White Hell - Lucifer (CJHM)

Artist: White Hell

Song: Lucifer

Album: Lucifer EP

Year: 1985

Label: Self-Released

Riding on the success of Venom's over the top satanic imagery, White Hell plays a hybrid of punk and heavy metal with their simple yet punchy single, Lucifer. The interesting aspect of this band is their having two vocalists in the band, both of them American, and inclusion of Japanese musicians to fill in the instrumental section. Although this band seems like a novelty, it captures a time and place in the birth of Japanese heavy metal -- where ideas were rudimentary and untame, and musicians were sub-par but dedicated. White Hell never made it to the top, but their release Lucifer is forever immortalized as a 'gem' to me.

Sabbrabells - Last Survivor (CJHM)

Artist: Sabbrabells

Song: Last Survivor

Album: One Night Magic

Year: 1987

Label: King

Sabbrabells was one of the biggest bands in Japan during their heyday in the mid 80's. Playing sold out arena shows and selling out albums was first on their list of accomplishments, and all the while, they flaunted an excessive satanic and occult image that seemed to appeal to their fans alike. Just like Venom and Iron Maiden sang songs about 666 and the number of the beast, Sabbrabells replicated the same concept and sold out arena shows like their British counterparts. Last Survivor takes on a more post apocalyptic approach, and is lumped in the general horror category. Kiichi really shows off his high vocal range on this one, although everyone whom I showed the song to all said they hated it. It still surprises me to this day how big this band was, and it's a true testament to how rock and roll can be bigger than Jesus, so to speak.

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Rosenfeld - Holocaust Eve (CJHM)

Artist: Rosenfeld

Song: Holocaust Eve

Album: Pigs of the Empire

Year: 1991

Label: Skull Crusher

Rosenfeld is still a mystery to me: they sing about the horrors of war and digress upon war crimes but they also flaunt Nazi imagery. From what I've read, the Nazi imagery was for shock value, to wake their listeners up to the atrocities humans have committed, which is leagues better than what Lemmy and Sid Vicious did with their Third Reich imagery. But speaking of the music, Rosenfeld play a pretty brutal style of thrash and use harsh vocals to get their anti-violent message across. Their songwriting is chaotic and they revel in the harshness of their sound, which makes them one of the most memorable bands in the field of Japanese metal.

Sniper - Open the Attack (CJHM)

Artist: Sniper

Song: Open the Attack

Album: Open the Attack

Year: 1984

Label: Electric Lady Land

If the previously mentioned Zadkiel was Japan's answer to Motorhead, Sniper is definitely Japan's answer to Van Halen. Open the Attack "opens" with a strong guitar riff accompanied by fast drumming and basswork. For the rest of the song, the guitars and vocals battle it out for the spotlight, each trying to outshine the other. Japan's heavy metal bands have the fortune of consistently featuring some of the best guitarists ever recorded, but Sniper's Burny stands as the cream of the crop. For 1984, and coming from a country where their only exposure of rock and roll is from the west, Sniper really sets up the Eastern attack with this release.

Hellen - Talon of King (CJHM)

Artist: Hellen

Song: Talon of King

Album: Talon of King

Year: 1985

Label: Mandrake Root

Hellen's brand of heavy metal must've been a rare breed in Japan because I have never heard anything like it. With the addition of a keyboard in the band, Hellen takes heavy metal into new directions with keyboard solos and melodies playing the most major role in the sound. In some parts, the keyboard is louder than the guitar, which is rare because it's an accepted norm that the guitar has the loudest level in heavy metal. Hellen shortly disbanded after their only EP, and rebanded almost 2 decades later. However, their legacy of piano virtuosity lives on with this release.

Casbah - No More Slaughter (CJHM)

Artist: Casbah

Song: No More Slaughter

Album: Infinite Pain demo

Year: 1987

Label: Self

Casbah was wellknown in the Japanese scene for their violent shows and songs. As one of the first thrash metal bands to come out of the country, they've gained the reputation for being one of the heaviest bands. No More Slaughter recounts a post apocalyptic future riddled with violence -- setting the mood for doom and gloom. The guitars help create the atmosphere with their loud and buzzy tone and the gang vocals shouting "NO MORE, NO MORE, SLAUGHTER" paints a picture of biker gang a la Mad Max 2.

Yokosuka Saver Tiger - Emergency Express (CJHM)

Artist: Yokosuka Saver Tiger

Song: Emergency Express

Album: Devil Must Be Driven Out With Devil (compilation)

Year: 1986

Label: Hold Up

The legendary Devil Must Be Drive Out with Devil compilation featured many punk bands and most got mainstream exposure through the release, but the one heavy metal band they featured was Yokosuka Saver Tiger. In one of the clearest production works heard at the time, Saver Tiger blew away all expectations with their creative dual guitar leads and inventive solos. Although not much could be said about their English pronunciation skills, their instrumental work shines in this song.