In the late ‘70s, a new form of heavy rock emerged from the United Kingdom, and it is famously known as the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal. A magical time in the world of Heavy Metal music; the style combined speed, raw energy, and irresistible melodic guitars that shocked the senses. Also known simply as NWOBH, bands like Iron Maiden, Saxon, and Judas Priest were all flying high under this banner. There was also a slew of other highly impactful, talented bands from the region, such as Angel Witch, Cloven Hoof, Girlschool, Grim Reaper, Tygers of Pan Tang, and Tokyo Blade.
The last of this grouping, Tokyo Blade, has roots that date all the way back to the late ‘70s, with other bands under different names. Known as Tokyo Blade since 1982, the band would go on to tour with everyone from Blue Öyster Cult and Dio to Ozzy Osbourne and Scorpions. Sustaining themselves through several lineup changes, even with the changing of vocalist Alan Marsh from their 1983 self-titled debut to Vicki James Wright for 1984’s follow-up Night of the Blade, you would be hard-pressed to find better Heavy Metal albums at the time. Then, with Wright sticking with the band for 1985’s Black Hearts & Jaded Spades, rocky waters lay ahead with the band all dissolving by 1986.
A bit unfortunate, considering the band’s mounds of potential, Guitarist Andy Boulton reformed Tokyo Blade with an entire lineup under the name Andy Boulton’s Tokyo Blade from 1987 to 1989, which resulted in several more albums. Seeming like a new chapter had begun, as luck would have it, Boulton and Marsh would reunite yet again in the future until Tokyo Blade emerged with a blast from the past lineup in 2010, including Boulton, Guitarist John Wiggins, Drummer Steve Pierce, and Bassist Andy Wrighton (who played on Night of the Blade), while Nicolaj Ruhnow handled vocals.
Another interesting turn of events occurred when Marsh returned as the full-time vocalist in 2016. At this point, nearly a decade ago, this classic core of Tokyo Blade has remained together, putting out Unbroken in 2018, Dark Revolution in 2020, and Fury in 2022. All these are very strong classic Heavy Metal albums that are highly recommended to check out. This renaissance of Tokyo Blade had many fans feeling like the band’s wild story had finally been righted. It is hard to argue, and now, in 2025, they return with a razor-sharp collection of songs put together on the album Time Is The Fire.
At this point, their fourteenth overall studio album, Time Is The Fire, is set for release on January 17, 2025, through Cherry Red Records and is loaded with high-energy, anthemic Heavy Metal. Fourteen songs in total, it is full of furious, melodic guitar riffs that feed off a powerful vocal set of Marsh that will make your jaw drop.
It is a great re-introduction to Tokyo Blade if you have not been up to snuff with them through the decades. In fact, each song on the album sounds like something you would imagine rotated consistently alongside top Metal videos on MTV back in the 1980s.
With so much to dig into, considering the album runs for one hour and fifteen minutes, the best advice would be to press play and let it unfold. Doing this, you will find killer tunes like “Feeding The Rat,” “The Enemy Within,” “The Devil In You,” and “Written in Blood.” All creating a mood, you also cannot overlook pre-released singles like “Moth To The Fire” and “Don’t Bleed Over Me,” joined by “Man on the Stair” and “Going With The Flow.”
Overall, there is not a dull moment to be had with Time Is The Fire. Robust and in-your-face with a fantastic guitar tone, you can also follow a theme here: full of self-reflection and contemplation of a lifetime of decisions made. Hence the title Time Is The Fire; in the end, we are all bound to be burned by the flame as grains of sand fall through an hourglass. Well-structured, hooky, lively, and full of interesting details here, there, and everywhere, this album is Heavy Metal the way it was intended. That is why Cryptic Rock gives Time Is The Fire 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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