is a Japanese heavy metal band formed in 1981 by guitarist

Akira Takasaki is a Japanese musician. He is best known as the lead guitarist and sole constant member of the heavy metal band Loudness. He is also the guitarist of the band Lazy, with which he first rose to prominence in the 1970s. Career He started his ...

and drummer Munetaka Higuchi. They were the first

Japanese metal is heavy metal music from Japan. 1970s: Early acts Originally formed in 1967 as a cover band of British and American psychedelic rock titled " Yuya Uchida & the Flowers," Japan's Flower Travellin' Band have been credited as one of the progenito ...

act signed to a major label in the United States. Loudness subsequently released 26 studio albums (five licensed in America) and nine live albums by 2014 and reached the ''Billboard'' Top 100 during their heyday as well as charting on

Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike i ...

dozens of times. Despite numerous changes in its line-up, with Takasaki the sole constant member, the band continued their activities throughout the 1990s, finally reuniting the original line-up in 2001. This incarnation released a further seven albums until November 30, 2008, when original drummer Munetaka Higuchi died from liver cancer at a hospital in Osaka at age 49. He was replaced with Masayuki Suzuki.

Biography

1980–1984: From Lazy to Loudness

The band was started by guitarist

, bassist Hiroyuki Tanaka and drummer Munetaka Higuchi, coming off the split-up of the rock band Lazy in Tokyo in February 1980. The three musicians, Takasaki in particular, were dissatisfied with the musical direction of their previous band and wanted to test their abilities in new areas. The rising movement of new Japanese heavy metal acts ( Bow Wow,

Anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to short s ...

, etc.) fit the aspirations and musical tendencies of the young musicians. Nevertheless, bassist Tanaka soon renounced to be part of the new metal group, searching success in the

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

soundtrack business with the band Neverland. Takasaki recruited his childhood friend Masayoshi Yamashita as bass player and, after a few auditions, the band found a singer in former Earthshaker member Minoru Niihara. He was a university student at the time. With this line-up, Loudness signed for the major label

Nippon Columbia , often pronounced ''Korombia'', operating internationally as , is a Japanese record label founded in 1910 as Nipponophone Co., Ltd. It affiliated itself with the Columbia Graphophone Company of the United Kingdom and adopted the standard UK ...

and recorded their Japanese-language debut album, ''

The Birthday Eve ''The Birthday Eve'' is the first studio album by Japanese heavy metal band Loudness. It was released in 1981 only in Japan. The 24bit digitally remastered Japanese limited edition CD includes two additional tracks not on the original release ...

''. Despite the reduced presence of the heavy metal genre in the Japanese media at the time and the lack of a single to launch the album, ''The Birthday Eve'' and the concerts to support it were quite successful. The flashy shred guitar work of Takasaki and the solid musicianship of the other band members soon became a trademark of their performances in the studio and on stage. The band, excited by the good sales response in Japan, produced four studio albums in rapid succession, while guitarist Takasaki found the time to start his solo career, releasing the album '' Tusk of Jaguar'', which the other group members played in. In 1983, after recording their third album ''

The Law of Devil's Land is the third studio album by the Japanese heavy metal band Loudness. It was released in 1983 only in Japan and later distributed in Europe by Roadrunner Records. The CD reissue of 2005 contains two extra songs coming from the English version of ...

'', they embarked on their first United States tour, followed by a tour in Europe. They moved to Europe to record their fourth album '' Disillusion'', performing several concerts there, as documented in their second video ''

Eurobounds ''Eurobounds'' is the second home video released by the Japanese heavy metal band Loudness. It was released on BETA, VHS, Laserdisc and VHD formats in 1984. This release documented the first European tour of the band, with footage from concerts ...

''. As an attempt to break in the international scene, the band re-recorded the vocal tracks of the album ''Disillusion'' in English language, releasing their first album outside Japan in 1984.

