Sunday, February 12, 2023

Metal Overview: Anthem (Part 2)

Welcome to part 2 of my look at Anthem, fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

We ended part 1 on the goofily named Domestic Booty. It was an absolute monster, but it marked the final album of Anthem’s career in the 1990s, and seemingly by extension the last one they’d ever do. So as the band members went their separate ways to pursue their own projects & such, the fates were beginning to weave a new tapestry. One in which would call the band back to the metallic forefront in Japan, and reignite the cult fanbase outside of the Land of the Rising Sun. So let’s not waste anymore time, and check out Anthem’s time in the 2000s! Let’s begin!

Heavy Metal Anthem (2000) ***

With the release of Domestic Booty, Anthem’s tour venues kept getting smaller & smaller, until the point where it just wasn’t worth it anymore, and the gas in their tank finally ran dry. Feeling the strain, the band finally called it quits, and went their separate ways throughout the rest of the 90s. Then the dawn of the new millennium came by, and the weirdest thing took place. Naoto Shibata was in a restaurant one night, apparently quite shitfaced, but he just so happened to be sitting opposite from iconic Japanese Metal producer Hisatake Yamasa. Mr. Yamasa said to Naoto that he’d be up for doing another Anthem album, but only if the legendary yet obscure Graham Bonnet would sing on the album....and that’s exactly what happened!

Best Track? Like I said in my review for the album, I thought that the newer version of Hungry Soul was a banger of a song, and I still stand by that. The pacing is similar to that of the original, but with the improved production & sound, things sound a bit fresher. Perhaps importantly, a western listener can finally understand the lyrics (Outside of the original’s Engrish), thanks to the translations & Graham’s excellent singing voice. Not much else to say but that!

Hungry Soul

Worst Track? Also like I said back in 2021, the only fault with Heavy Metal Anthem is that I’ve heard all of these songs before. Yes, the instrumentation & production is improved. Yes, Graham Bonnett sings his ass off and still has a great voice, but all of the songs on this album I’ve listened to on prior releases. Got nothing against the band wanting to show themselves off to a newer generation, but rehashing prior material comes across as rather lazy. They would do this again around the end of last year, but I’ll talk about that when I get to part 3.

Heavy Metal Anthem. Retreads previous material, but at the same time it’s a great gateway into the annals of Anthem. If you’re someone new, or a longtime fan that would like to get back into the band, then this is a lovely place to start. Next album!

Seven Hills (2001)

With Heavy Metal Anthem now behind them, it was time for Anthem to look into their future. With Graham Bonnet heading off to do his own stuff, somebody had to come in to fill the shows. Luckily for all of us, the iconic Eizo Sakamoto came back to provide the voice that would propel the band into the new millenium. If anything, his singing was vastly improved from his time in the 80s due to singing with a bunch of bands in Japan, and I think a few outside as well (I could be wrong on that last part). Sadly, Takamasa Ohuchi couldn’t return to the drums, but the equally impressive & legendary Hirotsugu Homma was able to take that spot. While an exceptional drummer, his bandmates in Anthem complemented him more on his cooking skills than anything else (Naota Shibata once said in an interview that if Hirotsugu left, it would be the band’s loss but the restaurant industry’s gain). Coupled with returning band members, it was time for the band to skyrocket, and on the 22nd of August, 2001, Seven Hills would be the release to help the group fly into the sky!

Best Track? The weirdly named D.I.M. 422 takes the spot as best track of this album. It’s unique in that there’s no vocals in this song, as it’s a pure instrumental tune.....but what a hell of a tune! Hirotsugu Homma definitely shines on the drums, but it’s the duo of Akio Shimizu & Naoto Shibata that have a giant amount of time in the spotlight. Akio in particular is going to town on the guitar during the song’s entire runtime. So much so, that at one point you’d swear he became pure electricity. This is a track you shouldn’t skip!  

D.I.M. 422

Worst Track? I legitimately can’t find a single awful tune on Seven Hills. While it does show off it’s 20+ years of age (In small ways), it also manages to remain a crisp & clean release through pretty much the whole run time. A great experience in every way!

Seven Hills. If Heavy Metal Anthem was a key starting up the engine, then this record was the roar of that engine. If you want an example of a legend making it’s triumphant return, look no further than this beast. Next album!

