Loudness will release their new album, Rise To Glory, on January 26th via earMUSIC worldwide (exc. Japan). In a new interview with The Metal Voice, singer Minoru Niihara (with a Japanese translator) talks about the new album, how he was let go from Loudness in the 80's and the bands return.

On how he felt when he was fired and replaced by American singer Michael Vescera during the recording of Soldier Of Fortune: "At the start of making the album Soldier Of Fortune in 1989, I was told that the band would be recruiting a new vocalist so I was sacked from the band and it hurt. I feel that one of the reasons was that the prior album, Hurricane Eyes, did not sell as many as the band expected, so the band needed a new kick in the butt. It was a huge shock for me and I wept and I needed ten years to recover from the shock. I feel that Soldier Of Fortune is a good album, it's a very high quality album from a listeners point of view. I almost feel sorry for Michael Vescera, because he gets compared with me. Mike did a good job."

Listen to the interview below:

Since their inception in 1981, Loudness have led the Japanese heavy metal scene and embarked on global domination with Thunder In The East (1985/#74 US national chart) and Lightning Strikes (1986/#64 US national chart). They have been frantically acclaimed worldwide.

Rise To Glory is packed with aggression, melody and positive vibes. Minoru Niihara says, "The album cheers you up, makes you feel fresh."

From the rock maelstrom of "Massive Tornado" to the young burning passion of "Soul On Fire," the life-glorifying "I'm Still Alive", and the declaration of metal warfare of "Rise To Glory", all served as support songs in an age of turmoil. There's also "Rain", which has a melancholic mood, while "Until I See the Light" focuses on the melodic side of the band. "Let's All Rock" has a heated call-and-response with the audience to recreate their live performance.

The guitar wizardry of Akira Takasaki, hailed around the world as one of the true guitar gods, is featured throughout the album. He admits, "I played lots of guitars, more than any other albums this century. There was soul in the sounds." Along with the guitar solos on each song, there is amazing playing on the instrumental track, leaning towards the progressive side of the band.

With the album and the ensuing major scale world tour, Loudness will embark on the biggest global conquest since the 1980s. This indeed is the beginning of their Rise To Glory.

The European and US versions of the album are accompanied by Samsara Flight, a collection of 13 of the band's early classics re-recorded; it was originally released in Japan in 2016.

Rise To Glory tracklisting:

"Soul On Fire"
"I'm Still Alive"
"Go For Broke"
"Until I See The Light"
"The Voice"
"Massive Tornado"
"Kama Sutra" (instrumental)
"No Limits"
"Bad Loser"
"Rise To Glory"
"Rain"
"Who And For Whom"

Loudness lineup:

Akira Takasaki - Guitar
Minoru Niihara - Vocals
Masayoshi Yamashita - Bass
Masayuki Suzuki - Drums