Saber Tiger was founded in 1981, the same year as Loudness and Anthem, but for whatever reason never quite got the same recognition as those bands. Their relatively remote location – the island of Hokkaido in northern Japan – and the fact that they didn’t really have a stable lineup until the nineties are probably important factors. It’s really a shame, because they’re every bit as good as the aforementioned bands. Especially since current singer Takenori Shimoyama joined the fold in the late nineties, beginning an era of strong traditional Power Metal with distinct contemporary progressive tendencies.
Many Heavy Metal bands that have been around as long as Saber Tiger has mainly build on nostalgia, but ‘Bystander Effect’ is really a record of its time. The guitars courtesy of Yasuharu Tanaka and founding member Akihito Kinoshita sound nice, tight and heavy, while the production feels fresh and vibrant. Calling the band a progressive Metal band would go too far, but the songwriting is relatively complex despite its accessibility and therefore, the songs are still surprising after listening to them a couple of times. Saber Tiger is definitely not your average Japanese Power Metal band!
The icing on the cake is Shimoyama; his raw, passionate performance makes him sound like a Japanese Mats Levén. Having this guitar duo works too; the riff work is strong enough to carry the album, but in the solo department, Tanaka’s technical style complements Kinoshita’s more intuitive melodic playing perfectly. That’s how the long solo sections like the one in the delightfully melodic album highlight ‘Sin Eater’ stay interesting all the way through. Also, Yasuhiro Mizuno is easily the band’s best drummer yet, constantly switching between a straightforward Heavy Metal beat and more modern, complex rhythms with enviable ease.
As a whole, the level of quality on ‘Bystander Effect’ is remarkably constant. There isn’t one song that will weaken your attention and the balance between more melodic midtempo tracks and faster, more aggressive material is as perfect as it gets. Sure, the long power ballad ‘An Endless End’ stands out stylistically – and has two downright mindblowing guitar solos – while closing track ‘Shameless’ gets my blood pumping due to its amazing blend of melody and aggression, but that doesn’t mean that the highly melodic ‘RinNe’, the opening riff monster ‘Dying Breed’, the heartfelt groove of ‘Shono Hate O Shira Zu’ or the highly dynamic ‘What I Used To Be’ are any less.
With ‘Bystander Effect’, Saber Tiger proves once again that it’s definitely possible to make a record that’s deeply rooted in traditional Heavy Metal, but still has a contemporary vibe to make it relevant in the 21st century. Without sounding too modern. Rhythmically, the band is definitely ahead of many more nostalgic bands, but their melodic sensibilities also are light years ahead of even Loudness. Whoever loves Heavy Metal should definitely check this out. You won’t regret it. ‘Decisive’ used to be my undisputed Saber Tiger favorite, but ‘Bystander Effect’ has everything to at least equal it.
Recommended tracks: ‘Sin Eater’, ‘What I Used To Be’, ‘Shameless’
Kevy Metal 
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