1985–1991: American years

Finally in 1985, through the management of

Twisted Sister Twisted Sister was an American heavy metal band originally from Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey, and later based on Long Island, New York. Their best-known songs include " We're Not Gonna Take It" and " I Wanna Rock", both of which were associated with ...

co-manager Joe Gerber, they signed an international record deal with

Atco Records ATCO Records is an American record label founded in 1955. It is owned by Warner Music Group and operates as an imprint of Atlantic Records. After several decades of dormancy and infrequent activity under alternating Warner Music labels, the comp ...

. Such an achievement was the first in Japanese music history for a heavy metal band. Their fifth album, the Max Norman–produced '' Thunder in the East'', was recorded in the USA and was successful. It was their first American release and it peaked at No. 74 in the

Billboard album chart The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists ...

, relying much on the strength of the single "

Crazy Night (also known as "Crazy Nights") is the fourth single by Japanese heavy metal band Loudness, from their 1985 album '' Thunder in the East''. Written by lead vocalist Minoru Niihara and guitarist Akira Takasaki and produced by Max Norman, the single ...

s", whose video earned some rotation play on

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

. Their sixth album, '' Lightning Strikes'', was once again produced by Max Norman and charted at No. 64, receiving very good reviews and making Loudness a worldwide attraction. The album was released in Japan in a different version, under the name '' Shadows of War''. Their success in the United States had pushed the group to write more commercial pop-metal tunes, like the single "Let It Go", which was quite different from what they had done in all their previous albums. Following this new and apparently chart-rewarding direction, the band lost some of their supportive Japanese fan base, which did not accept the homologation to the US

glam metal Glam metal (also known as hair metal or pop metal) is a subgenre of heavy metal that features pop-influenced hooks and guitar riffs, upbeat rock anthems, and slow power ballads. It borrows heavily from the fashion and image of 1970s glam ...

sound. Their seventh album ''

Hurricane Eyes ''Hurricane Eyes'' is the seventh studio album by Japanese heavy metal band Loudness. It was released in 1987 worldwide with standard English lyrics. A "Japanese Version" was subsequently released only in Japan later in the year with Niihara si ...

'' was released in 1987 worldwide with English lyrics. A Japanese version was subsequently released only in Japan later in the year with Niihara singing most of the lyrics in Japanese. The album was produced by the famous producer and sound engineer Eddie Kramer, who had worked with the likes of

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically dr ...

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ...

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

and

Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...

. The song "So Lonely", a reworked version of "Ares Lament" from the 1984 album ''Disillusion'', was instead produced by

Andy Johns Jeremy Andrew "Andy" Johns (20 May 1950 – 7 April 2013) was a British sound engineer and record producer who worked on several well-known rock albums, including the Rolling Stones' '' Exile on Main St.'' (1972), Television's '' Marquee Moon'' ...

, another world-famous producer. This was the last Loudness album to enter the US Billboard 200 chart, where it remained for 4 weeks, peaking at No. 190. Following the ''

Jealousy Jealousy generally refers to the thoughts or feelings of insecurity, fear, and concern over a relative lack of possessions or safety. Jealousy can consist of one or more emotions such as anger, resentment, inadequacy, helplessness or disgus ...

'' EP in 1988, singer Niihara left the band, after producer Max Norman's suggestion that an English speaking vocalist could help the band break through in the American market. The chosen American vocalist was former Obsession frontman

Mike Vescera Michael Vescera is an American heavy metal singer for various bands and projects like Loudness (''Soldier of Fortune'', ''On the Prowl'', ''Live at the Budokan''), Obsession (''Marshall Law'', ''Scarred for Life'', ''Methods of Madness'', '' ...

. Minoru Niihara continued his singing career in Japan as frontman of the metal bands Ded Chaplin, Sly and X.Y.Z.→A, besides releasing a solo album. The new Loudness line-up recorded two studio albums, '' Soldier of Fortune'' in 1989 and '' On the Prowl'' in 1991. The latter included only three new songs among remakes of older material translated and sung by Vescera. Despite extensive tours and strong support from their label, the new albums did not improve the band's status in America and, on the contrary, further diminished the Japanese fanbase of Loudness. After the release of the single "Slap in the Face", Vescera left Loudness during their 1991 American tour, to join

Yngwie J. Malmsteen Yngwie Johan Malmsteen ( ; born Lars Johan Yngve Lannerbäck, 30 June 1963) is a Swedish guitarist. He first became known in the 1980s for his neoclassical playing style in heavy metal, and has released 22 studio albums in a career spanning ov ...

