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.

Randy Uchida Group - Crazy Bomber (CJHM)

Artist: Randy Uchida Group

Song: Crazy Bomber

Album: Deathly Fighter

Year: 1985

Label: Dogma

Presenting another one of the forgotten gems in Japan -- Randy Uchida Group plays slower midtempo heavy metal with plenty of shreddy solos and leads. Being the only output of the band, RUG puts out some pretty impressive heavy metal songs that give most guitarists their run for the money. These songs are very melodic and their vocalist, Ronny Wakamats, harmonizes quite well with the complicated guitar riffing. The star of the show, as you may have guessed, is Randy Uchida with his guitar virtuosity. Owing much influence to the late Randy Rhoads (from whom he derived his name), the guitar playing leaves little to be complained about.

Sabbat - Curdle the Blood (CJHM)

Artist: Sabbat

Song: Curdle the Blood

Album: Born by Evil Blood

Year: 1987

Label: Evil

Taking heavy influence and cue from Venom, Sabbat is an over the top heavy metal band from Tokyo. Most of their releases are self financed and recorded, so the quality is poor at best -- and it really shows with this release. The guitars are muffled and the drums are faint, but it captures the energy of the band nonetheless. The vocals don't come in until midway, and it sounds especially tortured and mixes with the instrumental work pretty well. This menacing release shows that with lower production work and high intensity, you can create some of the most creepy and vile albums. Definitely not for the faint of ears!

Zadkiel - Highway Z (CJHM)

Artist: Zadkiel

Song: Highway Z

Album: Highway Z (Single)

Year: 1986

Label: Hero

This largely forgotten band was Japan's answer to the legendary Motorhead. With raunchy and simple riffs, this three piece played fast, down and dirty English rock and roll... except they were from Japan. The production on this single is especially poor, but it captures the raw and furious energy of the band, right down to their gruff vocals and sloppy guitar playing and drumwork. The song ends in traditional Motorhead fashion -- a crash and burn of all the instruments, coming to a momentous and disastrous halt.

Crowley - Stalker (CJHM)

Artist: Crowley

Song: Stalker

Album: Whisper of the Evil

Year: 1986

Label: Electric Ladyland

Crowley is one of the more well known 'traditional' heavy metal bands of Japan, and with Whisper of the Evil, one can quickly pick up on their charade. They wear make up, have overt references to the occult and satan and play mid tempo heavy metal. I start with them because they are what every parent thinks of when they think of 'heavy metal'. Although they may sound generic with the song Stalker, their riffs are more or less catchy and the solo is terrific. Although most throw this band under the "bedroom satanist" wagon, their hearts are still in the right place and there's no denying how rockin' these tunes are.

Blue Cheer - Summertime Blues (PHM)

Artist: Blue Cheer

Song: Summertime Blues

Album: Vincebus Eruptum

Year: 1968

Label: Philips

Despite being a psych rock band, Blue Cheer churned out one of the heaviest releases of its time with their cover of Eddie Cochran's 'Summertime Blues'. The bass is thundering, the drums sound manic and the guitars are out of control -- which was the perfect recipe for proto heavy metal. Listening to the song carefully, one will instantly remember how wild the drums are -- the drummer doesn't wait for the guitars to pick up on tempo, instead plays quickly and maniacally by itself.

The Kinks - You Really Got Me (PHM)

Artist: The Kinks

Song: You Really Got Me

Album: You Really Got Me (Single)

Year: 1964

Label: Pye

Short and sweet is the way the Kinks wanted their smash hit You Really Got Me to be -- with raunchy vocals and heavily distorted guitar (for its time), it would ignite the spark of rebellious garage rock in Britain. The Kinks, along with the Yardbirds, were cited to be one of the first 'heavier' rock groups in England, and inspired many psych rock bands to pick up their first guitars in Britain. The vocals are especially of note in this song, the chorus is sung with a snarky tone -- one that really foreshadows the rebellion in music to come.

Deep Purple - Highway Star (PHM)

Artist: Deep Purple

Song: Highway Star

Album: Machine Head

Year: 1972

Label: EMI

One of the most famous hard rock bands of the 70s was Deep Purple, and with Highway Star, they've solidified their status as one of the first heavy metal bands. The song Highway Star is about a maniac and his car, and the frantic speed of the song reflects on the chaotic audiotopic quality of the song. Ritchie Blackmoore's ability on the guitar, especially the solo, would lay the groundwork for metal guitarplaying for years to come.

