DEVIL SOLDIER

Devil Soldier is the second Loudness album, released by Nippon Columbia on 21 July 1982, only eight months after their debut. The notable decision here was the engineer. No Japanese technician at the time had enough experience with heavy metal records, so the band brought the American Daniel McClendon over for the sessions. Two albums in, the intention to meet an international sonic standard had already become a concrete act rather than an ambition. Songs that stayed in the live set for decades come from this record, among them "Road Racer" and "In The Mirror". The album was honoured as a heavy metal release of the year in Japan. It documents a band consolidating at home while already looking outward.