Birth of the Heavy Metal Queen - A review of Hamada Mari's Lunatic Doll〜暗殺警告

Hamada Mari is a pioneer who has paved the way for numerous female singers in the rock and metal genres in Japan, from Show-Ya over Band-Maid to Lovebites. No other country has such an impressive variety of female performers in said genres as Japan. Hamada Mari's impressive solo career started at the tender age of twenty, after having already performed in all-female rock band Misty Cats, punk rock band Mari Band and as backing vocalist in Hamachan. On her debut record which translates to Lunatic Doll - Assassination Warning, the talented singer from Nishi-Shinjuku gets supported by an excellent backing band, consisting of Loudness drummer Higuchi Munetaka, Make-Up guitarist Matsuzawa Hiroaki, session bassist Nagasawa Hiro who would later on work with 44 Magnum, guitarist Kitajima Kenji who played in numerous bands such as Fence of Defense, Pearl and TM Network, guitarist Yuasa Shin who had a short but impressive career with glam rock and heavy metal band X-Ray from Osaka and keyboarder Nakajima Yuki who played in multiple early heavy metal bands such as Eastern Orbit and Heavy Metal Army. While this backing band reads like a who's who of the early Japanese heavy metal scene, lead singer Hamada Mari is the shining star on this output.

Hamada Mari certainly deserves the status as Heavy Metal Queen of Japan as she is often called. She had been playing in numerous bands in her childhood and teenage years, accumulating much experience in the process. She is a hard-working artist who doesn't only practise different vocal styles but who has also provided lyrics for her songs since her debut album. Her consistent career has been going on for nearly four decades, underlining an impressive flexibility, longevity and stamina that only few other artists have ever achieved. Hamada Mari's stage presence is incredibly energetic as she runs around and cheers with her fans without reducing the incredible quality of her vocals. Her stylish looks have always been on the pulse of time without looking forced since they only underline her stunning diversity. While other rock stars have been living in the moment without truly taking care of themselves, Hamada Mari has always kept a passionate but professional attitude and her impressive vocal range as she is nearly sixty years old now and her mesmerizing beauty that makes her look better today than many other singers who are half her age underline her dedication to her career. If you thought Warlock's Doro Pesch has been the most important female heavy metal singer of the eighties, you might be about to rightfully change your mind by listening to Hamada Mari's Lunatic Doll - Assassination Warning.

The opening ''Noah'' hits you in the face without any warning. Aggressive drum play, angry bumblebee bass guitar sounds, fierce guitar riffs flirting with speed and thrash metal genres and Hamada Mari's immediately unique, skillful, passionate, high-pitched and energetic vocals take you on a wild rollercoaster ride that simply makes you want to listen to this track over and over again.

''Tokio Makin' Love'' is a song that put Hamada Mari on the map right from the start and the playful heavy metal anthem sounds absolutely timeless. The playful guitar riffs, the powerful bass guitar tones and especially the vivid drum play including a short solo section prepare the stage for Hamada Mari's diversified vocals that vary from charming lower registers over passionate natural tones to high-pitched screams recalling Judas Priest's Rob Halford in his greatest years. This is a party anthem for the ages and if you don't feel like joining the ride by now, then it simply can't be helped.

However, Hamada Mari has always been a versatile singer and she already proves this quite impressively on her debut record. ''All Night Party'' goes away from the heavy metal genre of the relentless opening duo and enters mid-paced hard rock territory. Hamada Mari's register is more natural here and she even explores some atmospheric lower registers. The instrumental section has slowed down a little bit but is performed with a tightly swaggering groove where especially the drum play shines once again. This song is the perfect single candidate since it's catchy, danceable and joyful.

This album even features a wonderful power ballad with melodic guitar play and soothing vocals that makes you want to invite someone for a romantic dance. The song in question is ''Runaway from Yesterday'' and already foreshadows Hamada Mari's successful later career shift towards adult-oriented rock and pop rock genres in the nineties. As it would later turn out, Hamada Mari isn't only the Japanese Queen of Heavy Metal but also the Japanese Queen of Pop Music. In the context of the debut album, this atmospheric, dreamy and heartfelt ballad offers a welcome break from the heavy metal frenzy.

Her opening record remains versatile even when Hamada Mari is not performing herself as can be witnessed in two short, inspired and atmospheric instrumentals called ''Love Maker'' and ''Mistress'' that provide some breaks between the record's genre shifts and give listeners some time to digest the passionate material on display.

Hamada Mari's Lunatic Doll - Assassination Warning is a convincing debut for the Japanese Heavy Metal Queen and convinces with energetic heavy, thrash and speed metal material, danceable hard rock tunes, dreamy rock ballads and even two smooth instrumental tracks. This potpourri might sound slightly confusing on paper but Japanese musicians have often combined different genres on one single record and sometimes even in one single song. This approach presented here would once again inspire future generations of Japanese metal, rock and pop singers and musicians to combine different genres, open their minds and walk off the beaten path. This album has certainly stood the test of time and still sounds relentlessly passionate today while also providing a portrait of Japan's free-spirited rock and metal scene of the early eighties. Anyone who likes the aforementioned genres should check out Hamada Mari's groundbreaking debut record. In my opinion, Hamada Mari is one of the greatest female rock and metal singers I have ever come across and it's time for people outside Japan to finally discover this remarkable artist.

Final Rating: 80%