page_title: Japanese metal
section_title: 1980s
hierarchical_section_title: Japanese metal / 1980s
caption_attribution_description: English: Japanese heavy metal band Loudness live at the Knust in Hamburg, Germany, 20-07-2010
context_page_description: Japanese metal is heavy metal music from Japan.
context_section_description: In the 1980s, a plethora of Japanese heavy metal bands formed. Loudness was formed in 1981 by former Lazy members Akira Takasaki and Munetaka Higuchi. In 1983, they toured the United States and Europe and soon started focusing more on an international career. In a 1985 deal with Atco Records, Loudness became the first Japanese metal act signed to a major label in the United States. Their albums Thunder in the East (1985), Lightning Strikes (1986) and Hurricane Eyes (1987) reached numbers 74, 64 and 190 on the Billboard chart. Loudness replaced singer Minoru Niihara with American vocalist Michael Vescera in 1988, in an unsuccessful attempt to further their international popularity.
  Seikima-II, with their kabuki-inspired makeup, and X Japan, who pioneered the movement known as visual kei, both formed in 1982. In 1985, Seikima-II's debut album Seikima-II - Akuma ga Kitarite Heavy Metal was released, reached number 48 on the Oricon album chart and exceeded 100,000 in sales, the first time for any Japanese metal band's debut. In April 1989, X Japan's second album Blue Blood reached number 6 and has sold 712,000 copies. Their third and best-selling album Jealousy was released in July 1991, topped the charts and sold over 1 million copies. They released two more number one studio albums, Art of Life (1993) and Dahlia (1996), before disbanding in 1997. X Japan actually signed an American record deal with Atlantic Records in 1992, but an international release never happened.
  In the eighties few heavy metal bands had female members, like all-female band Show-Ya and Terra Rosa with Kazue Akao on vocals, both formed in 1982. Heavy metal solo artist Mari Hamada, who released material produced by Loudness drummer Munetaka Higuchi, also saw popularity. In September 1987, Show-Ya organized, produced and presented the first Naon no Yaon (NAONのYAON) rock festival, featuring strictly all-female Japanese musicians and bands.
  Ezo's two studio albums, the self-titled EZO (1987) and Fire Fire (1989) were released in America by Geffen Records, with the first produced by Gene Simmons. Dead End had their albums Ghost of Romance (1987) and Shambara (1988) released in the United States by Metal Blade Records.
caption: Loudness charted on America's Billboard chart several times in the 1980s.
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