. The song that was pushed by the label and by rock radio as the single, "Crazy Nights" is OK but actually one of weaker songs on the album. Unfortunitely, as is often the case, labels and radio stations don't look past one song in which to define a band, where if they had more forsight, they could increase the shelf life of the CD by releasing more songs as singles.

Back to Loudness. "Like Hell" is an up tempo rocker with a fabulous solo, and a progression similar to song #4 "Get Away", which offers up another terrific solo very reminiscent of a fast Richie Blackmore solo from his Deep Purple days."Heavy Chains" and "We Could Be Together", are both quite good, but it is "Run For Your Life" which is the standout track here. A slow, ballad-like build up to a great chorus and melodic solo, this should have been a hit. "Clockwork Toy" is next and is also excellent and heavy. Another song which I just love is the albums closer, "Never Change Your Mind", which despite its unintentionally humorous lyrics (got a new hairstyle I see, you're dressed to kill, bright colored lipstick for me against my will) due to the language gap, is a stellar track. It builds up and builds up with great hooks and is one of their best songs.

While Loudness put out many more albums after "Thunder", none were as consistant, and none had as many great songs packed into one album.

Huge amounts of respect must be given to them as a band for their ability to pen decent lyrics in English and rock the western world at a technical level that few western bands can attain.

Loudness' "Thunder In The East" is a must for any complete metal collection, and in this writers opinion, their best work.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Lost in the underground, lookin' for daylight", April 26, 2004

By 

mwreview "mwreview" (Northern California, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Thunder in the East (Audio CD)

Listening to this album without seeing the title of the album or the cover artwork, one probably would never know they were listening to a band from Japan with names like Akira Takasaki and Minoru Niihara. They sound like a typical 1980s metal band from America or Western Europe. Thunder in the East was the band's big breakout album in the west and, as it turns out, their last big album. They took a more pop-metal path after this release, then brought in an American-born vocalist and never found the same success. This 1985 release, however, is excellent. It is not pop metal, in fact, it sounds a lot like Accept without the raw Udo Dirkschneider vocals. Niihara's voice is closer to Queensryche's Geoff Tate, although not as powerful. This album is very solid but my favorite track is "No Way Out." The first time I heard it, I was amazed. I played it over and over and still can't get enough. The guitar is blazing on that track! Unbelievable! The rest of the songs showcase great guitar work as well. I recommend Thunder in the East to any fan of 1980s metal.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dokken meets Godzilla, April 27, 2005

By 

Henrik "da laffin tlhIngan" (in the Anime aisle) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Thunder in the East (Audio CD)

Loudness simply Rocks.

My friend Scott introduced me to this band in the mid-80s, describing them as "a Japanese band that sounds like Judas Priest, Dokken and Scorpions combined". I saw them soon after at San Francisco's Kabuki Theater, with Keel, and they blew the roof off the place. LOUDness is right!

The first album in their brief American career (followed by Lightning Strikes and the overpopped Hurricane Eyes, and concluding with the Americanized Soldier of Fortune and On The Prowl), Thunder... showcases HEAVY riffs, incredible musicianship and manic-but-tuneful vocals. The best track for rock fans is "Crazy Nights", but don't discount the ballads either-- "Never Change Your Mind" is right up there with KISS's "Reason to Live".

The biggest nit on this album is Minoru Niihara's vocals. Since the band are still learning English here, some of the lyrics and the way he pronounces them are a bit off-center (just what the heck is MZA anyway?).

I'd give this one a 4.9 if I could, but I'll round it up to 5 just so new fans will be more likely to buy it.