Hard Way

If you're not sold by that jacked-up freshly waxed man-tit adorning the cover sleeve, then the fact that Hard Way is the immediate followup to Show-Ya's finest hour could do the trick since the band was too damn busy between releases to even remotely start sucking. It might not reach the pinnacle of Outerlimits, but there's certainly more to this release than sun-ripened sirloin beefcake.

With an almost identical overall sound concerning the instruments, it almost plays as if it was recorded at the same time as Outerlimits and thus could have been released simultaneously as a "brother" release, but of course that wasn't the case. Still, the band achieved major success with their prior effort and knew not to fuck shit up by veering off into a different direction in sound and performance. Like its predecessor, Hard Way possesses a strong blend of fast, mid-tempo and ballad cuts, and some of them are among the band's best. The instrumental focus continues to favor the guitars, rendering the keys to a support position, although not to an extent that Miki Nakamura doesn't get a chance to show off her skills on more than a few occasions. The keyboards are still vital to their sound, just not as all-encompassing and chintzy like their early discs.

With an identical vibe and some killer tracks, it should rank about the same as Outerlimits as a classic, but a couple of issues besides that ripped manly meat of a cover sully that noble designation. First of all, the song order blows. "Metallic Woman" isn't a bad tune on its own, but as an opener it lacks that instant 'leather glove to the face' smack that made "Out of Limits" such a perfect igniter concerning their previous album. It's got a nice enough riff, but it's also rather simplistic despite being so damn long and it just doesn't cook whatsoever. The album also fizzles out towards the finish line without a grand climactic statement. I honestly have a difficult time even bothering with the last three tracks, not that they outright suck at all; they just pale in comparison to much of what came before them.

Yet when this album cooks, it's one juicy mouth-watering brisket. "ギャンブリング" is probably my favorite of the lot, one of their best songs in general and a worthy followup to "Battle Express" from their last album. "Life Is Dancing" is another speed-demon, but drummer Miki Tsunoda has a trick up her sleeve by adding some serious swing to the rapid tempo, like a 'speed metal shuffle' or something. It sure sounds unique, and kicks ass to the point where either that number or the fiery "魔性" should have kick-started this album instead of that elongated hair-metal track. "Switch Blade St." is another winner, as cool as its title would suggest as it struts along at a smooth gait. And while the main power ballad "何故" is another overlong chore, "Blue Rose Blues" is a killer slow-jam in which the music resonates as sleazy as a back alley tryst near a burning trashcan.

Shit would hit the fan soon for this band, with Keiko leaving, label issues and a bunch of other unhappy horseshit, but at least in 1990 Show-Ya were still fully ignited and performing in some major venues. Life was fucking good for them then. Enough that the band would eventually attempt to relive those times by reuniting with Keiko back on the vox for live extravaganzas and even new material. With the current popularity of all-female metal acts in Japan, it would have been crazy in my opinion if Show-Ya DIDN'T reform and show the newbies that “girls-with-guitars” does not have to be a fleeting trend. Hard Way is the second of the one-two punch the band offered after a glut of boring releases. The glam is still there, but the power is back, offering plenty of delicious studly slabs to enjoy.