Overload (2002)

Blindly devoted MAGA cultist & pretentious metal hipster asshole Razörfist would have you believe that Anthem have no bad albums. That they are perfect, flawless, and so many other fancy words you pull from a dictionary. Well, hate to break it to you Paul, but even a band as absolutely phenomenal as these guys are have some bad eggs, and Overload is the first......of only 2 bad albums in their decades spanning career. Yes, that’s right, Anthem only have 2 duds to their 40-something years as a band! Release on the 9th of October, 2002, Overload is something of a strange release. Their last 2 records reignited their career, but Overload takes a weird turn towards commerciality. Not full-blown, but they did incorporate a little bit of late 90s/early 2000s radio friendly element into their music, in addition to some oddly used rap metal elements. The end result is an album that doesn’t have a solid identity, but the overall quality remains mostly intact (Outside of some small hiccups).

Best Track? Ground Zero is another phenominal instrumental track from Akio Shimizu. You got Hirotsugu Homma still pounding away, but Akio takes up the stage as he tickles the guitar strings like no other. If anything, he kinda reminds me of Hideaki Nakama: both absolute geniuses when it comes to their instrument of choices, but only have a fraction of the ego of the guitarist that more than likely inspired them (In this case, Yngwie Malmsteen). The song never outstays it’s welcome, but instead takes up just the right amount of time to show off how awesome it is!

Ground Zero

Worst Track? Like I said above, Overload is suffering from an identity crisis. There’s plenty of the signature quality we’ve come to known from Anthem, but at the same time that late 90s/early 2000s radio commerciality the band was embracing takes away some of that classic identity, and coupling the rap metal elements I mentioned earlier didn’t help things either. The end result is a record that isn’t 100% awful, but it could definitely be much better.

Overload. Not a hideous abomination when taken in doses, but as a whole it’s a very bipolar experience. It is definitely not a horrid experience, but it is a mildly unpleasant. Fortunately for us all, a release would come 2 years later that would silence any potential naysayer, as well as fix any damages done by this release. Next album!

Eternal Warrior (2004)

With the release of Overload, there were many potential naysayers beginning to come out of the woodwork. The two releases before that reignited an interest in Anthem, but their 2002 output made some question whether or not their return was just a flash in the pan. Fortunately the metal gods intervened for us, and gave the band a big boost of energy. With said energetic boost, the boys entered the studio, and on the 21st of July, 2004, Eternal Warrior was released. This was a welcome breath of fresh air after what came out in 2002, as the band seemed to refocus their efforts, and made a transparent attempt to simultaneously have old-school vibes mixed with then modern playing. Not only that, but it was around this time that Anthem would begin to incorporate Power Metal into their music. While they would never fully go down that path, you can easily feel elements of that style on Eternal Warrior & fundamentally every release since 2004.

Best Track? Omega Man is yet again a great instrumental piece in a sea of already great instrumentals from Anthem. Yet again, Akio Shimizu & Hirotsugu Homma play their Japanese asses off in spectacular fashion. Not much else to say, but this is a great track!

Omega Man

Worst Track? While an undeniably awesome record as a whole, Eternal Warrior is a little lopsided when it comes to it’s energy. The first half is badass to the 10th degree, while the second half is still great in it’s own right, but does loose a little bit of steam. Fortunately, this slight loss of fuel doesn’t impact the album as a whole, as the entire experience is something that’s worth your time from beginning to end!

However, if there was one gripe outside of Anthem’s control, it would be with their record label. Back in 2001, the group would sign a multi-year deal with JVC Records. More specifically, they would sign with JVC’s metal sub-label Victor, and if any of you cringed at the sight of that name, then good for you. For those who don’t know, Victor were virtually incompetent when it came to marketing the band. From numerous copyright takedowns on Youtube, to region locking music videos, and just having horrible distribution in general. Not only that, but they seemed intent on keeping it that way! This will come up again when I get to part 3, but I won’t say anything else.

Eternal Warrior. Maybe sputters in the second half ever so slightly, but doesn’t damage the record’s overall quality. If releases like Inferno from the almighty Motörhead were signs that legends could come back into the spotlight, then this early 2000s masterpiece rightfully deserves to stand in that company. Next album!

