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 KING
OF DARKNESS -
Triple Whammy
(Lion Music)
Score: 4 out of 5 Battle-Axes (more about rating system) I was really surprised by Triple Whammy, the debut from Japan's King Of Darkness. We've recently heard several Japanese extreme metal bands, but we haven't heard a Japanese hard rock band since Loudness and EZO. King Of Darkness is a trio featuring vocalist/bassist Genta Nakamura, guitar wiz Takahiro Hashimoto, and drummer Tadayoshi Iwamoto. Formed in 1989, KOD released two demos (The Principle Of Darkness in 1993 and Aggression in Rage in 1995) and changed vocalists a few times before bassist Genta Nakamura assumed the duties. The result is an excellent, straight-up, in-your-face, 80s blues based hard rock offering. Comparing KOD to their country-mates, they don't have the vocal awkwardness of Minoru Nihara-era Loudness, rather Nakamura sounds very close to EZO vocalist Masaki Yamada. Nokamura's voice is especially attractive on the ballad "Long Way." Similar to Loudness, KOD has the power of a stellar lead guitarist. Hashimoto can shred just like Loudness' Akira Takasaki, but overall KOD is probably a bit less metal. It's been a long time since a new band has sounded like this, and fans of solid 80s hard rock should take a moment to check this band out. (Chris Dugan) |