Uriah Heep - Gypsy (PHM)

Artist: Uriah Heep

Song: Gypsy

Album: Very 'eavy ... Very 'umble

Year: 1970

Label: Vertigo

This album was infamous from the start from widely critical panning by the music press, especially from Rolling Stone, in which one reviewer wrote "If this group makes it I'll have to commit suicide. From the first note you know you don't want to hear any more." And from those harsh words grew a bluesy hard rock band that is currently 21 albums strong. In listening to Gypsy, the listener is overwhelmed at first with the array of guitar effects and VERY progressive songwriting. However, the main riff keeps all the eccentricities of the song together. The song is very operatic in nature, featuring vocalist David Byron playing a narrative role and the rest of the band setting the atmosphere for the stage. Although the song goes off on a tangent after the first half, it's still an incredible listen from start to finish.

T. Rex - 20th Century Boy (PHM)

Artist: T. Rex

Song: 20th Century Boy

Album: 20th Century Boy (single)

Year: 1973

Label: Fly

Often credited as one of the first glam rock bands, T. Rex was one of the most important bands to push the hard rock envelope. Right from the beginning, T. Rex strums out some memorable power chords to open up the song. The sheer density of the song is notable: there's so much going on under the production! Female operatic vocals, sporadic saxophones, frantic drumming all envelope the simple power chord riff of the song... and all the while, Marc Bolan keeps his cool with his twangy and fitting vocals. Sadlyl, Marc Bolan's vision of an era of 'cosmic rock' was cut short when he died in 1977. However, his work echoes just as loudly today as it did in 1973.

Queen - Stone Cold Crazy (PHM)

Artist: Queen

Song: Stone Cold Crazy

Album: Sheer Heart Attack

Year: 1974

Label: EMI

Queen has never been traditionally viewed as a 'heavy metal' group, but they put out a song that fit the bill for proto heavy metal. In 1974, Stone Cold Crazy featured a blistering fast tempo and equally fast vocal delivery. The lyrics dealt with organized crime, namely that of Al Capone's untimely career -- all delivered without a single hiccup from the legendary vocals of Freddie Mercury. The live versions of the song is especially a treat to watch since the drums sound like its struggling to keep up with the pace of the guitar. On a sidenote, it later went to be covered by bands like Metallica and members of Black Sabbath.

Flower Travellin Band - Satori (PHM)

Artist: Flower Travellin' Band

Song: Satori (Part 3)

Album: Satori

Year: 1971

Label: Radioactive

As one of the first psych rock bands to come out of Japan, the Flower Travellin' Band came from the ashes of the hippie movement and delved further into experimental blues rock territories. While their first releases were mainly covers of popular western rock music, the Flower Travellin' Band released their first and only original release, Satori, in 1971. This 5 part epic combines elements of blues and experimental rock into one indescribable genre. It's filled with guitar leads that come in randomly and seem to go nowhere, and macro-riffs that repeat themselves over and over. It's definitely not the stuff that will remind you of 60's hippie music!

Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath (PHM)

Artist: Black Sabbath

Song: Black Sabbath

Album: Black Sabbath

Year: 1970

Label: Warner

Although it's quite cliche to list the first song of the first album of a band, the intensity of Black Sabbath's self titled debut leaves audiences in awe, even in today's age. To give a little insight, Black Sabbath borrows its name from a Boris Karloff horror movie of the same title -- with it, the band took their creativity in the darker realms of the human imagination. The eerie song begins with rainfall, thunder and bells tolling, and culminates with the stroke of the first three notes. Ozzy's harrowing voice sings the grim and cryptic verses of

What is this that stands before me?

Figure in black which points at me.

Turn 'round quick, and start to run

Find out I'm the chosen one.

Unrelenting in its emotive attack, Black Sabbath builds deep suspense and grasps the listener into a world of the unknown. Words can't describe the level of suspense and anxiety they create with this introduction, so give no further ado and give it a listen:

Coven - Wicked Woman (PHM)

Artist: Coven

Song: Wicked Woman

Album: Witchcraft Destroys the Soul and Reaps Minds

Year: 1969

Label: Mercury

It's hard to imagine that an album like Witchcraft would be released on a mainstream record label, but it did! In 1969, Coven sent shockwaves with their controversial album about heresy, the occult and namely, witchcraft. The female fronted Coven played psychedelic rock that was in line with most of psych rock bands in the 1970s. With a powerful voice akin to Janis Joplin, frontwoman Jinx Dawson bewitches us with some serious rock and roll. This was one of the first albums to explore the 'dark-side' of mankind, and it was released right at the summer of 'peace and love'. Even in 2010, it's hard to swallow an album that contains an incantation of "you'll go to hell" shouted at the listeners. Needless to say, this legendary album's release in 1969 cements one of the first proto heavy metal albums ever.