Welcome to part 3 of my look at Anthem fellow Otaku & Metalheads!
We last saw the band with their last album of the 2000s, Black Empire. It was a great way to not only end that decade, but a great way to prove to the fanbase & those out in the world at large that they were back with a vengeance. As we entered the 2010s, yet another phase of Anthem began. Would they still begin strong, or would they stumble when they step onto the ground. With that out of the way, here’s is part 3 of my look at Anthem. Let’s begin.
Heraldic Device (2011)
By 2010, Anthem’s 7 album contract with JVC Victor was coming to an end. Naoto Shibata around this time was beginning to feel suffocated by what was going on: if the band wanted to make it into the international market, the clock was ticking down on that chance (They were in their 3rd decade of existence by this point). Enter Universal Music Group, who promised the band more favorable contracts, and while ambiguous, a promise to make a push into America. With this incredibly lucrative deal on the table, it kept Anthem’s partial attention, and wound up distracting them. It was this distraction that ended up giving us the album I’m talking about right now; Heraldic Device. Release on the 6th of July, 2011, Heraldic Device is the other bad album that I hinted at back in part 2, but in a weird way it’s only just bad. As I was listening to the whole thing, I was strangely reminded of Stryper’s 2005 album Reborn: there’s a lot of potential, but it buried by a thin layer of bad. I’ll repeat this in a bit, but Anthem aren’t lazy on Heraldic Device, but it’s obvious that they’re doing the minimum just to fulfil their deal with JVC Victor, who themselves would go through a rebranding just a few years later.
Best Track? Code Of The Silence is yet another great instrumental track, and perhaps is one of the few songs on the album that has more strength that has the rest. I can’t say anything else here that I haven’t said already: great drumming from Hirotsugu Homma & great guitarwork from Akio Shimizu. Nothing else to say really!
Code Of The Silence
Worst Track? Heraldic Device’s only fault is that it was cranked out simply to fulfill their contract with JVC Victor & hoping the Universal deal would come through. They’re definitely not being lazy, as I don’t think Anthem are capable of being such, but it’s also obvious that they’re coasting just to get by. The guitar & bass is safe, and Eizo’s vocal work sounds pretty safe as well. However.....
If there was any instrumental issue, it would be with Hirotsugu Homma. Normally an incredibly reliable drummer, by this point he was beginning to feel the effects of being behind the drumkit. Coupled with previous motorcycle injuries, his playing comes across like downpaced hard rock than the typical Anthem drumwork. Not awful by any means, but definitely not quite up to snuff when compared to previous releasesHe would not be with the band for much longer....but we’ll just have to wait for that when the time comes.
Heraldic Device. Like I said above, it’s just barely bad. As with Reborn from Stryper, there’s a hell of a lot of potential within the music, but because of the band’s attitude at the time with their record company, as well as the issues the band was going through, it’s easy to see why the record ended up the way it did. Fortunately for Anthem & their fans, things would turn around just a year later.....and it would end up being one of the best releases they ever made. Next album!
Burning Oath (2012)
As time moved on from Heraldic Device, cracking were finally beginning to show themselves in the reformed Anthem. In addition to Hirotsugu Homma feeling the effects of old motorcycle accidents, not to mention being behind the drums almost constantly for decades at this point, it was obvious it wasn’t long for the exit sign. On top of that, the band practically jumped ship almost immediately to Universal’s side after Heraldic Device was release. If anyone thought that Anthem would fold because of all of this, Burning Oath would put them to shame. Released on the 24th of October, 2012, Burning Oath was the exact opposite of it’s predecessor, as Heraldic Device was done with less effort & to fulfill a contract. Their 2012 outing, meanwhile, was a strong & energetic release. It was made by a band no longer shackled to a record label that didn’t know how to promote one of the finest Heavy Metal groups on the planet, and it was made by a band that felt seemingly refreshed by the change in labels. Not only that, but the Power Metal like vibes come back in force, as yet again they never go all the way, but they sure as hell are close!
Best Track? Double Helix once again shows off the craftsmanship of Hirotsugu Homma & Akio Shimizu in a fantastic instrumental piece. At this point, it should be obvious that neither of these two guys, when working together, are incapable of making anything even remotely resembling trash. Nothing else to say, but a great song!
