LOUDNESS – 1991 ALBUM “ON THE PROWL” BULGES WITH MELODIC HEAVY METAL
I listened to the 1991 album from Loudness today – On The Prowl. Alright, I actually listened to this album three times today. It’s that melodic driven Heavy Metal that gets me every time. Well, any quality Metal gets me every time it seems. My best Metal buddy Scott had landed me a copy of On The Prowl, he has great taste in Heavy Metal… I guess that is why we have tolerated each other for over two decades. For anyone not in the know about Loudness, they are a Japanese Heavy Metal Band that formed back around 1981. Thank you Japan. This is a darn good album, it plays out in three parts for me, with the first three songs Down ‘N Dirty, Playin’ Games and Love Toys being true to the core Hair Metal. Secondly, there is a power ballad, Never Again, which stands alone on it’s sole purpose to make the girls weepy. (I am not the power ballad guy… and this is the umpteenth time that this statement appears on Metal Odyssey). Nevertheless, Never Again is a good song, with lead vocalist Mike Vescera singing his emotion filled lungs out. (Mike Vescera is the lead vocalist for 1980’s Heavy Metal warriors… Obsession. A great band is Obsession… without question, great. Obsession is alive and well in 2010 too… with Mike at lead vocals. You can check Obsession out by clicking here: OBSESSION – Official Website
Mike Vescera was also the lead vocalist for Yngwie Malmsteen, from 1994 to 1995. Recently, while discussing Heavy Metal with my buddy Scott, (usually a daily experience), we went from talking about Loudness and Mike Vescera to Obsession to Yngwie Malmsteen… realizing that yes, they are all absolutely Metal connected. Heavy Metal is a closely linked world… one big Metal family tree, it often times seems.
Where was I? I unintentionally went Metal astray while explaining the Mike Vescera Metal affiliations… oh yeah… the third part of this Loudness album! That being there are songs that are straight up Heavy Metal – Deadly Player, Take It Or Leave It and Girl are just the way I like ’em, real hard and heavy. The last song, Find A Way, is a muscular and melodic ending to an overall very strong Heavy Metal album from Loudness. I must add that the musicianship of Loudness on this album is excellent. Akira Takasaki is a welcomed Metal listen on lead guitar, coupled with the sensational vocals of Mike Vescera and On The Prowl is an early 1990’s Heavy Metal standout. Don’t hesitate to get ahold of On The Prowl, the Heavy Metal that Loudness unleashes with these songs are worth owning. Add the Metal fact, that the relevance these songs carry into 2010 is quite irrefutable as well.
Long Live Loudness! Click here to get tons of Loudness info: Loudness MySpace Music Page
Track Listing For Loudness – On The Prowl:
Down ‘N Dirty
Playin’ Games
Love Toys
Never Again
Deadly Player
Take It Or Leave It
Girl
Long Distance
In The Mirror
Sleepless Night
Find A Way
Metal Odyssey > Heavy Metal Music Blog 
January 9, 2010 at 4:42 am
I am going to have to drag this one out again, and give it another listen.
January 9, 2010 at 4:50 am
This is another great example, that Heavy Metal was loud and proud in the early ’90’s. Loudness has to be the Babe Ruth of Heavy Metal in Japan.
January 9, 2010 at 5:10 am
You should check out EZO sometime.
January 9, 2010 at 5:15 am
I bought a couple of their cassettes and one vinyl of theirs this past Summer of 2009 at a thrift store… I have to finally listen to them for Metal sakes! I really get a kick out of my thrift store Metal finds… cheap, cheap, cheap.
January 9, 2010 at 5:18 am
A thrift store? Wow that is crazy.
January 9, 2010 at 5:23 am
I really do find many, many, cool Heavy Metal CD’s at these thrift stores too… for under a buck each. I already have found half of the Heavy Metal albums I owned from the 1980’s at these places… albums that I had gotten rid of over the years too. You would not believe the mint shape these albums are in when I find them.
I’m a thrift store Metal hound.
January 9, 2010 at 3:23 pm
I was excited when Vescera joined Loudness as I am/was a HUGE Obsession fan, but I didn’t really like either album he did with them. I didn’t like EZO’s singer either.
RIP Munetaka Higuchi.
January 9, 2010 at 4:42 pm
I just like the rawness that Obsession had with their first albums… “Scarred For Life” is so unpolished, (that draws me in), compared to so many other mid to late ’80’s Metal albums. I am slightly bias about Obsession too maybe… due to growing up in expensive Connecticut.
January 13, 2010 at 12:32 am
neither did I!
Although technically great, I think LOUDNESS was just washed-up a bit by that time. Everyone complained about the vox on “Thunder in the East”, and the follow up was decent, but they (or someone close to them) seemed to be putting a “go more commercial” bug in their ear and it just did not work.
