Iron Attack - Arashi No Hurricane (2010)

With his 14th full-length in four years, it is a safe bet that Hiroyas 'Iron' Chino has now cornered the market on Japanese shred with neoclassical and video game influences; but what's really staggering is the general level of quality he commits to his recording software. I don't think there is a single Iron Attack record that I don't at least somewhat enjoy. Granted, part of this stems from the manga and anime addict within me, breastfed an unending stream of escapist joy ever since I was old enough to turn on a TV knob in the 70s or slap down my allowance at the local comic store's import section, but truly, Iron Chino's compositional skill holds up even by comparison to legendary shredders like Yngwie Malmsteen, who are undeniably huge influences to why this lone, scaling ranger wakes up in the morning for his tea and shred.

Arashi no Hurricane is just another day in the park for Iron Attack: another dazzling manga model graces its cover, strapped a V, and the diminutive but expanding legions of his fans are armed for an attack of catchy, explosive leads over driving rhythms, the perfect balance of Children of Bodom and Stratovarius with no vocals. He throws us for a loop briefly with the choral intro "Immortal Mountain" before bursting into what he does best, "The Moon for a 1000 Years", a tasteful if predictable melodic shred with some mellowed moments of piano and clean guitars. "First Coverage" has a pure, rocking core not unlike a Judas Priest or Iron Maiden rhythm section with glinting leads, and "Princess in Alcatraz" festoons a more desperate surge of plucky melodic thrashing, following a descending motif which is essentially the perfect anime metal for driving or cyber diving, with a little traditional Asian progression deep after the opening impact. Within "Ancient Dreams", the man shows off his excellent balance of keys, rhythm guitars and over the top, glimmering sensations that have you feeling like you're in a metal-charged alternative to a Mega Man game.

As par for the course as the album is up to this point, the quality is difficult to deny, and as the hugely classical inspired "Spring is Here" arrives in its flourishes of piano and a raging mid paced rhythm, you're either with him or bored to tears by the excess. I have no doubts that Iron Attack could use a vocalist and use one well, if Chino could appropriately ration out the verses and chorus with the leads, especially on savage power metal numbers like 'Brequet in Pavilion" and the emotionally uplifting "Sky Starbreaker". The tracks function as is, but the music is so strong that an applied vocalist of note would catapult it into the top tiers of international power metal, certainly a match for Japanese bands Galneryus or Concerto Moon, which a touch more of the 80s pop/rock Romanticism so prevalent in Japanese popular music. Still, this would perhaps detract from the uniqueness of this project, and as "Dominant of Dark Pain" weaves its way through the closing moments of baroque shredding bliss, you will feel satisfied that this is another album worth your time and an excellent background for the right situation (custom soundtrack to an exciting videogame works well).

Arashi no Hurricane might not be the singular most interesting album this man has put out below this banner, but its certainly one of the tightest. He doesn't experiment a whole lot, and the songs aren't as catchy as a Dead Heat Refrain or Far East Judgment, but its all wrapped up so lovingly and in defiance of popular convention that I found myself once more aboard, kissing the feet of his manga Muse. One wonders how quickly it would take to toss most of his albums into a digital playlist and become jaded with the works, but at this time I don't feel he has yet saturated his potential or produced his masterpiece. Apply only if you enjoy shred instrumetal with a clear Asian influence.

Verdict: Win [7.75/10]

http://sound.jp/ironchino/attack.html

Iron Attack - Vampire Concerto (2010)

The life of a Japanese instrumental metal shredder is an interesting one, hovering at the crossroads of a niche of showmanship which honestly died with the peak popularity of 80s shred gods Steve Vai and Joe Satriani, and the fandom of manga, anime and video games that are far more prevalent in today's world, yet only rarely have a taste for such relics. Still, a number of six-string samurais carve forth through the rank and swell of the odds stacked against them and come out on top, letting their imagination spill forward through both their impressive dexterity, virtuosity and compositional skills. Of these, Iron-Chino, or Iron Attack is probably the most consistently entertaining, as he churns out album after album of material that could easily find a home in a video game.

