Tokyo Blade
Encyclopedia
Tokyo Blade is an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...

 band, active since 1982. Tokyo Blade is one of the many acts considered part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal
New Wave of British Heavy Metal
The New Wave of British Heavy Metal was a heavy metal movement that started in the late 1970s, in Britain, and achieved international attention by the early 1980s. The movement developed as a reaction in part to the decline of early heavy metal bands such as Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and Black...

 movement from the late 1970s / early 1980s. Tokyo Blade went through many changes of formation and disbanded twice, often changing their musical style during the years of activity. However, the band is still active today, with three of the original members in the line-up.

N.W.O.B.H.M. (1981-1985)

The band was formed in 1981 under the moniker Killer, soon changed to Genghis Khan. The original line-up consisted of Alan Marsh (vocals), Andy Boulton (guitar), Ray Dismore (guitar), Andy Robbins (bass), and Steve Pierce (drums). Later in the year, the band changed their name again, sealed a deal with the British independent record label
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...

 Powerstation Records and recorded their first album. This album was self-titled in all regions, except in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, where it came out as Midnight Rendezvous
Midnight Rendezvous
Midnight Rendezvous is an EP by the British heavy metal band Tokyo Blade, released in 1984 through the UK independent record label Powerstation Records...

on the Combat Records
Combat Records
Combat Records was an independent record label from New York City. The label was home to predominantly metal and punk rock acts including Megadeth, Circle Jerks, Nuclear Assault, Death, Dead Brain Cells, Possessed, Crumbsuckers, Agnostic Front, Agent Steel, Dark Angel, Heathen, Zoetrope and...

 label. Also in 1981, the best period for the New Wave of British Heavy Metal
New Wave of British Heavy Metal
The New Wave of British Heavy Metal was a heavy metal movement that started in the late 1970s, in Britain, and achieved international attention by the early 1980s. The movement developed as a reaction in part to the decline of early heavy metal bands such as Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and Black...

 phenomenon, the new band shared the stages of clubs and festivals with future heavyweights like Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...

 and Venom
Venom (band)
Venom are an English heavy metal band that formed in 1979 in Newcastle upon Tyne. Coming to prominence towards the end of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, Venom's first two albums—Welcome to Hell and Black Metal —are considered a major influence on thrash metal and extreme metal in general...

.

Tokyo Blade, like many other acts of the period, was plagued by a fequent change of band members. By the time the follow-up album was released, even vocalist Alan Marsh was replaced with Vic Wright. The album Night of the Blade
Night of the Blade
Night of the Blade is the second studio album released by the British heavy metal band Tokyo Blade on Powerstation Records in 1984. It is the first Tokyo Blade album with Vicki James Wright on vocals. He replaced Alan Marsh when the vocal tracks for the album were already completed, forcing him to...

was issued in 1984 with Wright on vocals. However in 1998, an edition of the album featuring Marsh's original vocals was eventually released as Night of the Blade... The Night Before. In that period, Tokyo Blade were part of a few memorable tours and festival packages including one with Blue Öyster Cult
Blue Öyster Cult
Blue Öyster Cult, often abbreviated BÖC, is an American rock band, most of whose members first came together in Long Island, NY in 1967 as the band Soft White Underbelly...

 and others with Dio
Dio (band)
Dio was an American heavy metal band from Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Formed in 1982 and led by vocalist Ronnie James Dio, after he left Black Sabbath with intentions to form a new band with fellow former Black Sabbath member, drummer Vinny Appice. Naming the band Dio made sense from a commercial...

, Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...

, and Scorpions
Scorpions (band)
Scorpions are a heavy metal/hard rock band from Hannover, Germany, formed in 1965 by guitarist Rudolf Schenker, who is the band's only constant member. They are known for their 1980s rock anthem "Rock You Like a Hurricane" and many singles, such as "No One Like You", "Send Me an Angel", "Still...

. The band's third record Black Hearts & Jaded Spades
Black Hearts & Jaded Spades
Black Hearts & Jaded Spades is the fourth album by English hard rock band Tokyo Blade. It was originally released in 1985 on Tokyo Blade own record label and in the same year reissued by SPV/Steamhammer. The keyboard-laden compositions of this album and the strongly down-tuned guitar sound, marks...

was released in 1985 by the band's own label in Europe and available in the USA as an import only. The band filmed a concert at London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

's Camden Palace
Camden Palace
KOKO is a nightclub in a former theatre in Camden Town, London, England, at the bottom of Camden High Street close to Mornington Crescent tube station. Until 2004 it was called the Camden Palace. The building is considered to have some architectural significance and is a Grade II listed...