Trying to make Loudness into a commercial “Cali metal” just wouldn’t ever work IMO.
And then I think that led to them recruiting Mike, and then that didn’t work either. I felt sorry for both the band and him as he was killer on those OBSESSION lp’s. And they surely are very under rated for that work too!!
Anyway (music-wise) I think I dig “Thunder” + the two LP’s prior:
“Disillusion” from 1984 and “Law of Devil’s Land” from 1983.
It’s just pure, raw music and Akira’s playing is right up there with the likes of one Mr. Randy Rhoads (R.I.P.), George Lynch etc.
Nice post(s) guys…
rock on (I mean “M.Z.A.”) ha ha …
Curt King
Demolish HQ
http://demolishmag.wordpress.com/
January 10, 2010 at 9:54 pm
I really dig Mike Vescera. Whether with Obsession, Yngwie, MVP, etc… he is just a killer vocalist. I LOVE the new version of “In The Mirror”, it is just FURIOUS. The previous album “Soldier of Fortune” was an overall stronger release IMO. Also, Roland Grapow (of Helloween) did a solo album with Mike on vocals. It is a SOLID album. As for Obsession, “Killer Elite” is one of my all-time favorite Metal songs. \m/
January 11, 2010 at 1:22 pm
I liked the Grapow album quite a bit but the MVP didn’t do much for me.
His remade versions of the Loudness songs were great!
Here’s my Vescera encounter.
http://themetalfiles.wordpress.com/2008/09/05/so-bang-em/
January 11, 2010 at 3:10 pm
How was Paul Dianno’s Battlezone live? I am kicking myself for selling off the “Children Of Madness” album years ago.
January 13, 2010 at 12:18 am
Battlezone were great live – if you like their music.
I always thought it was slightly above average. Vox rocked of course.
Have a peep here:
http://demolishmag.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/paul-dianno-guitarist.jpg?w=205&h=300
Curt King
Demolish
January 12, 2010 at 3:20 pm
I really don’t remember as I was hanging out with Obsession the whole time Dianno was on stage. I think I may have both Battlezone LPs on vinyl signed by paul. If I do, I’ll send them to you.
Those first 2 Battlezone records are great. The last one, Feel My Pain, sucked.
January 12, 2010 at 3:55 pm
Thanks Sean… that’s real cool of you. You get a Metal pass for missing Battlezone play… heck, you were hanging out with Obsession man!
January 13, 2010 at 4:54 am
Listening to this Loudness CD now isn’t as bad as it was back in 1990. I guess it’s grown on me a bit! True, Mike has some of the best Metal vocals around…. Having Mike singing with Loudness kind of reminds me of Joe Lynn Turner hooking up with Ywgwie Malmsteen. Just didn’t work!!
January 13, 2010 at 5:04 am
Just remembered watching this funny video from live Japanese TV with Mike and the Loudness boys.
Mike is just standing there wondering what n’ the hell those announcers are saying! Priceless.
Check it out here:
WARNING – turn down the volume as their voices are cranked big-time…
Laters,
Curt King
DEMOLISH Gatekeeper
January 13, 2010 at 3:25 pm
Whoa. Joe Lynn Turner singing with Yngwie Malmsteen was cool for me. There are a lot of dynamics to consider with Yngwie’s music… he really writes the songs around the vocalist, paying as much attention to the keys and atmosphere as he does to his own guitar. Of course… that is my own Metal opinion.
January 13, 2010 at 3:36 pm
I have to agree. As good as Soto & Bolan were, I LOVED Turner singing for Malmsteen. On the “Trial By Fire” release, Turner did a TERRIFIC job executing the older tracks. I hate that line-up only did the one studio album. I have to say though, the vocalist who took Turners place, Göran Edman, is one of my favorite vocalists… period. The stuff he did with John Norum and Johansson (the album was released self-titled, now it is referred to as “The Last Viking”), is Brilliant. That is just my opinion. \m/
January 13, 2010 at 5:44 pm
You made some good Metal points with your opinion… now I have to check out Edman again.
January 14, 2010 at 2:37 am
All that I am saying is Jeff Scott Soto and Mark Boals vocals worked well with Yngwie unique sound…Then for some reason maybe to make Yngwie more mainstream and commercially successful Joe Lynn Turner was brought into the fold as a hired gun. I like Joe Lynn Turner I think he has better vocals then the above mentioned. But in my opinion, on the studio album Odyssey it was a bad combination that resulted in a poor album. It’s like making a Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich on Rye bread!!
January 14, 2010 at 2:54 am
That positively is the very FIRST time someone has ever mentioned rye bread on Metal Odyssey.