's band. He was replaced by former

Ezo (also spelled Yezo or Yeso) is the Japanese term historically used to refer to the lands to the north of the Japanese island of Honshu. It included the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, which changed its name from "Ezo" to "Hokkaidō" in 18 ...

vocalist Masaki Yamada to finish the tour. The change of personnel did not influence the success of the band, because the sudden predilection of the American audience for the gritty and aggressive sound of

grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture that emerged during the in the American Pacific Northwest state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of ...

and

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commercial ...

bands at the beginning of the 90s, had already de facto put an end to the American adventure of Loudness, as well as to the careers of many other bands from the glam and heavy metal scene.

1992–1999: Back to the start

Soon after their return to Japan, Yamashita also left the band and was replaced by former X bassist,

Taiji Sawada , also known mononymously as Taiji, was a Japanese musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former bassist of the rock band X. X rose to prominence in the late 1980s and early 1990s, credited as founders of the Japanese visual kei mov ...

. This line-up produced the self-titled album ''

Loudness In acoustics, loudness is the subjective perception of sound pressure. More formally, it is defined as, "That attribute of auditory sensation in terms of which sounds can be ordered on a scale extending from quiet to loud". The relation of ph ...

'' in 1992, which charted in Japan at No. 2, becoming their highest charting album in Japan, and the 1993 live album '' Once and for All''. The sound and the music presented in those works is heavier and more aggressive than in the albums produced in America and marks the beginning of a new phase in the career of Akira Takasaki, main composer of the band. In 1993, the band was again on the verge of falling apart, with the departure of both Higuchi, who went to play in Niihara’s Sly, and Sawada, who founded D.T.R. Takasaki remained the only founding member, with a band to reinvent. In this period he traveled to India and converted to

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

, and found the right motivations to not disband Loudness. He convinced Yamada to stay as singer and, with his help, recruited former

drummer Hirotsugu Homma to the band. The trio produced in 1994 ''

Heavy Metal Hippies ''Heavy Metal Hippies'' is the eleventh studio album by Japanese heavy metal band Loudness. It was recorded and mixed by Chris Tsangarides and released in 1994 only in Japan. After the defection of bassist Taiji Sawada, Akira Takasaki played b ...

'', a transitional studio album, where Takasaki tried to mix the old Loudness sound with grunge and world music influences. To bring the band on tour, Takasaki completed the roster with Naoto Shibata, bassist and leader of the then disbanded Japanese heavy metal band

. This new incarnation of Loudness released three other studio albums (''

Ghetto Machine ''Ghetto Machine'' is the twelfth studio album by the Japanese heavy metal band Loudness. It was released in 1997 only in Japan and recorded at the famous Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, California. This was the first album to feature bassist Naoto ...

'', ''

Dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted a ...

'' and ''

Engine An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power ...

'') and one live album (''

Loud 'n' Raw ''Loud 'n' Raw'' is the fourth live album by the Japanese band Loudness. It was released in 1995 only in Japan. "Speed King" is a cover of the Deep Purple's song from the album ''Deep Purple in Rock''. Track listing #"Desperation Desecration" ''( ...

'') between 1994 and 1999. The sound of these releases is quite different from the band’s earlier works, with Takasaki’s compositions veering strongly towards

groove metal Groove metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music that began in the early 1990s. The genre achieved success in the 1990s and continued having success in the 2000s. Inspired by thrash metal and traditional heavy metal, groove metal features rasp ...

with heavy

psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science o ...

and ethnic influences. Homma’s double bass drum beat is another important difference from the earlier Loudness sound. The band toured regularly in Asia and went to Europe, where they participated to the 1999 edition of the

Dynamo Open Air Dynamo Open Air is a festival in the Netherlands held (almost) every year between 1986 and 2005. It was reborn in 2008 as Dynamo Outdoor and in 2015 as Dynamo Metal Fest. History Originally held to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Dynamo ...

