‘Tenka-Musou’ is Volcano focusing on its biggest strengths. Plain and simple. In that sense, the four year break between ‘Tenka-Musou’ and its direct predecessor ‘Godspeed’ seems to have done the band well. Where that album had moments of subtle experimentation to mix up the band’s tried-and-true formula a bit, largely surprisingly well, it almost seems like Volcano wants to re-establish itself here. And so, the album is full of intense old school thrash metal riffs, classic heavy metal guitar melodies and harmonies, occasionally neoclassical in nature, and consistently good songwriting. Yet, there is something fresh and energetic about ‘Tenka-Musou’.

Over the last decade or so, Volcano has gradually been moving in a more traditional direction. In a way, ‘Tenka-Musou’ is the culmination of this development. The melodic death metal elements that Volcano had on their early albums have slowly been phased out to the point of being completely absent here. Melodic guitar leads are still here in spades – part of why anyone would listen to an album that She-ja plays guitar on – but they have a more traditional heavy metal feel. ‘Tenka-Musou’ also doesn’t feature any ballads, though She-ja does still let out his inner Gary Moore during multiple guitar solos.

If there is one thing you can leave to She-ja, it would be to write a good opener. ‘Gekijō’ is one of those Volcano thrashers with a main riff that manages to sound propulsive and relaxed at the same time. I also really like the chord work in the chorus, allowing Nov – still the greatest thrash singer in Japan – to sound surprisingly melancholic. The triplet rhythms of ‘From the Abyss’ also have a traditional, almost laid-back vibe that, along with its great main riff, really makes the song stand out. ‘Incarnation’ is more aggressive, showcasing what a fantastic drummer Shun is.

Despite the strong focus on more traditional heavy and thrash metal sounds, ‘Tenka-Musou’ still manages to be quite varied. ‘Catastrophe’ and especially ‘M.A.D.’ feature sections that are borderline hardcore, had they not been broken up by amazing melodic guitar leads. The lengthy ‘Bloody the Beast’ has some guitar harmonies that bring She-ja’s early work with Gargoyle to mind, while the galloping, relatively melodic ‘Disappear’ is my favorite song on the album. Equally melodic is the semi-epic closer ‘Gypsy’, which has some of She-ja’s best leads on the album, though I do think it would likely have been better without the synths.

Bands should ideally improve with each album. Some bands do that by trying out something new every time they record new material. What Volcano does on ‘Tenka-Musou’, however, almost sounds like they have evaluated what they think they do best, and started the songwriting process from there. If you like your thrash metal as melodic as possible – Volcano’s music is basically as melodic as the genre can get without actually moving away from thrash metal – ‘Tenka-Musou’ is one of your best options of the year. The songwriting is rock solid, and the performances of everyone involed are fantastic without exception.

Recommended tracks: ‘Disappear’, ‘From the Abyss’, ‘Gekijō’, ‘Catastrophe’