X Japan - Vanishing Vision [1988]

X Japan, one of the founding fathers of J-metal, also happens to be one of the better bands to ever play heavy metal. They mix styles to a degree of success most bands will never know. Throughout the years, the squad has morphed into and meddled in everything from speed and power to industrial and alternative elements; one thing has stayed constant, though, and that's X Japan's tendency to create material of the utmost quality. Even early on, their debut Vanishing Vision finds the band ruling in every category and at every position. This is a debut release that deserves to be among the ranks of Crimson Glory, The Warning, and Walls of Jericho. If those titles mean nothing to you, then you've either been living under a rock all these years or this simply isn't for you.

This is speed metal (nearly) at its best. Sure, there are elements of Euro power metal, straight traditional and some homeland eccentricity, but speed makes the bulk of it. Fast, over-the-top riffs and rhythms build up to some of the catchiest choruses ever crafted. All the while a very raw, perhaps apocalyptic mood hangs on it, thanks in no small part to its unpolished production. It's all very reminiscent of early Helloween, particularly the aforementioned Walls of Jericho. The leads blaze with a similar melodic intensity and Toshi sounds like a Japanese Kai Hansen, except with a slight touch more of clarity. His lyrics are understandably botched, however, leading to some rather embarrassing lines due to translation mistakes. This is a facet of the band that would improve as they gained a greater grasp of the English language.

Not a single track misses the mark. The album begins with intro Dear Loser, an awesome foreshadowing to the greatness to come. Vanishing Love wastes no time, getting to the point quickly with energy to spare. Simple savagery done right, but the best is yet to come.  "Phantom of Guilt" is slower, allowing for some more melodic elements. Hide's creative guitar playing really shines through and creates one of the best songs here. But my favorite comes next in the surprisingly inventive "Sadistic Desire." The bass parts are technical and varied, eventually bursting into one of the best choruses I've ever heard. Pure genius. X Japan then stuns you with the bizarre "Give Me the Pleasure," which is basically a groovy bass-driven instrumental with some strange spoken-word parts buried beneath the mix. The track shows some jazzy technical proficiency and somehow fits in with the rest. "I'll Kill You" is a heavy, direct headbanger loaded with Hide's most impressive fret smokin' yet. "Alive" is a power ballad of sorts, with a little more "power" than "ballad." It's a good song, but it doesn't quite rival their later awe-inspiring ballads for which the band would become known. The album is rounded out with the speedy "Kurenai" (notable for being covered by Shaman recently) and the first variation of "Unfinished," a cool piano outro.

Even in the monstrous year of metal that was 1988, Vanishing Vision holds its own. This is superb album that's as artistically sharp-edged as it is a fun metal romp. There certainly wasn't a better speed album that year; it even bests Scanner's similar Hypertrace by a clean mile. If you seek metal in the vein of early Helloween, you couldn't find a better substitute than this, and I strongly recommend that any fan of fast melodic metal seek this album, however difficult a task that may be. For fans it's obviously a must-have, even if some of the band's signature balladry is missing at this point. What's best is that this is just a taste of the X Japan yet to to come. Enjoy, my friends.

   Overall: 8.5/10 (Great - sexy madness)