Loudness longtime drummer Munetaka Higuchi
Another heavy metal hero has left the earth. On November 30, Loudness drummer Munetaka Higuchi died from liver cancer at a hospital in Osaka, Japan. he was 49.
"It is still hard to believe that Munetaka went to his eternal rest," Loudness singer Minouri Niihara told Japanese Web site WeRockCity.com. "It seems unreal to me so far. I will never forget all the things we shared, such as making albums, playing live, drinking together. I truly miss him."
We'll miss him, too. We can't remember exactly who inspired us to check out his Japanese metal band Loudness, but we vividly recall when it happened. The year was 1985, and we were already huge fans of the new wave of British heavy metal, and had been following the thrash scene for about two years. Metallica, Motorhead, Slayer, Manowar and Venom were rocking our record player (remember LPs?) and we had just discovered Exodus, Overkill and Possessed.
In an effort to expand our horizons, we checked out the shredders -- Yngwie Malmsteen, Paul Becker, George Lynch, Vivian Campbell's Dio years, David T. Chastian -- and eventually we discovered Akira Takasaki, axeman for Loudness. He wasn't quite as flamboyant as the neo-classical guitarists, bearing more in common with Campbell and Eddie Van Halen, but his tone was killer and he accented nearly ever riff with stellar squalls and flashy fills. Plus, his flailing, articulate leads gave new heavy metal credibility to the Land of the Rising Sun.
By the time we discovered Loudness' first U.S. album, Thunder in the East, which featured the scorching single "Crazy Nights" (see video below) the band had already been around for four years and released just as many records. Well, better late than never. It wasn't just Takasaki that sold us on the band. Backing Takasaki's flight's of fancy was steady but expressive drummer Munetaka Higuchi, who performed on 13 studio albums before leaving the group in 1994 to form Sly with Niihara and ex-Earthshaker guitarist Shinichiro Ishihara.
Higuchi was replaced by Hiro Homma, but returned to Loudness with 2001's Spiritual Canoe, and played on seven more albums, including 2008's Metal Mad. Tragically, Higuchi was was diagnosed with liver cancer in April 2008. Two rounds of chemotherapy and an operation to remove part of his liver proved unsuccessful.
In an October 18, 2008 statement on the band's official Web site, Higuchi wrote, "It has been half a year since I was diagnosed with liver cancer. I am really sorry that the fans are worried. The cancer has become worse despite the fact that I have been taking care of my health, and I will need more time for my treatment. [Even after undergoing the] big operation to remove half of my liver, I still need more treatment. There are various risks and dangers involved with my condition, but I'll do my best to keep my spirits up and maintain my physical strength to fight this illness. I know it is still the middle of my treatment, but I just wanted inform you about my progress since the operation. Thank you very much for all the support."
Our well-wishes go out to his friends, family and band members. In memory of Higuchi, here are a couple Loudness videos:
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