Lightning Strikes (Straight Through the Heart)

“…sunrise, another day, smile on a killer’s face…”

The first of the ’84 releases from these admirers of the Orient is Lightning Strikes, a three-banger that’s two-thirds bare-fisted while the remaining third is comparably so bare-headed it has no choice but be burned by the cover’s eastern sunrays. Now that’s quite a difference in sound, and while it’s true last year’s debut had a loafer or two on it, songs nestled on their existing three singles are veritable house-collapsers, so what is it they’re trying to do? As fate would have it, it’s not a plan that can be seen right away, and even shading our eyes doesn’t help make known that this paradox in sound will add more colors of confusion to a year of their history already predestined to be a headache.

In less than a year and with the newly-laid pipes of Vic Wright, the first moments of this ep, “Lightning Strikes”, will become the final moments of the Night of the Blade lp, time that will be unsinged by any real electricity when it’s re-released then as well as in its initial night sky here and right away shows off this disc’s clear bald spot. Making up for this hairless patch, however, are surrounding shaggy manes “Fever” and “Attack Attack”, collectively grown way past the shoulders and heat-treated in the cover’s sun that older songs “Mean Streak”, “Liar”, “Killer City”, and “Death on Main Street” had already peeled of dead skin and turned bronze. It’s hard to explain or ignore this day/night inconsistency, but we’re not psychics either, and we go about our daily day, a day that eventually stretches to a year.

1984’s puzzling Tokyo Blade paint dries after this ep halfheartedly soars across the underground. The year measures three Metal Rendezvous for different-sized boots. It allots baby shoes to a Monkey’s Blood single. Lastly, it buffs up dressier footwear for Night of the Blade, the band’s sophomore full-lengther. Back in the then-present, streaking toward the band's future and apparent broken heart is the emotional “Lightning Strikes”. All appears well.

Then we wake up. Throughout ’84, we came to believe we were watching these guys actively gun it up the road to speed/power metal glory when they were merely showing us home movie reruns of last year’s sonic trips, and somewhere in reality’s timeline we had forgotten we’d been here already. In other words, other than this ep, the only other non-single release in ’84 from Tokyo Blade that actually offers brand new material is Night of the Blade, their sole future all along. Aw crap.

(Ed: honestly, I don't even know what the hell I'm babbling about here. Will edit it shortly)