HUNTING TIME

Hunting Time is Anthem's fifth studio album, released on 21 May 1989 on King Records' Nexus label as 292A 8, produced by Chris Tsangarides. It runs a little under thirty-eight minutes. The reception of Gypsy Ways and the touring that followed left the band in a productive mood. Naoto Shibata has since said that he wanted this to be the record that settled the matter for this line-up. Nothing essential changed, but the writing grew more aggressive and more dramatic at once, and the album is often named among Anthem's best. It appeared on cassette and CD, without the vinyl edition its predecessors had, and Yoshitaka Mikuni again guests on keyboards. "The Juggler" opens the eight-track record, followed by the title song and "Evil Touch". The 2005 remaster added "Are You Ready?" from the compilation Best as a bonus track. In December 2019 the band released video of an anniversary concert at which Gypsy Ways and this album were played in full.