, which was aired on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...

 in 1985, and has since made its way on to multiple bootleg DVD releases. By the end of the year, Tokyo Blade disbanded, with all members dedicating their time and efforts to other projects.

Andy Boulton's Tokyo Blade (1985-1989)

Original vocalist Alan Marsh used his knowledge and respect for Oriental culture to form a new band called Shogun, alongside former Chinatown guitarist Danny Gwilym, which released two albums, and even worked with noted producer Bob Ezrin
Bob Ezrin
Robert Alan "Bob" Ezrin is a Canadian music producer and keyboardist, known for his work with artists including Alice Cooper, Kiss and Pink Floyd. He was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2004.-Biography:...

. Shogun would also feature in time Tokyo Blade bandmates Steve Pierce, Andy Wrighton and Andy Robbins. Guitarist John Wiggins (Deep Machine, Slam) would go on to play in the first edition of Battlezone with ex-Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...

 vocalist Paul DiAnno. Original bassist Andy Robbins would be a part of the bands Jagged Edge and Taste, which recorded a single with Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson
Bruce Dickinson
Paul Bruce Dickinson is an English singer, songwriter, airline pilot, fencer, broadcaster, author, screenwriter, actor and marketing director, best known as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden....

 and later became the hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...

 band Skin. Vic Wright formed the band Johnny Crash, which earned the distinction of being the first project related to Tokyo Blade to have a major label home in the US, and released the album Neighbourhood Threat
Neighbourhood Threat
Neighbourhood Threat is the first album released by the heavy metal band Johnny Crash, released in 1990. Recorded at Ocean Way Studios, Los Angeles and mixed at Battery Studios, London. The album features guest appearances by Kingdom Come members Danny Stag and Johnny B...

. A new line-up of the band, which featured future Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...

 members Dizzy Reed
Dizzy Reed
Dizzy Reed is a contemporary rock musician, and occasional actor. He is best known for his tenure as the keyboardist & pianist for the rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he has played, toured and recorded since 1990...

 and Matt Sorum
Matt Sorum
Matthew William Sorum is an American rock drummer and percussionist. Sorum is most famous for his 7-year stint in Guns N' Roses and supergroup Velvet Revolver , which is comprised in part of former Guns N' Roses members Duff McKagan and Slash .-Early career :Matt Sorum was born Matthew William...

, recorded a second album, originally called Damnation Alley, which saw release in 2008 on Sun City Records, re-titled Unfinished Business
Unfinished Business (Johnny Crash album)
Unfinished Business is the second album of the band Johnny Crash. It was recorded circa 1990, but was released in 2008.-Track listing:# Damnation Alley# Monkey See Monkey Do# Mama Don't Care # Renegade# In The Groove...

.

On the contrary, original guitarist Andy Boulton continued recording under the name 'Andy Boulton's Tokyo Blade', with an entirely new line-up. This new incarnation of Tokyo Blade released the album Ain't Misbehavin'
Ain't Misbehavin' (Tokyo Blade album)
Ain't Misbehavin' is the fifth studio album by the British heavy metal band Tokyo Blade, released in 1987 by the German GAMA Musikverlag sub-label Scratch Records. The album was recorded with a completely new line-up assembled by Andy Boulton after the disbandment of Tokyo Blade, following the...

in 1987 and toured on the festival circuit, playing also on the same stage of Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...

. In 1988, Boulton recruited members of the German band The Dead Ballerinas (featuring former Kin Ping Meh
Kin Ping Meh
Kin Ping Meh is a German rock band originally active from 1970 to 1977, and reformed in 2005. Their name is derived from the Franz Kuhn's, German translation of the Chinese novel, Jin Ping Mei.-Albums:*Kin Ping Meh *No. 2...

 vocalist Michael Pozz) to record No Remorse
No Remorse (Tokyo Blade album)
No Remorse is the sixth studio album by the British heavy metal band Tokyo Blade, released in 1989 by the German GAMA Musikverlag sub-label Hot Blood Records. The album was recorded as a collaboration between guitarist Andy Boulton and the German band and label-mates Dead Ballerinas, with songs...

, issued under the GAMA International sub-label Hot Blood Records. The album received no promotion and was soon forgotten. To add further insult to injury, the album has been reissued with multiple covers, not unlike what happened with the debut. Tokyo Blade again disbanded, with Boulton returning to work with Alan Marsh.

