Tokyo Blade vs Tokyo Blade: Night of the Blade vs Night of the Blade - The Night Before

Tokyo Blade: Night Of The Blade" (re-release) High Roller Records 16.04.2021

Tokyo Blade: Night of the Blade ... The Night Before High Roller Records 30.04.2021

Here we have a very interesting situation, even if at first it might seem confusing. Tokyo Blade is a band from the late 70s-early 80s New Wave of British Heavy Metal, running behind the lead pack of Iron Maiden, Def Leppard, Saxon, Diamond Head, Girlschool and the other bands that had albums ready to roll in 1980. Tokyo Blade's debut is from 1983, and then they did this album right here called Night of the Blade.

Back in the early 1980s many of the bands of the new hard rock that came to be known as "heavy metal," were looking at commercial success as an attainable goal, especially considering that their heroes, the older bands of the 1970s hit big around 1980. Even though Led Zeppelin was no more, and Black Sabbath and Deep Purple had been floundering, worn out or lacking direction in the late 70s, another crop of bands was ready for the 1980s: AC/DC (despite having a new singer), Rush, Scorpions, Judas Priest, and so many, many others were ready for the new opportunities of the 80s, and even Sabbath, Ozzy and Rainbow were looking pretty good now.

Tokyo Blade in 1984 was ready to strike with this, their second album, which features good, catchy singing, melodies and a fun, rocking style, for fans of classic-style 1980s traditional, melodic heavy metal. Not all was well within the band and record label, apparently. It turns out that this album was fully recorded with the original singer named Alan Marsh, but then a new singer named Vick Wright was brought in to do new lead vocals. Now the people of High Roller Records are issuing both the official version of the album and the version with the original singer. Here is the track list for both albums.

Tokyo Blade: Night of the Blade, official version with Vic Wright on vocals.

01.Someone to Love

02.Night of the Blade

03.Rock Me to the Limit

04.Warrior of the Rising Sun

05.Unleash the Beast

06.Love Struck

07.Dead of the Night

08.Lightning Strikes (Straight Through the Heart)

Tokyo Blade: Night of the Blade - The Night Before, unofficial version with Alan Marsh on vocals.

01.Night of the Blade

02.Warrior of the Rising Sun

03.Unleash the Beast

04.Love Struck

05.Attack Attack

06.Fever

07.Dead of the Night

08.Breakout

09.Madame Guillotine

10.Someone to Love

The difference in song sequence in the unofficial version creates the impression of a grittier, heavier album, while the official version, which begins with a radio-friendly song, highlights the more melodic aspects. This same song is the last one on the unofficial album. The unofficial album begins with an all-out banger, and it is not until the fourth song that a more melodic song shows up. The unofficial version also has a slightly rougher sound, which may not be noticeable to most listeners. In the opinion of this listener, people new to Tokyo Blade should begin with the official album simply titled Night of the Blade. Die-hard fans that are collectors will no doubt enjoy the unofficial version, too, as it is a good album, of course. What is the difference in singers? On both versions of the album the backing vocals are Alan Marsh’s. Both singers sound very similar. Both voices go high, and both voices are solid and legit. One difference is that the official version has some more ear-friendly vocal tones, and a little more rock star singer personality, for a more melodic, a slightly smoother style. Logically, if your mind has for decades only known the official version, then the unofficial version cannot all of a sudden replace the imprint of what some fans consider a classic or at least a gem.

Unfortunately, after this album the band lost direction and became a glam rock band, and in 1985 they sounded a lot more like U.S. commercial glam rock, and things went downhill very quickly and badly with bad album after bad album in the 80s and 90s, as many fans have observed. It wasn’t until 2011 that they tried to make things right. Nowadays things are going a lot better in terms of metal music, and Alan Marsh has been back with them for an album in 2018 and 2020, but that’s another story. Regardless, their 1983 and 1984 albums are worth the time of the fans of 1980s melodic metal.

https://www.hrrshop.de/TOKYO-BLADE-Night-of-the-Blade-LP-BLACK_1

https://www.hrrshop.de/TOKYO-BLADE-Night-of-the-Blade-The-Night-Before-LP-BLACK_1

https://www.hrrshop.de/TOKYO-BLADE-Night-of-the-Blade-The-Night-Before-SLIPCASE-CD_1

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[These videos are here for your information only. These are not from High Roller Records, on whose versions of the album this publication's review is based.]

OFFICIAL VERSION Tokyo Blade - Someone To Love

OFFICIAL VERSION Tokyo Blade - Night Of The Blade

UNOFFICIAL VERSION Tokyo Blade - Someone To Love (Alan Marsh On Vocals)

UNOFFICIAL VERSION Tokyo Blade - Night of The Blade (Alan Marsh On Vocals)