Who knows why some bands hit the commercial highs and reap the financial rewards, whilst other, more talent acts, seem to falter and flounder? In the case of Tokyo Blade it’s a quandary made all the more perplexing because the band were primed for the top and had it all, from a hard and melodic sound to a charismatic vocalist via tenacious twin guitar attack that was the envy of their peers. As if to show the record buying public the error of their ways, Cherry Red Records compile (with the help of the band) a mammoth four disc set that does exactly what it says on the tin, featuring two discs of career-spanning, classic cuts, a rare live set and a prime selection of unreleased gems from the band’s vault. All of which makes Beware The Blade: Classic, Rare & Unreleased: 1983-2005 the only Tokyo Blade collection you’ll ever need.

Formed in 1982, in many ways Tokyo Blade were typical of the burgeoning NWOBHM (new wave of British heavy metal) movement. Hailing from the provinces (Wiltshire), hungry for success and fully grasping the do-it-yourself template of punk, Tokyo Blade were propelled forwards by a restless energy and unshakable belief. And they were right to believe; with a sound that existed somewhere between early ‘80’s Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, along with Lettin’ Loose-era Heavy Pettin’, Tokyo Blade’s early career was characterised by songs that were guaranteed to get the follicles (and air guitars) flying, yet they also had a crossover appeal and it’s a dichotomy best exemplified by opening track ‘Midnight Rendezvous’. Perhaps the biggest hit that ever wasn’t, you feel that if the band had major label backing they’d now be sitting in metal’s top tier. Culled with tracks from their first three albums and associated singles, the first disc reads like a “greatest hits” set and offers an abject lesson in heavy metal. Even the tracks from the band’s third album, Blackhearts & Jaded Spades, often derided as a misstep, more than hold their own amongst the other tracks with ‘Monkey’s Blood’ and ‘Stealing The Thief’ being particularly biting. In fact, if anyone asked you what was so great about the NWOBHM, I’d play them this disc.

Tokyo Blade’s “mid-career” period (say, 1987-1997) is often viewed as the band’s weakest, and that would be a hard assertion to argue against, but it still had some stellar moments and the best tracks culled from No Remorse (‘Chains Of Love’) and Burning Down Paradise (‘Friend In Need’), actually sound quite strong when pulled from their parent albums. Tokyo Blade suffered the same fate as many of their peers; when bands such as Metallica and Megadeth appropriated the NWOBHM and morphed it into thrash, they suddenly found themselves outdated and yesterday’s news. To Tokyo Blade’s credit they didn’t try to ride thrash’s coattails and kept on delivering their own brand of metal, yet it felt as if they were forever playing catch up, while the usual line-up changes did little to steady their ship. Therefore, the second disc can be seen be seen as the band’s rebirth: the weathering of a storm that found band members coming and going at an alarming rate during that turbulent “mid-career” era. You can hear the upward creative curve as the band get their mojo back, the plague of line-up changes are resolved as original band members come back into the fold, and by the time we reach ‘Story Of A Nobody’ the band are back in their groove and doing what they do best. From here on in it’s time to get your head down and enjoy the best in heavy metal; the song-writing is solid and the production is bold and brash and it’s totally understandable as to why their latest album Time Is The Fire (reviewed here) was so well received. The first two discs offer an overview of the Tokyo Blade discography and it’s a listen that will invite further exploration.

The live environment is a place where heavy metal really comes into its own, a stage is a place that separates the men from the boys. The studio, affording plenty of opportunity for overdubs, often feels like cheating, but on stage, where you only get one shot, is where metal bands live and die. Thankfully, Tokyo Blade were born for the bright lights and this set, recorded live at Holland’s Earthquake Festival in 1984, finds the band riding the crest of a wave. With their debut album out in the world and garnering great reviews, along with the aforementioned ‘Midnight Rendezvous’ single picking up airplay, it seemed that the band could do no wrong, and the self-belief that initiated shines through every note of this live set. While the recording source is not the best, that only adds to the band’s rough-hewn charm (and sometimes it’s better to have a little dirt under the fingernails), what really shines through this set is the bands drive and ambition. Tokyo Blade are performing with unbridled energy and you can definitely hear their influence on the burgeoning thrash metal scene through blitzkrieg opener ‘Powergame’ (and, indeed, their whole set). With the added adrenaline that comes from a live show, Tokyo Blade set about tearing up the stage like a runaway locomotive and it’s notable that many of these shows also featured the likes of Metallica and Slayer (who were studiously taking notes, methinks). If you liked the first two discs of Beware The Blade, then you’ll love the added oomph this third brings.

Apparently, Tokyo Blade are sitting on a huge archive of unreleased material, a treasure trove of demos, embryonic ideas and completed songs that never made the final cut (for some strange reason). We get a glimpse of those riches with this fourth disc, presenting fourteen songs of such quality that it could easily pass as the band’s latest studio album. And rather than just being a bunch of tracks haphazardly thrown together, it’s sequenced like an actual album with things getting off to a pugnacious start with ‘Last Of The Renegades’. The shifting sands of the mean and moody ‘Serenade In Black’ are inserted amongst ragers such as ‘Shout At The Dark’ (with it’s neat tempo changes) and ‘Save A Bullet’ to ensure the disc ebbs and flows perfectly. On a set that celebrates Tokyo Blade’s illustrious past, this fourth disc signposts a bright future.

• Beware The Blade: Classic, Rare & Unreleased: 1983-2025 is released via Cherry Red Records/Dissonance Productions on 21st November 2025.
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Track List:

Disc One:

1. Midnight Rendezvous
2. Mean Streak
3. Powergame
4. Death On Main Street
5. If Heaven Is Hell
6. Highway Passion
7. Sunrise in Tokyo
8. Night of the Blade
9. Love Struck
10. Warrior of the Rising Sun
11. Lightning Strikes (Straight Through the Heart)
12. Madam Guillotine
13. Make It Through the Night
14. Blackhearts & Jaded Spades
15. Monkey’s Blood
16. Stealing the Thief

 Disc Two:

1.  Too Much Too Soon

2.  Chains Of Love

3.  Friend In Need

4.  Hot Breath

5.  Flashpoint Serenade

6.  More Than A Pretty Face

7.  Woman And Love

8.  Dark Revolution

9.  Story of a Nobody

10.  Life Leaves A Scar

11.  Kill Me Till I’m Dead

12.  Blood Red Night

13.  Don’t Bleed Over Me

14.  Moth To The Fire

Disc Three: Live At Earthquake Festival, Holland, 1984

1.  Intro

2.  Powergame

3.  Mean Streak

4.  Break The Chains

5.  Death On Main Street

6.  Liar

7.  Midnight Rendezvous

8.  Madam Guillotine

9.  If Heaven Is Hell

10. Unleash The Beast

11. Sunrise in Tokyo

12. Killer City

13. Night of the Blade

 Disc Four:

1.  Last of the Renegades

2.  Line in the Sand

3.  Serenade in Black

4.  Shout At the Dark

5.  This Dying Light

6.  Midnight Sun

7.  Who’s Laughing Now

8.  Hard Getting Over You

9.  Save A Bullet

10.  Hold Your Ground

11.  Shadows In The Rain

12.  Walk

13.  Dead Forever After

14.  The Weeping Wind