Mr. Ice and reformation (1989-1998)

In fact, as record company problems befell Shogun, Marsh had since formed a new group called Mr. Ice, which eventually included guitarist Andy Boulton. As the group featured two key members from Tokyo Blade, a move from the band's management to resurrect the old name for a European tour with Uriah Heep
Uriah Heep (band)
Uriah Heep are an English rock band formed in London in 1969 and regarded as a seminal classic hard rock act of the 1970s. Uriah Heep's progressive/art rock/heavy metal fusion's distinctive features have always been massive keyboards sound, strong vocal harmonies and David Byron's operatic vocals...

 led to additional controversy. As a result of the dispute, Boulton exited the group and was replaced by guitarist Steve Kerr. After the conclusion of the tour, both Kerr and the management were gone. Some of the tracks from Mr. Ice were released as a Tokyo Blade record in the mid-1990s.

In the early 1990s, Alan Marsh had another band, Pumphouse, which was beginning to attract attention. At the urging of a fan and important member of the hard rock press, Marsh contacted Boulton to reform Tokyo Blade. By 1994, Marsh and Boulton were again playing together and creating new music. The highlight of this is 1996s Burning Down Paradise
Burning Down Paradise
Burning Down Paradise is the seventh studio album by studio album by by the British heavy metal band Tokyo Blade, released in 1995 on the German SPV GmbH sub-label Fresh Fruit.-Track listing:...

which was originally released on SPV
SPV GmbH
SPV GmbH is an independent German record label.Founded on January 1, 1984, it has slowly grown to be one of the largest independent distributors and record labels worldwide....

. Pumphouse's key tracks were also released as a Tokyo Blade record in the mid-to-late 1990s.

The early records by the band were reissued in 1997 by High Vaultage, and the later period recordings were gathered by Zoom Club. There was a promise for new music and efforts by the band, but there has been no sign of a new Tokyo Blade recording until the live album Live in Germany in 2009.

Solo projects and new activities (2008-present)

Andy Boulton went on to be in the band XFX, later concentrating his efforts on a solo album and on teaching electric and bass guitar. Alan Marsh joined for a while the cast of a musical based on Jack the Ripper
Jack the Ripper
"Jack the Ripper" is the best-known name given to an unidentified serial killer who was active in the largely impoverished areas in and around the Whitechapel district of London in 1888. The name originated in a letter, written by someone claiming to be the murderer, that was disseminated in the...

. Second vocalist Vic Wright has written a book, has a comedy show in production and is currently seeking a publishing deal. However, a new version of Tokyo Blade, including Boulton and lead singer Chris Gillen, toured in Europe in 2008.

Following the conclusion of the 2008 tour and release of the Live in Germany album, the line-up was again revamped, and four parts of the classic line up, John Wiggins, Andy Boulton, Andy Wrighton and Steve Pierce, reformed Tokyo Blade with new vocalist Chris Gillen staying on board. Gillen was eventually replaced after a couple of months by Domain
Domain (band)
Domain is a German power metal band.- DOMAIN :Domain first impressed fans of melodic metal back in the 80s with their first works, "Lost In The City" , "Before The Storm" and "Crack in The Wall", as well as with their hit songs such as 'Lost In The City' and ‚ 'I Don’t Wanna Die'.- DOMAIN MKII ...

 singer Nicolaj Ruhnow and the band recorded the new album Thousand Men Strong with producer Chris Tsangarides
Chris Tsangarides
Chris Tsangarides is a British Grammy-nominated record producer, sound engineer, and mixer. He is best known for his work with many heavy metal bands, including Judas Priest, Anvil, Gary Moore, Thin Lizzy, Helloween, and Yngwie Malmsteen...

 at the helm, released in March 2011. Tokyo Blade was still a live attraction at metal festival in 2010 and 2011.

Bassist Andy Wrighton (Deep Machine, Shogun) and guitarist John Wiggins (Deep Machine, Slam) are currently also in the reformed Deep Machine with guitarist Bob Hooker, singer Lenny Baxter (Ex-Gangland) and drummer Chas Towler (Slam). Deep Machine is a metal band formed in the 1980s in East London. They were one of the unsigned pioneers of NWOBHM in the vein of Judas Priest/Iron Maiden.

Studio albums

  • Tokyo Blade
    Tokyo Blade (album)
    Tokyo Blade is the debut album by English heavy metal band Tokyo Blade. It was originally released in 1983 and reissued by High Vaultage Records in a remastered edition on CD in 1997, including all the tracks from the 1984 Midnight Rendezvous EP....

    (1983)
  • Midnight Rendezvous
    Midnight Rendezvous
    Midnight Rendezvous is an EP by the British heavy metal band Tokyo Blade, released in 1984 through the UK independent record label Powerstation Records...

    (1984, US release)
  • Night of the Blade
    Night of the Blade
    Night of the Blade is the second studio album released by the British heavy metal band Tokyo Blade on Powerstation Records in 1984. It is the first Tokyo Blade album with Vicki James Wright on vocals. He replaced Alan Marsh when the vocal tracks for the album were already completed, forcing him to...

