Happy anniversary to Loudness - Shadows of War (1986)!

In 1985 the Japanese heavy metal band Loudness (1981-present) achieved success in the USA with the album Thunder in the East, and the internet says that they reached the Billboard Top 100. They definitely got airplay on MTV! This album right here is the follow-up.

Shadows of War is the Japanese version and it was released earlier, ahead of the international version that was titled Lightning Strikes. The sequence of the songs was rearranged. "Shadows of War" is the opening track on the Japanese version, but "Let It Go" kicks off the international version.

Below is the title track, but observe: The Japanese version of the album is called Shadows of War and it is the opening, title track. In the international version this same song was moved to be the opening song of the second side of the record. Furthermore, the title of the song is different in the international version; it was changed to "Ashes in the Sky." Whatever, "Ashes in the Sky" is the song as "Shadows of War."

Loudness

Shadows of War

Atco Records

March 24th, 1986

Minoru Niihara (Vocals), Akira Takasaki (Guitars), Masayoshi Yamashita (Bass), and Munetaka Higuchi (Drums; R.I.P. 2008).

1. Shadows of War (06:04), 2. Let It Go (04:15), 3. Streetlife Dreams (04:26), 4. Black Star Oblivion (03:56), 5. One Thousand Eyes (05:01), 6. Complication (04:01), 7. Dark Desire (04:22), 8. Face to Face (03:50), 9. Who Knows (Time to Take a Stand) (04:03). Total Runtime: 39:58.

Loudness - Ashes in the Sky