Tokyo Blade have been with us since the early New Wave of British Heavy Metal days of the 1980s. We all know that classic Night of the Blade album from 1983 don’t we?
Despite such a fine album, the Blade never hit the heights which that album promised – though that’s not for lack of talent.
Here we are over four decades later in 2026 with the original classic line-up in place and a new album – Hoist the Colours High – which is continuing the surge of top class stuff the band has been regularly releasing since the reunion of that classic line-up.
Hoist the Colours High comes quite soon after the excellent Time is the Fire. That’s a barnstormer of an album. As indeed is Hoist the Colours High.
This is a swaggering, muscular hard-hitting album of scorching heavy metal with the NWOBHM roots remaining in place as they should.
Alan Marsh has the powerful vocal pipes. Andy Boulton and John Wiggins make a formidable dual guitar attack with the huge chords, riffs and scorching lead trade-offs. Andy Wrighton and Steve Pierce provide the booming rhythm section.
An atmospherically crisp, clear production job gives everything a big, punchy feel. Coming up five decades in and Tokyo Blade remain as sharp as ever.
Screaming Evil kicks things off in blistering style. A huge, snarling monster of a song which grabs by the proverbials and does not let go. What more could you want?
The answer to that question is more of the same please. And that’s what you get here over the rest of the album.
As an example of that, This Time is something of a dark, moody, brooding slow burner with a relentless feel. I Don’t Need no Enemies and the title track both so hard hitting and thoroughly enjoyable.
Though pick any track at random and you’ll hit a winner. Hoist the Colours High is that good overall.
No back numbers of fillers here. Fourteen tracks of blistering heaviness with intelligence, refinement poise and variety. Tokyo Blade deliver – well, over-deliver. Marvellous.
>> HOIST THE COLOURS HIGH ON AMAZON <<
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