I have really become a fan of Tokyo Blade in recent years. They were originally part of the NWOBHM, but have evolved and persisted since then. This four CD set really brings some interesting stuff into the world. The first two CDs have songs pulled from their whole history. If there is one disc that’s not really essential, it’s disc three. It’s a live album from 1984, which presents a driving metal show. The main problem is that the recording is pretty low quality audience bootleg. It doesn’t have enough sound quality to allow the songs to stand on their own.

Disc four is really the biggest draw of the bunch. It is made up of previously unreleased music. Some of this stuff is stronger than anything else in the whole set. I think the set it worth the price of admission for that disc alone. The booklet included here is great, and the whole thing is encased in a cardboard clamshell box, and each CD has its own cardboard sleeve. It should be noted that I previously reviewed some of the tracks on the first two CDs. For the sake of consistency those original track reviews were used here as originally published or modified for use here.

A sound that makes me think of Judas Priest’s first guitar synth stuff opens this. The cut turns toward a glam rock vibe for the first vocals. Then it launches to some smoking hot real steel styled metal. This has catchy pop metal hooks, but also includes real meat on its bones, too.

This is a driving powerhouse metal screamer. It has a definite NWOBHM vibe at play. The pop-like qualities of the previous tune are gone completely, replaced by a lot of real metal. The guitar solo-based instrumental section is pure fire.

I love the screaming guitar that opens this. They fire out from there into some furious old school metal. The vocals are pretty typical NWOBHM, but among the better of that genre.

Drums start things here. Then the bass joins. Guitar follows. The track turns toward a pretty straightforward NWOBHM track from there.

There is a cool acoustic guitar intro on this. They power out from there into a stomping metal tune that makes me think of Scorpions quite a bit. The guitar soloing really stands tall, but this whole song is great. The cool melodic segment leading into the late track instrumental section is particularly noteworthy, as is that instrumental section.

This is a powerhouse metal stomper right out of the gate. It’s fast and furious. While the vocals bring it more into standard NWOBHM territory, this really stands tall in its intensity.

This one stomps out with power and style. It's not all that different, but the vocal arrangement on this works pretty well. It's a rather catchy cut.

I am definitely reminded of early Iron Maiden on this screaming hot tune. The slower section is a really magical powerhouse. It's still Maidenesque, but really ups the "wow" factor. They come out of that into a smoking hot jam that carries on the musical leanings, but intensifies it. This is such a strong cut.

The rhythm section opens this, and I love the bass sound. Guitar joins, and we're off into another killer rocking tune. This is another powerhouse metal stomper that is really effective.

The bass on this definitely makes me think of Iron Maiden. The cut powers in with hard edged, rocking metal. Somehow this one of the most effective stompers so far. It has some killer guitar soloing, too.

More of a mainstream metal sound is the basis of this. It makes me think of WASP just a bit. The chorus is catchy and quite strong. The instrumental break is pure fire in its melodic intensity.

More fierce metal is on the menu here. This feels raw in some ways, but it’s also more mature than some of the earlier material.

This comes in mellow and quite dramatic. The first few vocals come in over the top of that backdrop. Then it powers out to some screaming hot metal. I love this song. It is literally a screamer. It's also quite catchy.

Set in fierce metal territory, this is a screaming hot tune. The vocal arrangement is particularly strong here. 

Wow, this is literally screaming hot. It comes in with frantic percussion and literally screams out from there. It’s frantic, furious and so strong.  

Rawer, this seems to combine hardcore punk with metal in some ways. It’s pretty fierce.

While this is still pure metal, it feels more polished than a lot of the stuff on the first disc. It still has plenty of NWOBHM vibes at play.  It also has some solid vocal hooks.

More of a hair metal sound is on the menu here. The vocals seem too whiny to me. I don’t really care for this song. It feels like a real stretch at a hit. That said, the instrumental section at the end is great.

This has an 80s metal vibe as it gets going, but more real metal than hair metal. This is more like it. It’s better aligned with the stuff on the first CD. It does have some hooks on the chorus.

Meaner metal, this is another powerhouse tune. It has some raunch and roll hooks on the backing vocals on the chorus, though. The later sections of the track seem to reach toward a Led Zeppelin kind of vibe, but feel a little lost.

More meaty metal is on the menu here. This has a cool melodic jam later in the track. It features some tasty guitar work with a lot of style and charm. The whole track is elevated in terms of class from anything to this point. It’s perhaps a bit less traditional metal and more metallic rock, but it’s also very strong. It’s a highlight of this second CD.

This has more of a hair metal vibe to it in some ways, but it’s meaner than that might suggest. It feels a little over-produced. It does have some cool riffing at its core.

Back into mean metal territory, this brings us more into NWOBHM zones.

Meaty and driving, this is another standout tune. It has meaty riffs and the vocal arrangement is driving and catchy.

This is another real winner and a screamer. It’s so ferocious.

