EarthShaker

Although they cannot claim to be the most successful of '80s Japanese heavy metal bands (not by a long shot, that would have to be Loudness), Earthshaker could well be the most stable, having retained the same core lineup of singer Masafumi Nishida, guitarist Shinichiro Ishihara, bassist Takayuki Kai, and drummer Yoshihiro Kudo throughout their two-decade-plus existence -- no mean feat. Taking their name from the legendary Y&T album (just a blip on the U.S. radar, but an absolute smash in Japan), Earthshaker achieved some small recognition in the West thanks to their excellent...