The harshest thing I can say about ‘Kuraku’, the twenty-second album by Japanese power trio Ningen Isu, is that it is another Ningen Isu album. It does not quite set the world on fire like its predecessor ‘Shin Seinen’ did, but it simply features guitarist Shinji Wajima, bassist Kenichi Suzuki and drummer Nobu Nakajima doing what they do best. This means that ‘Kuraku’ is full of seventies hardrock jamming and heavily Black Sabbath-inspired early doom metal riffs, delivered with an amount of energy and enthusiasm that many musicians half their age should envy. Nothing fancy, but highly enjoyable.
One thing that stood out to me about ‘Kuraku’ is that Wajima channels his inner Tony Iommi more strongly than ever. Sabbath was always the most audible influence in the band’s riff work, but quite a lot of the lead guitar on the album has a more distinct Iommi vibe than ever before both sonically and in terms of musical ideas. The overall guitar tone is certainly the most seventies thing about ‘Kuraku’ anyway, with Wajima sounding as if barely anything happened since that musically incredible decade. And while Ningen Isu occasionally enjoys some spirited jamming, the tight, powerful rhythm section certainly makes the music sound timeless.
Admittedly, my first impression of ‘Kuraku’ was not the greatest, as opening track ‘Toshishun’ is in my opinion the weakest track on the album. Ningen Isu is no stranger to the occasional self-plagiarizing riff, but the main riff on ‘Toshishun’ gets incredibly repetitive. It does get saved by a cool quasi-psychedelic intro and a more energetic second half, however, and the rest of the album is a lot better. That already starts with the following ‘Kamigami No Koshin’, which has a monstrous groove and quite masterful dynamics. In the final minute, there are so many cool melodic ideas that goosebumps are never far away.
Usually, my favorite Ningen Isu songs are the ones that Wajima sings, as he simply has the most pleasant voice in the band. ‘Kuraku’ might actually be the first album on which I prefer Suzuki’s more aggressive approach. The stomping ‘Uchu Kaizoku’, the rhythmically surprising ‘Ankoku O’, the short but sweet ‘Kokotsu No Toro’ and the aforementioned ‘Kamigami No Koshin’ are all excellent. Nakajima takes lead vocals on ‘Shijo No Kuchibiru’, a bit of a looser rock ‘n’ roller that fits his voice perfectly. Out of the ones Wajima sings, my favorites are probably the brooding ‘Akuma No Shohosen’, the doomy closer ‘Yoakemae’ and the playful ‘Ningen Robot’, though the stupidly catchy ‘Hashire GT’ is very enjoyable as well.
Ningen Isu has been around for nearly 35 years and the fact that they are still churning out quality albums like ‘Kuraku’ shows that the new youth the title of their last album referenced may just have a few extra years left. The band deserves praise not just for carrying on as long as they did, but also for their dedication to powerful, no-frills hardrock and heavy metal. Sounding so seventies and yet so completely unlike anything else is not an easy feat, but Ningen Isu once again pulls it off as if it is nothing on ‘Kuraku’. An upper mid-tier Ningen Isu album, but still far above average for the genre.
Recommended tracks: ‘Kamigami No Koshin’, ‘Uchu Kaizoku’, ‘Akuma No Shohosen’
Order ‘Kuraku’ from nearly anywhere in the world at CD Japan below
Kevy Metal 
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