Festival.

2000–2008: Reunion

In 2000, Yamada expressed his wish to quit Loudness and suggested a reunion with the original line-up to celebrate the band's 20th Anniversary. Takasaki agreed with him and dismissed Homma and Shibata, asking at the same time Higuchi, Niihara and Yamashita to rejoin the band for the event. The original members of the band reunited in 2001, releasing the album ''

Spiritual Canoe is the fifteenth studio album by Japanese heavy metal band Loudness. It was released in 2001 only in Japan. It also marked the first time since 1988's ''Jealousy'' that the original and classic line-up recorded together. Track listing All music ...

'' and conducting a reunion tour. Although intended to be a one-time event, the popularity of the band's reunion in their native Japan was overwhelming and the band decided to continue recording and live activities. At least one studio album and one DVD release have followed every year since the 2001 reunion, in addition to one-off recordings, like 2005's theme song for famed

K-1 K-1 is a professional kickboxing promotion established in 1993, well known worldwide mainly for its heavyweight division fights and Grand Prix tournaments. In January 2012, K-1 Global Holdings Limited, a company registered in Hong Kong, acquired ...

fighter Musashi ("The Battleship Musashi"). Loudness - Wacken Open Air 2016 05

In the new Loudness studio albums, the band tries again the fusion of different musical influences with the melodic metal sound of the band from the 1980s, adopting very different styles of composition. The result is often a rather heterogeneous collection of songs, going from classic heavy metal sound to speed metal, thrash metal and grunge, with ethnic and even hip hop influences. The band's popularity remains very high in Japan, where they continued touring every year. Loudness even tried a new approach to the international market, with the reissue of the albums ''

RockShocks ''Rockshocks'' is an album of self-covers by the Japanese heavy metal band Loudness. The album, released in Japan in 2004, contains tracks taken from the first five studio album of the band from the 1980s, played again with a more modern sound a ...

'' and ''

Racing In sport, racing is a competition of speed, in which competitors try to complete a given task in the shortest amount of time. Typically this involves traversing some distance, but it can be any other task involving speed to reach a specific go ...

'' in English language and an international tour that brought the band back to the US, as documented in the DVD ''Loudness in America '06''. On September 1, 2006, original bassist Hiroyuki Tanaka died from heart failure. He was 46 years old. Tragedy would strike again in April 2008, just two months after releasing the album ''

Metal Mad ''Metal Mad'' is the twenty-first studio album by Japanese heavy metal band Loudness. It was released in 2008 only in Japan. It would be the last album before Munetaka Higuchi's death in November 2008. Track listing Music by Akira Takasaki, lyric ...

'', Loudness went on hiatus when drummer Munetaka Higuchi was diagnosed with liver cancer. They played with

Mötley Crüe Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1981. The group was founded by bassist Nikki Sixx, drummer Tommy Lee, lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil. Mötley Crüe has sold over 100 million albu ...

in October 2008 at the

Greater Tokyo Area The Greater Tokyo Area is the most populous metropolitan area in the world, consisting of the Kantō region of Japan (including Tokyo Metropolis and the prefectures of Chiba, Gunma, Ibaraki, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Tochigi) as well as the ...

Saitama Super Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Chūō-ku, Saitama, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. It opened preliminarily on May 5, 2000, and then was officially opened on September 1 of the same year. Its maximum spectator capacity is 36,500, making i ...

, with session drummer Kozo Suganuma (Fragile, Ded Chaplin) filling in for Higuchi. On November 30, 2008 Munetaka died from his illness at a hospital in Osaka at age 49. In December 2008, the band issued the following statement on their website about the death of original drummer Munetaka Higuchi:

"Munetaka Higuchi passed away from liver cancer at a hospital in Osaka city in the morning of 30 November 2008. With permission from his family, we are officially announcing his passing. We realize this announcement came late and we apologize for that. With his and his family's request, a wake and funeral will be held privately. For the press and the fans, we will make sure that you have an opportunity to say your goodbyes to him at later time. For the last eight months since he was diagnosed with liver cancer, he had been in and out of the hospital several times for the treatment. For the entire time, he was very positive and bravely fighting this disease. He had this strong desire to come back to the stage to play for the fans again. His death came very suddenly and was a very immature one. He lived his life to the fullest as a rock drummer who always gave us hopes and dreams. His heart and soul for music will be succeeded for a long time to come. Munetaka, we are grateful for all your hard work and the great 49 years you lived with us here in this world. We would like to express our appreciation for all your condolences sent here for him."

