We began our metallic trip through Japan with the group’s first release, aptly titled Anthem. From there, they dominated the Japanese mainland throughout the 1980s, and even had a brief amount of time in the states. However, as that decade went on, the band became worn out with the constant touring & album release, and new band members would come in as others left. Despite this constant flux, the dawn of the 90s saw what may very well be one of their most classic records ever made. So, be sure that the air you’re breathing is clean, get on some heat protection, and enjoy my review for No Smoke Without Fire. Let’s begin!
Background
By the time 1990 rolled around for Anthem, the band were exceptionally drained. The mix of constant touring, not to mention the equally constant pressure from the record label to also keep making records, created a lot of tension. So much tension in fact, that Hiroya Fukuda threw his hands up in frustration at the rest of his bandmates and promptly quit the band, though he would promise to stay to finish making what was to come, and what an album to come! Released on March the 21st, 1990, No Smoke Without Fire is an example of a band making at 24-karat diamond under extreme pressure. However, with Hiroya leaving he unintentionally put Anthem in a really rough spot, and so they put out a signal for anybody to join the group. They got their answer in the form of the Japanese equivalent of Yngwie Malmsteen, Hideaki Nakama. Though Nakama didn’t play on No Smoke Without Fire proper, he did provide an instrumental piece on the remastered edition by the name of A.D.D., which is a really stunning piece if you’ve heard it.
Basic Description
Smoking Hot.
Okay, got a quick story for you. No Smoke Without Fire, at the time of writing this, is the only Anthem album I own physically. In fact, it’s the first release from the band that I have. I originally ordered it towards the end of February this year, but it ultimately didn’t make it towards the end of March due to said order getting cancelled. So, I decided to import the CD itself on the 25th of that month, and the delivery date was the 30th of April to the 20th of May. Color me surprised when it showed up on the 15th of April!
So what about the music itself? Well, No Smoke Without Fire is a damn good release from Anthem! The band was running on nearly empty by the time the 90s came about, but they weren’t completely empty. Everybody still had the talent & skill to create some killer music, and at this point thanks to legendary producer Chris Tsangarides, Anthem got a bit of Judas Priest mixed in with their own material. The end result is a record that’s still distinctively Japanese, but has a bit of European Steel to give it some spice. Pretty cool if you ask me!
Best Track
Voice Of Thunderstorm is just crackling with Japanese electricity! Possibly the fastest song on the album, it doesn’t sacrifice stability as it plays. Takamasa Ohuchi’s drumming is shocking & potent, Naoto Shibata’s basswork gives the song some meat, Hiroya Fukuda’s guitar playing comes out like lightning, and Yukio Morikawa’s 3rd release on vocals for Anthem is easily his best (Though his voice on Domestic Booty isn’t half bad either). Skipping this track should be considered a war crime.....it’s that damn good!
Voice Of Thunderstorm
Worst Track
Nothing. None. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Anthem made an absolutely flawless record in 1990. Production sounds crisp & clean, the instrumentation is on point, and Yukio Morikawa is a wonderful replacement for the equally talented Eizo Sakamoto. Apart from that, the only standard problem across all of these reviews will be locating the damn things on a physical level.
Other
If you’re curious about listening to this album, then click on the link below:
No Smoke Without Fire
Overall Impression & Rating
No Smoke Without Fire began the potential of what Anthem could do in the 1990s. Despite the band being nearly burned out at the start of the decade, they still had enough gas in the tank to crank out something awesome, and over 30 years later it has aged like the finest wine. Like so much of what came before it (And after), this release would have been quite welcomed here in the United States if Anthem was pushed here. Even if it never got here in a massive capacity, this is one firestorm you might not mind getting burned by!
No Smoke Without Fire gets a 10 out of 10. It deserves every...single...point!
And that was No Smoke Without Fire. Sadly, not long after this the band would put out their final release of the 90s, and for 8 long years the sounds of Anthem would no longer echo in Japan. Luckily, the beginning of the new Millennium would bring back these legends....and an old friend would come along for the ride. So, join me in a week or two when I’ll take a look at the band’s first release of the new age. See you then!
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