Tokyo Blade’s first three albums from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal years in the early 1980s issued in one of those excellent box sets which Cherry Red do so well including a fourth CD of various bonus tracks and whatnot.
The original issue of this Nights of the Blade box set was in 2017 though it’s now had a re-press. A solid cardboard clamshell box, their self-titled debut album, the classic Night of the Blade, their third album Black Hearts and Jaded Spades all in replica cardboard sleeves and the bonus CD along with a comprehensive booklet.
A fine way to highlight and remember Tokyo Blade’s emergence forty years ago on to the NWOBHM scene.
The eponymous debut surfaced in 1983. Garnered plenty of interest being what I suppose is “traditional” NWOBHM. Hard, fast, energetic and powerful. A little rough around the edges perhaps as the band started to find their feet. Bizarrely they did a cover of the (very) old Laurel and Hardy (remember them?) song Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Perhaps they really were on the trail of the lonesome pine……!
The debut album being so well received gave them some early momentum and things were looking good.
Indeed, looking even better with the release of their second album – Night of the Blade in 1984. A proper NWOBHM-era classic which looked to set them on the road to the big time. It’s a superb album full of huge riffs cutting and slashing away, monster solos, huge thumping rhythm section and high energy vocals. All sounds fresh to this day.
Have a listen to the title track and decide for yourself:
On the back of the success of Night of the Blade the band went out on successful tours, festival appearances and the like and that big time break surely within touching distance.
Not quite however. The third album from 1985 – Black Hearts and Jaded Spades – saw a departure from the high energy NWOBHM style. Instead it was a slick, commercial approach more akin to keyboard-based melodic rock. Probably a deliberate attempt at cracking America. Still it’s not a bad listen.
Whilst that album would see the end of Tokyo Blade back then, guitarist Andy Boulton has kept things going with various line-ups sporadically releasing stuff over the years as recently as last year (2022) with the album Fury.
The fourth CD in this box set is an interesting listen of various old sessions, EPs and whatnot to round off the package nicely.
An excellent retrospective of a NWOBHM-era band who had plenty to offer back then with the old stuff remaining fresh and relevant.
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