2009–present: New drummer

The band confirmed through Takasaki that, despite the recent loss of drummer Munetaka Higuchi, they would be recording a new studio album titled '' The Everlasting'', which was released in May 2009. The new material was based on drum tracks recorded by Higuchi before his death. Upon the album's release, they introduced their new drummer in Masayuki Suzuki. The band went on tour in 2009, presenting only material from their first four albums and announced their following album titled '' King of Pain'', which was released in May 2010. Also in 2010, Loudness was featured at the

Bang Your Head!!! Bang Your Head!!! is a heavy metal and hard rock festival held annually in Germany. First held in 1996 as a one-day indoor event in the Stefan-Hartmann-Halle in Tübingen with a crowd of 600 people, Bang Your Head!!! has since moved to Balingen ...

festival in Germany and did a brief European tour. Loudness returned to America for their 30th Anniversary tour in May and June 2011. In 2010 they recorded "The Eternal Soldiers" to be the theme song for ''

Mazinkaiser SKL is a Japanese OVA sequel to Go Nagai's ''Mazinkaiser'', which was in itself a spinoff of ''Mazinger Z''. The first episode of the OVA was first screened on and was released on . It also has a novel adaptation serialized in ASCII Media Work ...

'', which was released as a single later that year. In an interview with ''

Guitar World ''Guitar World'' is a monthly music magazine for guitarists – and fans of guitar-based music and trends – that has been published since July 1980. ''Guitar World'', the best-selling guitar magazine in the United States, contains original art ...

'' and posted on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

on July 11, 2011, Akira Takasaki commented on ''King of Pains lack of solos and speed. He said that the reason for this was the band's desire to introduce Masayuki Suzuki, their new drummer. Takasaki also stated that the next album's playing would be "much more speedy, much more aggressive" than ''King of Pain''. Loudness released ''

Eve to Dawn is the twenty-fourth studio album by Japanese heavy metal band Loudness, released on September 14, 2011. The album reached number 36 on the Oricon chart. In an interview, guitarist Akira Takasaki described the album as more "aggressive" than '' ...

'' on September 14, 2011. Another album, ''2012'', followed on August 22, 2012. Due to a scheduling conflict with Niihara's side project X.Y.Z.→A, Michael Vescera was scheduled to perform as guest vocalist for Loudness on April 14, 2013 at the Live N' Louder Festival in São Paulo, Brazil, which would mark the first time he has sung with the band in over 20 years. However, Vescera was unable to attend the event, and

Hibria HIBRIA is a Brazilian power metal/speed metal band, known for their technicality and speed. The band cites influences from traditional metal bands such as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, thrash bands such as Metallica and Megadeth, and progressive ...

vocalist Iuri Sanson ended up filling in the vocalist spot. The band released their 26th studio album titled '' The Sun Will Rise Again'' on June 4, 2014. Loudness played a song from the album called "Immortality" on the 2014 Monsters of Rock cruise. The group teamed up with Outrage to hold the first Loud∞Out Fest on May 2, 2015. The second installment was held on May 1, 2016 and also included

and

Lost Society Lost Society is a Finnish heavy metal music , metal band from Jyväskylä, formed in 2010. The band's current lineup consists of guitarist and lead vocalist Samy Elbanna, guitarist and backing vocalist Arttu Lesonen, bassist and backing vocalist ...

in addition to the two namesake acts. The 2017 edition of the fest was called a "tour" and saw two concerts on May 4 and 6 that included

Galneryus is a Japanese power metal band, formed in Osaka in 2001 by guitarist Syu and vocalist Yama-B.Artist.cdjo ...

