REVIEW:
          > Loudness was the first Japanese metal band I became a fan of, thanks to a head bangin' friend of mine.  The first time I heard "Exploder", I was hooked (line and sinker).  Of all the Japanese metal bands (I know of), Loudness is the only one to make a dent in the American market, albeit ultimately unsuccessful :(  That's really a shame, as their music is very hard to beat...

     > LOUDNESS/Disillusion isn't their first album by any stretch, but it most certainly is their best album!  Thanks to the success of this album (at least in Japan), Loudness was able to launch an attack on the American market with their next album, Thunder In The East.  That's another review though.  Anyway, I can't imagine anybody listening to this album with an open mind and not being impressed.  It's that good.

     > Yes, this album's lyrics are mainly Japanese with the usual sprinkling of English.  However, the "English Version" is obviously a complete translation -- and believe me, it's seamless.  Both contain the same awesome music with one exception.  The "English Version" has an additional track titled "Anthem (Loudness Overture)" -- a short intro theme.  Disillusion is full of clean grinding guitar, perfect percussion, sweet vocals, and Akira's best solos!  All the songs are well worth hearing at any time.  My favorite song is "Exploder/Dream Fantasy" -- a deceptively fast moving song with great rhythm.  Now if I could just find the "Road Racer/Shinkiro" EP on CD, I'd be all set!!!

RATING: 100%