Regretfully I am saying this but the thunder in the east, one of the glory of the 80s has moved on. Since I first set my eyes on that wonderful hit machine of LOUDNESS's debut album in English, after two in Japanese, I was entrapped. Aside from that classic I had the chance to listen to the following discography while still enjoying their Heavy Metal approach even when they changed vocalists. This album was my first chance of chance of reviewing some of their latest material.

Their new album, "Eve To Dawn", via Tokuma Records, celebrates the band's 30th anniversary. Also this album is the second without their original and beloved drummer, Munetaka Higuchi that died of cancer almost three years ago. As an old fan of the band, I frankly don't know if this album is really such a cause for celebration as it didn't come close to older success. It wasn't terrible but it wasn't superb either. Has LOUDNESS lost their 80s Metal spirit? No they didn't but with the mix of modernize elements it is not always easy to connect to them.

Akira Takasaki, the mastermind behind the zealous LOUDNESS and its achievements, has been tagging additional influences that were shaped into the band's sound and music. I noticed the change for the first time on the band's 1992 self-titled album as it was less into the Hard N' Heavy imagery and more into aggressive areas. From that note forward LOUDNESS kept on changing and not always for the better. Even when the original vocalist Minoru Niiharacame back to the band, LOUDNESS didn't make it back to older days.

Only a year after releasing "King Of Pain", "Dawn To Eve" struck with additional new material. Though I must admit that there more 80s reminders here than on the past few albums, I wasn't nearly captivated by it in comparison to the classics. Firstly, the album's production in general sounded too jagged, although the bass channel was distinctive than the others. The guitars reminded a bit of past glories but also maintained the present raw modern touch. From time to time, especially in the later stages of the tracklist, the vocal line seemed to have drawn back causing it to sound rather dim.

One thing is certain, judging by the list of eleven songs, Takasaki hasn't lost his amazing lead guitar skills. Although I wasn't that impressed with his written rhythms, mainly the modern ones, he is a top notch guitarist. His solos have always taken me to classic Rock, Hard Rock and shredding Heavy Metal blisters. The album's most profound track was the instrumental "Emotions" where Takasaki is the main event with equally made solos and riffs.

When the entire lineup was playing LOUDNESS came up with good songs filled with 80s Metal takeovers. "Come Alive Again" is something that can be recognized as a classic. "Survivor" and "Power Of The Truth" were good examples of how LOUDNESS made good use of modern Metal while mixing it with older Metal roots. Nevertheless, it is rather sad that only four tracks out of the list actually made a difference. LOUDNESS tried a few things here that went both ways, even when playing something that resembled Funk Rock like on "Crazy! Crazy! Crazy!" it was ok but not thrilling.

Maybe new LOUDNESS listeners will value this one more than me, who knows really. However, it is pretty easy to see that watching LOUDNESS going back to the past won't necessarily happen. "Eve To Dawn" is a fine album but where is the thunder?