Queendom

Back in the mid 80's, Show-Ya had everything going for them to be queens of heavy metal: the sass, the energy, the chops and the fire. The iron thrones were there waiting patiently for them. There was just one thing missing from their sound. Metal.

That isn't to say that this album lacks electricity; it actually fucking rocks. Songs like "Secret" (track 4) and "Fire" whip the piss out of just about any spandex-clad poodle metal being dished out in the West back then. Now look at the album cover of this release and re-read the last two sentences. That's pretty messed up, and CHRIST those fucking costume get-ups these chicks don on the cover are unreal. Jesus I hope those girls were trippin' balls and in the throes of inspiration actually wanted to dress in that crazy shit for their cover sleeve, and weren't instead forced into them against their will by the wonderful folks of Eastworld/EMI. And yet, despite the album cover, this isn't The Go-Go's sent through a ColecoVision grinder. This is rapid, fun and punchy rock that could easily have been heavy/speed metal with an altered production.

I feel for Miki Igarashi. She's a damn entertaining guitarist but wow does she get the short end of the stick on this album production-wise. Her leads are audible, although jousting for supremacy against the relentless synth attack of Miki Nakamura, but the rhythm guitar is hardly any louder than the bass. This pretty much dilutes the metal aspect to negligible levels, transforming a fast number like "Mr. J" into AOR on crack and Adderall, and a potential headbanger like "Again" is left being chintzy new wave thanks to the dominating keyboards in the mix. The aforementioned speedsters "Secret" and "Fire" benefit greatly from utilizing the Hammond organ instead of constant corny synth-cheese, and they definitely fit well into speed metal territory, yet the rhythm guitar is so weak and buried that you could replace it with a banjo and the songs wouldn't sound any less heavy. At least the drums possess some serious volume, if a bit sterile sounding at times.

So the production values practically ruined the metallic qualities of the album, but not the exuberance and energy. For what it's worth, the keyboard playing is top-notch and fun as hell to listen to, as Miki N. seems to enjoy unleashing some of the goofiest noise to ever squawk out of a keyboard amp (with track 8 really displaying some synth sounds that should be outright banned from existence). Keiko dishes out her lyrics with a ton of emotion and without giving a crap about "subtle delivery". She's gung-ho like a dragon in heat on the propulsive numbers, but doesn't turn down the flame for a ballad like "時を越えて". She belts that shit out in such an endearing and boisterous way that I can actually enthusiastically enjoy the song. A true pro with an understated croon would have lessened the fun factor to a "skip this fucking track" rating.

As one of Show-Ya's first efforts, the pieces are all there for heavy metal greatness, but the production and some of the songwriting favor a more rock and pop flavor. That being said, the performances themselves are aggressive and effervescent. A couple of years later the band would unleash the gleam of a metal production but ditch the excitement of their early efforts like Queendom for tiresome commercial appeal, until they finally combined all the positive aspects of their previous work in creating their penultimate release in 1989. Still, Queendom still kinda rules as a crazy romp through 1980's Japan with its sheer variety and occasional silliness, and remains as one of my favorites by the band.