Immortal (2006)

2005 marked a significant point in Anthem’s career. It was in 2005 that the band celebrated 20 years as a musical group, so the celebrate the occasion they had the mother of all Heavy Metal shows. In addition to an hour-long set, all of the prior members of Anthem (sans the legendary Graham Bonnet) were brought on stage to perform songs from their respective fans, and was won of the biggest love letters to said fans in Heavy Metal history. It’s also this love & strength that gave way to way to the eternal life themed Immortal. Released on the 30the of August, 2006, Immortal was a follow up of sorts to the similarly themed Eternal Warrior. Maybe a little more solid when it comes to it’s energy & production, but it deals with the topics of life, fighting, freedom, love, and fantasy just as much as their 2004 records was (Anthem’s entire career was like this to be honest).

Best Track? Soul Motor is a spiritual successor to Anthem’s first intentional/unintentional tribute to the iconic Motörhead (Said intentional/unintentional tribute was Voice Of Thunderstorm from part 1). Everybody is firing on all cylinders as the songs goes on: Eizo Sakamoto still kills it when it comes to singing, Naoto Shibata has a tight grip on the bass, Akio Shimizu is still amazing when it comes to the guitar, and Hirotsugu Homma continues to be great on the drums. It’s an incredible testament when it comes to Anthem, as by 2006 they have been producing albums for just over 20 years, yet rarely if ever has there been any dip in quality. A great song all around!

Soul Motor

Worst Track? Like Eternal Warrior, Immortal suffers from a energy imbalance despite being a great experience on the whole. This time around, it’s the beginning of the album that doesn’t quite have as much steam (Except for the best track I mentioned above), but the second half is where the amps are charged to maximum. Nothing else to say in this regard!

Immortal. Take Eternal Warrior, and flip it around, and you have Anthem’s output in 2006. Again, the overall experience is fantastic, but the lopsided energy makes it for a slightly unbalanced experience at the same time. Fortunately for those that were worried that the band would keep this lopsided nature had no idea as to what was coming in 2008. Next album!

Black Empire (2008)

If the prior 2 releases teased the Power Metal influences, then Black Empire practically bathed in those influences. Released on the 29th of October, 2008, Black Empire is perhaps the strongest album of Anthem’s time in the 2000s, as the whole of the release as a solid level of energy throughout it’s run time. Not only that, but the Power Metal elements the band so lovingly used made many of the songs on here sound incredibly similar to groups like Stradivarius & many others. However, it was also around this time that the press in Japan would begin to express doubt over Eizo Sakamoto’s time within not just Anthem, but also in his longtime gig with Animetal (A metal band dedicated to covering anime theme music). Eizo practically silenced everybody when he said that his attention was squared solely on Anthem, and would outright breakup Animetal in the process. This would result in the only other bad album in Anthem’s career, but we’ll get to that when we get to part 3!

Best Track? Walk Through The Night stood out to me in a lot of ways. For starters, it’s highly reminiscent of 80s Hair Metal ballads. Not just in emotional power, but in instrumentation as well. It’s just as heavy as everything else on here, but Anthem must have had nostalgia goggles on, and seem to be going for a Dokken-like pace. Hell, even Eizo Sakamoto has a little bit of that Don Dokken style of metal crooning in his singing voice on this song, as while it’s loud & intense like pretty much everything on Black Empire, he lets the emotion flow a little more obviously as the tune plays on.

Walk Through The Night

Worst Track? Ladies & Gentlemen (and everywhere in between), name me one single bad song on here. I dare you! Black Empire is one of Anthem’s best releases in the 2000s, and unlike their previous 2 outings, the energy on this album is consistent throughout the entire playtime. From beginning to end you’re treated to an absolute beat of a record that never wavers, and stays nice & heavy also.

Black Empire. A scorching way to close out the 2000s, and also manages to be a solid release energy wise. If you found the prior 2 records, as great as they are, to be lopsided when it comes to strength, then you will love the consistency of this one. I guarantee it!

And that was part 2 of my look at Anthem. Like a phoenix rising from it’s ashes, these noble masters of metal came right back to life, showing the world that they were here to stay. However, with this newfound energy, can they carry it over into the 2010s? Join me around the end of the month when I’ll have my final look at the band, but in the meantime I got my 1st con review of 2023 coming soon! See you next time!


***
If you’re curious about listening to these albums, then click on the links below:     

Heavy Metal Anthem

Seven Hills

Overload

Eternal Warrior

Immortal

Black Empire

Also, coped info from the 2021 review. Again, I know it’s a lazy move!

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