--- title: "LOUDNESS" type: "MusicGroup" url: "https://themetalnet.com/band/loudness" genre: "Heavy Metal" country: "Japan" formed: 1981 --- # LOUDNESS **LOUDNESS** is a heavy metal band, from Japan, active 1981 to present. Loudness is a Japanese heavy metal band formed in 1981 by guitarist Akira Takasaki and drummer Munetaka Higuchi. They were the first Japanese metal band signed to a major label in the United States. Loudness subsequently released twenty-six studio albums and nine live albums by 2014 and reached the Billboard Top 100 during their heyday as well as charting on Oricon dozens of times. Despite numerous line-up changes in the band's history, leaving Takasaki as the sole constant member, the band continued their activities throughout the 1990s, finally reuniting the original line-up in 2000. This incarnation released a further seven albums until November 30, 2008, when original drummer Munetaka Higuchi died from liver cancer at a hospital in Osaka at age 49. He was replaced by Masayuki Suzuki. Biography source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loudness_(band) ## Facts | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Name | LOUDNESS | | Genre | Heavy Metal | | Parent genre | Heavy Metal | | Origin | Osaka, Japan | | Formed | 1981 | | Releases in catalog | 30 | ## Genres [Heavy Metal](https://themetalnet.com/genre/heavy-metal) ## Line-up | Musician | Instruments | Years | Status | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [二井原実](https://themetalnet.com/musician/band-4412fcb2) | Lead vocals | 1981 to present | Current | | [鈴木政行](https://themetalnet.com/musician/band-e773c668) | Membranophone | 2009 to present | Current | | [山下昌良](https://themetalnet.com/musician/band-ba9430ee) | Bass guitar | 1981 to present | Current | | [田中宏幸](https://themetalnet.com/musician/band-f8d40381) | Bass guitar | 1981 to present | Current | | [高崎晃](https://themetalnet.com/musician/band-455b3888) | Electric guitar | 1981 to present | Current | | [Mike Vescera](https://themetalnet.com/musician/mike-vescera) | Lead vocals | 1988 to 1991 | Former | | [TAIJI](https://themetalnet.com/musician/taiji) | Bass guitar | 1992 to 1993 | Former | | [本間大嗣](https://themetalnet.com/musician/band-a71e81a5) | Drums (drum set) | 1994 to 2000 | Former | | [山田雅樹](https://themetalnet.com/musician/band-d47bec73) | Lead vocals | 1992 to 2000 | Former | | [柴田直人](https://themetalnet.com/musician/band-9478fb82) | Bass guitar | 1994 to 2000 | Former | | [樋口宗孝](https://themetalnet.com/musician/band-9afdfc6e) | Membranophone | 1981 to 2008 | Former | | [Hiroyuki Tanaka](https://themetalnet.com/musician/hiroyuki-tanaka) | | | Former | ## Discography | Year | Release | Type | | --- | --- | --- | | 1981 | [The Birthday Eve 〜誕生前夜〜](https://themetalnet.com/album/02c8b10b-f8f5-3ccd-9116-8cdc4d4e8886) | Album | | 1982 | [Devil Soldier ～戦慄の奇跡〜](https://themetalnet.com/album/fc2c84b5-a4b5-3606-bd97-4afc2d4e9cc9) | Album | | 1983 | [The Law of Devil's Land ～魔界曲章〜](https://themetalnet.com/album/c8cf6204-f51f-32ae-a1fd-d5e94976e378) | Album | | 1984 | [Disillusion](https://themetalnet.com/album/f97945fe-0bda-325b-a37c-6a335346752e) | Album | | 1985 | [Thunder in the East](https://themetalnet.com/album/bc1cf260-4eee-3a81-8538-042c15496850) | Album | | 1986 | [Lightning Strikes](https://themetalnet.com/album/c598ee37-9d3c-3a28-b913-9de0a1fb19fc) | Album | | 1986 | [Shadows of War](https://themetalnet.com/album/daee25ea-bfdc-3249-81f0-edaade41b073) | Album | | 1987 | [Hurricane Eyes](https://themetalnet.com/album/7781d946-7e4a-37db-b848-5197d0718791) | Album | | 1988 | [Jealousy](https://themetalnet.com/album/78a1f77f-0234-3676-a337-6e6956f2f845) | EP | | 1989 | [Soldier of