Double Helix
Worst Track? This doesn’t have anything to do with the music, but more to do with the band itself. Hirotsugu Homma by this point was feeling incredibly drained, having played in Loudness, Eizo, and Anthem for a good chunk of his life. Couple with the previously mentioned older injuries, he would had in his resignation, and become a drum instructor ironically enough, recording only one song on Burning Oath. His replacement would come in the form of Isamu Tamaru, who was decades younger than him, but genuinely just as talented as him (Maybe even better if I’m being honest). Unfortunately for Anthem, Homma wouldn’t be the only member to leave, as Eizo Sakamoto would leave right after the tour of Burning Oath. Due to a mix of quickly switching record labels, recording records within a year of each other, and rumors of Animetal reunions, this resulted in band complications, and thus he had to leave. Fortunately, he left on really good terms with the rest of his bandmates, and actually has a brief yet profitable run in a commercial for a restaurant called Steak Ken. On top of that, Naoto Shibata found out during a routine checkup that he had early stage Stomach Cancer, but fortunately enough all he need was surgery & some time to heal & kick out of it, and thankfully he did.
Burning Oath. A massive reversal of the album before it, it restored faith to the small handful of fans that were expressing doubt after what came out in 2011. If you were dissatisfied with Anthem’s first outing in the 2010s, then you will dig the hell out of this one. Next album!
Absolute World (2014)
Like I just said above, Anthem definitely suffered some setbacks on their last album. Thankfully, they got a brand new drummer, and Naoto Shibata managed to recover from the cancer scare. However, there was the issue of finding a singer, and who were they going to find? Yukio Morikawa of course! Despite not being with the band for nearly 20 years by this point, he & Anthem remained in orbit of one another since the group’s dissolution after Domestic Booty, so since they couldn’t get Graham Bonnet back for a 2nd run, it seemed only right to bring Morikawa back into the fold. Not only that, but Yukio has lost none of his vocal power since the last time he was with the band! With a new singer in tow, Anthem went into the recording studio, and on October the 22nd, 2014, Absolute Word was released.
Best Track? Bit of a two-way tie between Pain & Love Of Hell. The former is a speedy little track, and while it doesn’t quite have the intensity of something like Voice Of Thunderstorm was, but there’s still quite a bit of meat on the bones, and it strikes a perfect balance between blistering speed & steady pacing. The later goes in a more slower direction, but it is compensated by a darker & more emotional atmosphere. Yukio Morikawa’s vocals, while always great as a whole, are perfected sharpened to a fantastic point on Love Of Hell. It’s that perfect mix of low, crooning, and loud-ish that lets him soar on the tune in question. Definitely don’t skip these two!
Pain
Love Of Hell
Worst Track? None! NONE! Absolute World is a fantastic album from beginning to end, and unlike what came out in 2012, there were no issues among the members of the band both physically & mentally. This resulted in a release that shows no sign of weakness in even remotely any way, and thanks to the new infusion of blood with Isamu Tamaru, the band have a new drive they probably haven’t felt in quite some time.
Absolute World. A record that proves that one can charge right through adversity, and come out like a beast. If their last outing was even remotely shakey, then their 2014 release was as solid as Mt Fuji, and just as titanic. Next album!
Engraved (2017)
With Yukio Morikawa back as the leader signer, it seemed as if Anthem finally had a stable base once again. The oldest members were still firing on all cylinders, and their new drummer was still a great infusion of new blood. So with things solidified for a 2nd time, they went to record their 4th album of the 2010s. Released on June the 21st, 2017, Engraved leaned in & expanded upon the melodic nature of Absolute World, as well as continue to travel alongside the Power Metal road. It’s definitely a strong package for sure, and while it does come across as similar to Absolute World, there is way more things that are different than there are the same.
Best Track? Gotta give it up to the one-two combo of Midnight Growl & Sacred Trace. Though Morikawa sings very well on the first song, both tunes have some of the best instrumentation on the entire album. Isamu Tamaru definitely proves he got the chops on these two (Been proving himself the past few years, to be honest), but Akio Shimizu yet again shows how genuinely phenomenal he is on the guitar. Able to shift pacing at the drop of a hat, Akio has not lost a single bit of energy in the 20+ years since he joined Anthem, and I don’t think he’s leaving anytime soon.
