Stephen
Released in 1989, "Soldier of Fortune" was the first album with Michael Vescera after Minoru Niihara got kicked out of the band. This was done to help them breaking through the American market although the final result wasn't exactly as what they expected. The whole album sounded very American and has a lot of 80s glam metal influences inside.
"You Shook Me" stomp the ground with Takasaki's thunderous riffs topped with Vescera's raspy screamer. "Danger of Love" is another winner and sounded like an unreleased Dokken song. "Red Light Shooter" fired away some ferocious hooks with flashy tapping. Too bad the euphoria was soon over when they struck me with the blunt boring ballad "Lost Without Your Love". If you're looking for a downtempo sentimental track, "Twenty Five Days" is a far better pick, check out the unforgettable intro lines. Good thing is that they repumped the album with several heavy tracks and closed it with the fantastic "Demon Disease".
"Soldier of Fortune" is truly a great album with lots of powerful songs, stellar vocal, and exceptional guitar works. Although this ain't the same Loudness as in the early 80s, Akira still deserved a glass of beer for the magical and mind-blowing composition!