+1
Images
Loudness
The first Japanese heavy metal band to sign with a major label in the United
States, Loudness found success at home and abroad during the 1980s, then
continued to release well-received albums in the band's homeland for three
decades thereafter. The band was formed in Osaka, Japan, in 1981, by guitarist
Akira Takasaki, drummer Munetaka Higuchi, singer Minoru Niihara, and bassist
Masayoshi Yamashita. 1981's The Birthday Eve, 1982's Devil Soldier, and 1983's
The Law of Devil's Land were all performed entirely in Japanese, and Loudness
had already built a sizable audience in Japan by...