Midnight Growl
Sacred Trace
And while this doesn’t have anything to do with the music, I gotta give some small credit to the artwork. Engraved’s album cover harkens back to Anthem’s oldest albums covers, on account of the minimalism & slightly faded colors. Again, it’s nothing big, but I found it to be something of a small surprise.
Worst Track? The Artery Song would be the only track I’d say is bad/worse, but even then it actually not. If anything, it feels misplaced when compared to everything else on Engraved. It’s still got the same level of quality & intensity as all of the other songs, but it comes across like a tune from Anthem’s time in the 2000s rather than the 2010s. Even more strange is the fact that it opens up Engraved, and one the song is done it’s almost not remembered by the time the record is done.
The Artery Song
Engraved. An absolute banger of a release, and one that kept things going for the reinvigorated band. If you were a fan of Absolute World, but maybe want an upgrade or two, then this record for you. Unfortunately for Anthem & their faithful, tragedy would strike the band, and strike hard. Next album.
Nucleus (2019)
In the early morning of January the 7th, 2018, longtime producer Chris Tsangarides tragically passed away at the age of 61 due to a mix of pneumonia and heart failure. With their western champion now gone from the picture, Anthem began looking for a new producer. One that was just as good as Chris, and one that would continue to help them grow in the west. Enter Jens Borgen: known for his work with Opeth & Dir En Grey (Dir En Grey was probably how Anthem found out about Borgen), he has just as much love & respect for Anthem as Tsangarides did, and that was good enough for the band. Coupled alongside a new deal with Nuclear Blast Records of all companies, they set out to produce a new record, and on the 29th of March, 2019, Nucleus was released. A spiritual successor to Heavy Metal Anthem, Nucleus was a collection of songs from their prior output. In Nucleus’s case, it was selections from 2001 all the way to 2017, but the release was also remarkable in that it was Anthem’s first ever album completely sung in English. In addition to this, they premiered for the very first time at the Keep It True festival in Germany in 2019, where the proceeded to steal the show from everybody else, and considering some of the bands that were there......that’s saying something.
Best Track? The redo of Venom Strike marks the lone older track on Nucleus, and it’s that oddity that makes it the best song on the album. The modern production makes the revised instrumentation sound absolutely incredibly, and Yukio Morikawa sings like a damn banshee at the high points. I gotta give Yukio credit here, as while his English sounds nice across the entire album, it definitely comes across as the best on this tune. Ironic, since Yukio said in an interview or two that singing in a language he wasn’t completely familiar with was tough.
Venom Strike
Worst Track? Like I said when talking about Heavy Metal Anthem, the lone fault of this album would be yet again that I’ve heard all of these songs before. I can sort of forgive HMA for doing this because it basically remastered older tunes with newer vocals, but with Nucleus I just find it weird. It’s slightly more frustrating in this case, as outside of Venom Strike, the songs in question are from their fresher material from 2001 to 2017. As such, old-school Anthem fans might get pushed away because of this, but those who haven’t heard of them might get a kick out of what’s on here.
Nucleus. As a way to show off a decades old legend to an audience that may not know of them I think is perfect, but for longtime Anthem fans it’s probably more of a curiosity than anything else. It’s definitely not a necessary album to listen to for old-schoolers, but it’s not a bad one if it ever comes your way.
Well folks, that was my last look at the iconic Anthem. Absolute titans in Japan, and thanks to some fairly recent deals, are now finally becoming rightfully well known here in the United States & Europe. Not only that, but we got a brand new album to look forward to in April of this year! So if you are looking for Heavy Metal outside of the normal countries that’s absolutely wonderful, you cannot find a more excellent example than these guys! Well, March isn’t far away, so join me next month for some fun stuff.......but I’ll be starting the month of green off with something serious. See you then.
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If you’re curious about listening to these albums, then click on the links below:
Heraldic Device
Burning Oath (Incomplete. Will Update At A Later Date)
Absolute World (Link At A Later Date)
Engraved
Nucleus
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