Just when I thought Eizo Sakamoto had disappeared completely from the rock and metal scene after most of his post-Anthem projects failed to make much of a lasting impression, he was suddenly announced as Superblood’s new frontman with the fantastic new single ‘Enter a New Phase’ a few months ago. Since Superblood already is a bit of a supergroup, Sakamoto isn’t even the only member from Anthem’s heyday in the band; drummer Takamasa ‘Mad’ Ohuchi is also part of Superblood. A seasoned bunch of veterans, though the spirited performances and youthful energy on ‘Enter a New Phase’ suggest otherwise.

In a way, the first two singles released off ‘Enter a New Phase’ give off the wrong impression somewhat. ‘Enter a New Phase’ and ‘Running Wild’ are easily the most metallic tracks on the EP; especially the former would not sound out of place on an actual Anthem album. The overall sound of Superblood is a bit looser, though. I would liken them to the crunchier end of the eighties hard rock spectrum. While the EP is impeccably produced, as Japanese releases tend to be, Okahiro’s riffs sound raw, and there is a body to his sound that I wish more melodic hard rock guitarists would have.

Whether this is intentional or not, ‘Enter a New Phase’ appears to consist of two distinct halves. The first half of the EP contains the more direct, in-your-face rockers, like the aforementioned tracks and the exquisite melodic rocker ‘Rescue Me’, while the back half becomes a little more playful. Experimental isn’t the right word for it, because all seven tracks are catchy, uncomplicated rockers, but the last few songs certainly are looser, with the relatively downbeat semi-ballad ‘Unknown World’ being the most interesting one. Axl’s jumpy bass line makes ‘Super Soul Fever’ an effective disco-rocker.

Performance-wise, there is very little to complain about here. Sakamoto sings and shouts with the reckless energy of a man half his age – possibly even younger – and once again shows why he is one of my favorite singers in the world. Ohuchi, as usual, plays much wilder than most Japanese drummers, though there secretly is more control to his playing than he cares to admit, and Okahiro is a better riffer than I have given him credit for. Axl might actually be the band’s secret weapon, as the most stylistically diverse tracks get a lot of creativity from his approach, which seems to borrow freely from funk without being too ham-fisted about it.

Obviously, it was Sakamoto’s involvement that drew me towards ‘Enter a New Phase’, but there is much more to this release than just a vehicle for his voice, even if you disregard that Superblood had been active for over a decade before he joined. The songwriting is highly developed, and this material practically begs to be performed live. I am very curious to see what the band will come up with next.

Recommended tracks: ‘Enter a New Phase’, ‘Running Wild’, ‘Rescue Me’

Order ‘Enter a New Phase’ from nearly everywhere in the world at CD Japan:

ENTER A NEW PHASE

SUPERBLOOD