A bit rawer, this has a driving energy and groove to it. It’s definitely metal with more of that NWOBHM feeling built into it. I absolutely love the fairly complex instrumental break on this thing.

More fierce and mean metal, this is another highlight. It's fairly brutal, yet still has good hooks. I absolutely love the scorching hot guitar solo on this number.

A weird collage of spoken voice sounds opens this. The track powers out from there to something that has a bit of a prog metal vibe. It has some definite meat on its bones. There are some particularly powerful and dramatic peaks built into this beast.

I love the chorus hooks on this. The riffing is great, too. This is part melodic rocker and part metal tune. It’s all cool. It reminds me a little of early Queensrÿche in some ways.

More killer metal is on the menu here. It’s a meaty tune that has some hints of things like King’s X in it. Yet the NWOBHM elements are still at play.

This cut includes an audience singing thing. Then some dramatic symphonic intro music is heard. It’s actually soundtrack music that seems really familiar to me but I can’t place it.

As the band launch out into this screaming hot metal stomper it becomes obvious that this is a bootleg audience recording. The sound quality is an issue, but it’s not the worst bootleg I’ve ever heard. The performance is solid despite the sound issues.

This driving tune seems to come right out of the previous one. The recording quality is definitely an issue at this point.

More driving metal struggling to stand tall despite the recording is on display here.

With the lack of sonic resolution here, this stuff is all starting to sound pretty similar. It’s pounding, but so has all of it been. The driving instrumental section later does manage to work pretty well. It has some crazed guitar work.

Now, this is a little slower than the stuff we’ve heard before as it gets going. We’re back into more material that feels a lot like the rest as we get beyond that introductory section. Still, this one manages to stand a little taller despite the sound issues.

This is a powerhouse rocker, but the sound quality really gets in the way of it.

The intense pounding continues here, along with the sound issues.

Somehow this one seems to work a little better. I’m not sure if the sound quality is a little better, the tune just transcends it better or a combination of the two.

This one again suffers from the sound quality, making it sort of blur in with a lot of the rest of the stuff on this CD.

Another that doesn’t really manage to stand out, this does have good energy. The mid-track instrumental section really suffers badly from the sound issues. That part is unlistenable at times. The guitar solo works well, though.

Driving metal is on the menu here, too. This stands a little taller than some of the rest on this disc does. This number includes an extensive drum solo. I really dig the guitar soloing on the song.

This one manages to work pretty well amidst the rest. It’s not a big change, and the sound is a problem, but overall, it’s effective.

This comes in reminding me of Bon Scott era AC/DC. As it gets out of the introduction this turns really meaty and mean. This is a scorching hot blues rock meets metal tune. It’s one of my favorite things here, really. It’s just so strong. It does have some hints of UFO in some ways.

Another killer song, the guitar work on this is so tasty. The whole track again gives off a more metal UFO vibe. This is another highlight.

Intricate acoustic guitar starts things here and guides this track as we get underway. It turns harder edged for a time, but then drops to sort of progressive metal vibe for the entrance of the vocals. This has a good balance between more rocking and mellower zones. It’s very much prog metal magic. I don’t think it’s quite as strong as the two tunes that preceded it, but it is effective. It has some really cool bass work and provides a lot of variety. I really love the guitar soloing on this, too.

Meaty metal is on the menu here. This is strong, but it’s not up the level of the first couple tunes on this final CD of the set. It’s more like the music on the first two discs than anything we’ve heard so far on this disc. The guitar soloing on this is great, as is the closing movement of the piece.

Mean metal drives this out of the gate. It works out to more typical stuff, but the guitar sound and riffing is still meaty and punchy. There is also a weird, mellower movement that lends something special to the piece.

Here we get another driving, red hot rocker. It’s almost equal parts bluesy hard rock and metal. I’m reminded a little of Led Zeppelin, but more metallic. It’s a potent tune that’s another standout on the 4^th CD. It includes a dropped back melodic movement, too.

There is a real blues rocking groove to this tune as it gets underway. This doesn’t qualify as metal as far as I’m concerned. That said, it’s such a strong tune with its slow grind. The little bass out-front section is a nice touch, too.

This rocker isn’t bad. It’s also nothing all that special. It leans between hard rock and metal and just doesn’t manage to stand out. It feels more like an “also ran.”

This thing is so mean and punchy. It’s mean and I think it’s one of the standouts here. This is decidedly metal and I really love pretty much everything about it.

Another frantic and driving rocker, this isn’t really a standout, but it also works better than some of the stuff here. It’s another seems part hard rocker and part metal.

This rocker is more of a power ballad. It’s not bad, and does lend some variety. It just doesn’t work as well as some of the rest here does. The guitar soloing on this is great, though.

Another meaty metal stomper, this has almost a psychedelia-on-steroids vibe at play in some ways. It’s an intriguing grind that’s among the best stuff here.

The balance between dramatic mellower stuff and more metallic on this track is great. The tune has a real majesty and power, feeling rather like an 80s metal power ballad.