LOUDNESS – Hurricane Eyes (English Version) [Japanese remastered reissue 2015]

We already featured here “Hurricane Eyes”, the seventh studio album by legendary metal / hard rock band LOUDNESS but in its Japanese version. This is the “Hurricane Eyes / English Version” also known as ‘Worldwide Version’ featuring a different mix, song sequence and artwork.
Long time out print album, this Japanese Remastered reissue was released at the end of last year.

Produced by legend Eddie Kramer (Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Kiss) with a glossy, American-oriented sound, we have also some other remarkable names involved. The song “So Lonely”, a reworked version of ‘Ares Lament’ from the album Disillusion of 1984, was produced by Andy Johns, another world famous studio guru.
And there’s super-talented Gregg Giuffria providing all keyboards, plus former Giuffria David Glen Eisley and Tod Howarth (Frehley’s Comet, 707, Ted Nugent) helping with backing / harmony vocals to make the choruses more ‘American catchy’.

This ‘English Version’ of “Hurricane Eyes” presents a slicker, more ‘Westernised’ version mix, to compete with the melodic hard / metal bands in the american market such as Dokken or WASP. The progressive tendencies were out, powerful choruses were in, and the production was given a polish the likes of which Loudness’ material had never known before.
Song-wise, this is slick, powerful ’80s metal / hard rock along the lines of Dio, Impellitteri, early Queensryche & Dokken and the like, with some Van Halen feel thanks to Akira Takasaki’s hot guitar chops.

Overall, the songs can easily be allocated to four categories: the mid-paced slick hard rockers (‘Take Me Home’), the fast US metal song (‘Strike of the Sword’, ‘SDI’), the ballad (‘So Lonely’) and the commercial ‘hit’, the melodic hard rocker ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Gypsy’.
While the ‘Japanese Version’ feels heavier, this “Hurricane Eyes – English Version” is much more ‘American’, more suitable for ’80s US Melodic Hard Rock fans
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This Japanese remaster is really good, as part of the priced-down reissue appeared at the end of past year celebrating Loudness’ 35th Anniversary.
Highly Recommended

You’ve seen it first here, at 0dayrox

Warner Music Japan ~ 【WPCL-12265】
Ｌ Ｏ Ｕ Ｄ Ｎ Ｅ Ｓ Ｓ 『ＨＵＲＲＩＣＡＮＥ ＥＹＥＳ』

01 – S.D.I.
02 – This Lonely Heart
03 – Rock ‘n Roll Gypsy
04 – In My Dreams
05 – Take Me Home
06 – Strike Of The Sword
07 – Rock This Way
08 – In This World Beyond
09 – Hungry Hunter
10 – So Lonely

Vocals – Minoru Niihara
Guitar – Akira Takasaki
Bass – Masayoshi Yamashita
Drums – Munetaka Higuchi
with
Keyboards – Gregg Giuffria
Backing Vocals – David Glen Eisley, Steve Johnsted, Tod Howarth
Produced by Eddie Kramer & Andy Johns (track 2)

BUY IT !
www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/WPCL-12265
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