    (1984)
  • Black Hearts & Jaded Spades
    Black Hearts & Jaded Spades
    Black Hearts & Jaded Spades is the fourth album by English hard rock band Tokyo Blade. It was originally released in 1985 on Tokyo Blade own record label and in the same year reissued by SPV/Steamhammer. The keyboard-laden compositions of this album and the strongly down-tuned guitar sound, marks...

    (1985)
  • Ain't Misbehavin'
    Ain't Misbehavin' (Tokyo Blade album)
    Ain't Misbehavin' is the fifth studio album by the British heavy metal band Tokyo Blade, released in 1987 by the German GAMA Musikverlag sub-label Scratch Records. The album was recorded with a completely new line-up assembled by Andy Boulton after the disbandment of Tokyo Blade, following the...

    (1987)
  • No Remorse
    No Remorse (Tokyo Blade album)
    No Remorse is the sixth studio album by the British heavy metal band Tokyo Blade, released in 1989 by the German GAMA Musikverlag sub-label Hot Blood Records. The album was recorded as a collaboration between guitarist Andy Boulton and the German band and label-mates Dead Ballerinas, with songs...

    (1989)
  • Burning Down Paradise
    Burning Down Paradise
    Burning Down Paradise is the seventh studio album by studio album by by the British heavy metal band Tokyo Blade, released in 1995 on the German SPV GmbH sub-label Fresh Fruit.-Track listing:...

    (1995)
  • Pumphouse
    Pumphouse
    Pumphouse is the eighth full-length studio album released under the name of the British heavy metal band Tokyo Blade. The album was actually recorded by the band Pumphouse, which was the outfit founded in the early 90s by Alan Marsh, Tokyo Blade original vocalist, after his band Mr. Ice had folded...

    (1998)
  • Mr. Ice (1998)
  • Eye of The Storm
    No Remorse (Tokyo Blade album)
    No Remorse is the sixth studio album by the British heavy metal band Tokyo Blade, released in 1989 by the German GAMA Musikverlag sub-label Hot Blood Records. The album was recorded as a collaboration between guitarist Andy Boulton and the German band and label-mates Dead Ballerinas, with songs...

    (2008, re-release of No Remorse)
  • Thousand Men Strong (2011)

EPs

  • Lightning Strikes (1984)
  • Midnight Rendezvous
    Midnight Rendezvous
    Midnight Rendezvous is an EP by the British heavy metal band Tokyo Blade, released in 1984 through the UK independent record label Powerstation Records...

    (1984)
  • Madame Guillotine (1985)

Related releases

  • Shogun - Shogun (Alan Marsh)
  • Shogun - 31 Days (Alan Marsh/Andy Wrighton/Steve Pierce)
  • Johnny Crash
    Johnny Crash
    Johnny Crash was a heavy metal band, formed in 1987. Members originally included former Tokyo Blade singer Vicki James Wright, former Champagne guitarists Christopher Stewart and August Worchell, bassist Andy Rogers, and former Rock City Angels drummer "Punkee" Stephen Adamo.Their sound was likened...

     - Neighbourhood Threat
    Neighbourhood Threat
    Neighbourhood Threat is the first album released by the heavy metal band Johnny Crash, released in 1990. Recorded at Ocean Way Studios, Los Angeles and mixed at Battery Studios, London. The album features guest appearances by Kingdom Come members Danny Stag and Johnny B...

    (Vic Wright)
  • Battlezone - Fighting Back
    Fighting Back (Battlezone album)
    Fighting Back is the first album released by the British heavy metal band Battlezone, with ex-Iron Maiden singer Paul Di'Anno.-Side One:#"Welcome to the Battlezone" - 3:25#"Running Blind" - 4:44#"Welfare Warriors" - 4:40#"Too Much to Heart" - 4:45...

    (John Wiggins)
  • Battlezone - Children of Madness (John Wiggins)
  • Battlezone - Feel My Pain (John Wiggins/Colin Riggs/Marc Angel)
  • 12 Apostel - 12 Apostel (Martin Machwitz)
  • Dead Ballerinas - Dead Ballerinas (Michael Pozz)
  • Kin Ping Meh
    Kin Ping Meh
    Kin Ping Meh is a German rock band originally active from 1970 to 1977, and reformed in 2005. Their name is derived from the Franz Kuhn's, German translation of the Chinese novel, Jin Ping Mei.-Albums:*Kin Ping Meh *No. 2...

     - Kin Ping Meh (Michael Pozz)
  • Skin - Multiple records/CD's (Andy Robbins)

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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