Fortune](https://themetalnet.com/album/3b552b5a-b91e-3b75-9c0f-72ea4b38097e) | Album | | 1991 | [On the Prowl](https://themetalnet.com/album/32310372-03ef-3c74-82bc-a2b302a85061) | Album | | 1992 | [Loudness](https://themetalnet.com/album/fe730e2d-04d6-3917-b7a3-30f460e59fdb) | Album | | 1994 | [Heavy Metal Hippies](https://themetalnet.com/album/8c7eaefd-3e4e-39d0-a78c-621b65a1cf5f) | Album | | 1997 | [Ghetto Machine](https://themetalnet.com/album/a56e4fc5-ed39-381c-93f0-bf810a0e03cf) | Album | | 1998 | [Dragon](https://themetalnet.com/album/8ac0d796-db2b-3cc7-99d4-4cf0c58275a9) | Album | | 1999 | [Engine](https://themetalnet.com/album/321e85fa-befd-4650-9cdf-8343a14a954f) | Album | | 2001 | [Pandemonium ～降臨幻術～](https://themetalnet.com/album/d434be70-606b-34f3-9fc8-3f6c3a8624b6) | Album | | 2001 | [Spiritual Canoe ～輪廻転生～](https://themetalnet.com/album/9a5b3f5d-113f-397d-a3d2-b0f90e290fdd) | Album | | 2002 | [Biosphere ～新世界〜](https://themetalnet.com/album/3c09913a-4470-3cf5-a6d3-4897da9198f4) | Album | | 2004 | [Racing](https://themetalnet.com/album/f62f18bb-94d9-3648-84c6-ab0d9ad086c4) | Album | | 2004 | [Terror～剥離～](https://themetalnet.com/album/9d0178a5-4a28-3fc0-9498-87e0ed90fefe) | Album | | 2006 | [Breaking the Taboo](https://themetalnet.com/album/b2517152-7759-3f9d-a212-10f736c1bacc) | Album | | 2008 | [Metal Mad](https://themetalnet.com/album/34d42da7-c6f3-3632-8841-98349d483bc9) | Album | | 2009 | [The Everlasting 〜魂宗久遠〜](https://themetalnet.com/album/556a3f77-4711-4142-bc65-03b747b170aa) | Album | | 2010 | [King of Pain 〜因果応報〜](https://themetalnet.com/album/70c048bc-1474-4a17-9197-d4ecce17452f) | Album | | 2011 | [Eve to Dawn 〜旭日昇天〜](https://themetalnet.com/album/87646f27-200f-4e51-8a05-a30a3109d982) | Album | | 2012 | [2・0・1・2](https://themetalnet.com/album/5b179c1b-fe5e-4277-8bd7-e71e2b7ae063) | Album | | 2014 | [The Sun Will Rise Again](https://themetalnet.com/album/162db0aa-7cf4-4b42-845e-968daaf88fd1) | Album | | 2018 | [Rise To Glory -8118-](https://themetalnet.com/album/8ed99786-1b5f-4896-9214-0a429bfe242a) | Album | | 2021 | [Sunburst～我武者羅](https://themetalnet.com/album/1d8bf35b-abd6-4984-ba24-9c213282a8c0) | Album | ## Related bands - [Judas Priest](https://themetalnet.com/band/judas-priest) (listened together) - [Metallica](https://themetalnet.com/band/metallica) (listened together) - [Saxon](https://themetalnet.com/band/saxon) (listened together) - [Black Sabbath](https://themetalnet.com/band/black-sabbath) (listened together) - [Scorpions](https://themetalnet.com/band/scorpions) (listened together) - [Megadeth](https://themetalnet.com/band/megadeth) (listened together) - [Motörhead](https://themetalnet.com/band/motorhead) (listened together) - [Van Halen](https://themetalnet.com/band/van-halen) (listened together) - [Dio](https://themetalnet.com/band/dio) (listened together) - [Ozzy Osbourne](https://themetalnet.com/band/ozzy-osbourne) (listened together) - [Helloween](https://themetalnet.com/band/helloween) (listened together) - [KISS](https://themetalnet.com/band/kiss) (listened together) ## Official and external links - metal archives: https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Loudness/943 - spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2bjzKs28cL5EVKB0xqUGuJ - deezer: https://www.deezer.com/artist/249476 - facebook: https://www.facebook.com/loudness.world - x: https://twitter.com/loudness_info - youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEOxVCsokYoY7vPnPMbzDlA - apple music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/82625317 --- Source: [TheMetalNet https://themetalnet.com/band/loudness](https://themetalnet.com/band/loudness). Catalog data from MusicBrainz and Metal Archives. Full site index: https://themetalnet.com/llms.txt