Ελληνικά
Last Updated on 04:23 PM by Giorgos Tsekas
Genre: N.W.O.B.H.M./Heavy Metal
Country: England
Label: Dissonance Records
Year: 2022
The release of a new album from Tokyo Blade is always good news. While the band has the original line-up recording it, makes the news even better. The N.W.O.B.H.M. survivors are here still alive and screaming as the 4/5 of classic line-up is together for about a decade now (founder Andy Boulton on lead guitar, John Wiggins playing rhythm guitar, Andy Wrighton on bass, Steve Pierce on drums, and lead vocalist Alan Marsh). Now with a new deal with Dissonance Records. I really liked their previous effort “Dark Revolution” (2020 via Dissonance Records) and I can’t of missed “Unbroken” (2018 via 3ms Music Ltd) when it was out and I discovered it months later after its release and I discovered that it was a good one too. Anyway, the really big moment the band had, besides their classics from the 80’s, was “Thousand Men Strong” (2011) that already is 10 years old+. So the Salisbury born quintet needs a really strong release to keep its name again hot.
“Fury” is an album that wills to play this role. But it is a record with many ups and downs. Some already named it “poor man’s Senjutsu”, but this rather low to say right? The compositions are no lengthy or epic or “wannabe proggy” as Maiden claim to do so, yet “Fury” features 15 songs that last 80 minutes…too long indeed! And despite some excellent ideas and sharp riffs, Alan Marsh sounds one dimension, while the use of tuning is a bit annoying. Sometimes I thought I was listening to Motley Crue’s “Saints of Los Angeles”…
“Eyes Wide Shut” , “Heart Of Darkness”, “We All Fall Down”, “Rhythm Of The Gun” and “Kill Me ‘Till I’m Dead” are worth exploring and likely the highlights of the record.
“Fury” could have been stronger if the band had decided to leave outside 4-5 songs of the final track listing. Yet it is a good proposal for their die-hards and definitely for the fans of their latest works.