Vampire Concerto is his 14th effort since 2007 with this project, and it's not a lot different than most of the rest, albeit directed towards a more neo-classical, gothic flavor due to its theme of haunted nights, vampires and other cartoon trends that are immensely popular with the fandom of manga and anime (there are a great number of popular titles, including PC dating games, that involve cute and probably underaged bloodsuckers and their idealized adventures). Musically, if you could recruit Yngwie Malmsteen to write the soundtrack for a Castlevania game, this might indeed be the result. Iron-Chino is an immensely talented player able to flutter about his frets with little strain or effort, through nigh endless scales and arpeggios, and he does this repeatedly across solid rhythm guitar tracks, drums and synth-heavy atmospheres.

The true challenge for this sort of release is to keep you interested with the climaxes in the leads and their ability to morph across a shifting rhythm, and Vampire Concerto is largely successful with this, though it's not as if Chino is employing much in the way of novelty or innovation, a practice very much alive when the 80s heroes were releasing this sort of album. The intro to the album is a nice piano/acoustic duet beneath with a synth swells and light drumming commences, but then most of the full songs here employ a very similar atmosphere, with only mild variations in tempo. Some of the more glorious include "Satellite Phantom", "Sign of Wizard's Melancholy", and "Killing Under a Scarlet Moon", but in all honesty, you could consider this a single, 35 minute song and get just as much out of it, since so few of these tracks range outside the box.

As a backdrop for video gaming or even a fast night drive through the city or countryside, Vampire Concerto works almost as well as anything else in Iron Attack's generous back catalog, but I found the lack of variety here a little less compelling than some of his past works like Dead Heat Refrain or Far East Judgment. Still, it's difficult not to be impressed by his playing and ability to churn out so many albums in such order, without any really suffering in quality. Formulaic they may be, but most serve their function rather well. For the dwindling cross section of shred fans, otaku, Japanese horror gamers and visual kei/power metal connoisseurs out there, this is sure to impress for at least a few spins.

Highlights: Satellite Phantom, Sign of Wizard's Melancholy, Killing Under a Scarlet Moon

Verdict: Win [7.5/10]

http://sound.jp/ironchino/attack.html

Iron Attack - Far East Judgment (2009)

Does Iron Chino ever sleep? Since 2007, he has released 10 full-length albums of instrumental power/thrash metal, in addition to a pair of split releases. Now, were these compositions simple and uninteresting, it might not be such an accomplishment. But every track on Far East Judgment would probably make a damn good power metal tune with a vocalist attached. As they stand, they're already pretty good; highly recommended if you like Nobuo Uematsu's Black Mages project, or the metalized Castlevania tunes on the Dracula Battle Perfect Selection albums.

The formula is simple: adorn your cover art with a cute anime chick and a guitar, then stomp and shred your way through an album of intense, catchy tracks that are heavier on the riffs themselves than the leads. It makes for a great soundtrack while playing games or racing your car. There are some hot tracks on this 10th full-length, such as the burning "Ex.Human Operation" with its driving Judas Priest-like rhythm and flurries of leadwork. "Far East Judgment" is a great Germanic speedster with some intense melody. "Sleeps Again" some neo-classical acoustics and scales to create a beautiful, elegaiac atmosphere perfectly suited to any haunted castle adventure. Other interesting tracks include the colorfully titled "Brightly Colored Vegetables Are Insufficient" and the driving "Black Trajectory", with it's great synth lead-in.

Chino has clearly been working on the production values with each subsequent release, and he's reached a new milestone here with Far East Judgment. The guitars and synths sound great, and though they're not the featured facets of the band, the rhythm section at least gets the job done. This is mostly metal for video gamers and anime freaks, but since I fall under both of those categories, I really enjoyed it. It also might bring some back to the heydays of 80s instrumental shred albums, like on the Shrapnel label. At any rate, one has to admire the man's commitment to this style and his wealth of output.

Highlights: Black Trajectory, Sleeps Again, Ex.Human Operation, Far East Judgment

Verdict: Win [8.5/10]

http://sound.jp/ironchino/attack.html