. In January 2018, the band released their 27th studio album, ''

Rise to Glory ''Rise to Glory'' ''-8118-'' is the twenty-seventh studio album by Japanese heavy metal band Loudness. It was released in Japan through Ward Records and in the US and Europe through earMUSIC. It was their first album released in the US since 1991 ...

''. However, in February, Suzuki was hospitalized with a mild stroke. The band tapped Ra:IN drummer Ryuichi Nishida to fulfill the tour until Suzuki's full recovery and return in September 2018. The end of 2021 brought a new record entitled ''

Sunburst A sunburst is a design or figure commonly used in architectural ornaments and design patterns and possibly pattern books. It consists of rays or "beams" radiating out from a central disk in the manner of sunbeams. Sometimes part of a sunburs ...

''.

Members

– guitars, backing vocals (1981–present), lead vocals (1981), bass (1993–1994) * Masayoshi Yamashita – bass, backing vocals (1981–1991, 2000–present) * Minoru Niihara – lead vocals (1981–1988, 2000–present) * Masayuki Suzuki – drums (2009–present) ;Former members * Hiroyuki Tanaka – bass (1981; died 2006) *

– lead vocals (1989–1991) * Masaki Yamada – lead vocals (1991–2000) *

– bass, backing vocals (1992–1993; died 2011) * Hirotsugu Homma – drums (1994–2000) * Naoto Shibata – bass, backing vocals (1994–2000) * Munetaka Higuchi – drums (1981–1993, 2000–2008; died 2008) ;Touring member * Ryuichi Nishida – drums (2018) ; Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

* ''

'' (1981) * ''

Devil Soldier is the second studio album by Japanese heavy metal band Loudness. It was released in 1982. The American Daniel McClendon (brother of Tommy McClendon) was called to engineer the sound of this album, because there was no Japanese technician expe ...

'' (1982) * ''

'' (1983) * '' Disillusion'' (1984) * '' Disillusion'' (1984) - English version * '' Thunder in the East'' (1985) No. 74 (US) * '' Shadows of War'' (1986) * '' Lightning Strikes'' (1986) - U.S. Remix of ''Shadows of War'' No. 64 (US) * ''

'' (1987) No. 190 (US) * ''

'' (1987) - Japanese Version * '' Soldier of Fortune'' (1989) No. 18 (JPN) * '' On the Prowl'' (1991) No. 7 (JPN) * ''

'' (1992) No. 2 (JPN) * ''

'' (1994) No. 29 (JPN) * ''

'' (1997) No. 65 (JPN) * ''

'' (1998) No. 49 (JPN) * ''

'' (1999) No. 48 (JPN) * ''

'' (2001) No. 20 (JPN) * '' Pandemonium'' (2001) No. 27 (JPN) * ''

Biosphere The biosphere (from Greek βίος ''bíos'' "life" and σφαῖρα ''sphaira'' "sphere"), also known as the ecosphere (from Greek οἶκος ''oîkos'' "environment" and σφαῖρα), is the worldwide sum of all ecosystems. It can also ...

'' (2002) No. 45 (JPN) * '' Terror'' (2004) No. 88 (JPN) * ''

'' (2004) No. 60 (JPN) * '' Breaking the Taboo'' (2006) No. 129 (JPN) * ''

'' (2008) No. 51 (JPN) * '' The Everlasting'' (2009) No. 42 (JPN) * '' King of Pain'' (2010) No. 21 (JPN) * ''

'' (2011) No. 36 (JPN) * ''

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

'' (2012) No. 33 (JPN) * '' The Sun Will Rise Again'' (2014) No. 29 (JPN) * ''

'' (2018) No. 13 (JPN) * ''

'' (2021) No. 5 (JPN)

References

External links

* * (Nippon Columbia) * (Universal Music Japan) * (Warner Music Japan) {{DEFAULTSORT:Loudness (band) Japanese heavy metal musical groups Japanese progressive metal musical groups Japanese glam metal musical groups Musical groups from Osaka Musical groups established in 1981 Musical quartets English-language musical groups from Japan Atco Records artists