BLIZARD kamikaze killers K-12514
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Artist = BLIZARD
Title = kamikaze killers
Label = ATLANTIC
Catalog# = K-12514
Barcode = none
Release = JAPAN
Year =
RPM = 33rpm
Disc Size = 12"
Number of Discs = 1
Mono/Stereo = stereo
promo sample, white label
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Revisiting a Classic: Blizard’s 1984 LP ‘Kamikaze Killers’ (K-12514)
Today we’re pulling another essential record from the archives of Japanese heavy metal. This is the 12-inch vinyl LP “Kamikaze Killers” by the band Blizard, released with the catalog number K-12514.
Released on December 21, 1984, “Kamikaze Killers” holds a special place in the band’s history. It is their second full-length studio album, arriving astonishingly fast—less than six months after their debut “Blizard of Wizard” was released in July of the same year. This rapid output demonstrates a band at a white-hot peak of creativity.
This album, which carries the full Japanese title “暗黒の警鐘” (Ankoku no Keishou, or “The Dark Warning”) and the English subtitle “My Tears Evaporate,” was a remarkably ambitious project for such a young band. It was conceived as a concept album themed around “irrational love” and is structured as a complete work, bookended by the instrumental “Prologue – Fallin’ Angel-” and “Epilogue – The End-.”
The 1984 lineup was a powerhouse of Japanese metal talent, featuring Seijirou Shimomura on vocals, Toshiya “Ran” Matsukawa on lead guitar, Takayuki Murakami on rhythm guitar, Kouichi Terasawa on bass, and Hiroyuki Murakami on drums. Matsukawa’s fiery, melodic, and technically precise guitar work is a major highlight, solidifying his reputation as one of the scene’s premier guitarists.
The K-12514 vinyl, released on the Warner-Pioneer label, is a definitive example of 80s “Japa-meta.” It’s filled with the band’s signature style: dramatic, soaring vocal melodies, intricate twin-guitar harmonies, and a powerful, driving rhythm section. Tracks like “The Second Diamond,” “Lady Reiko,” and the epic closer “Fallin’ Angel” became fan favorites and are perfect examples of the “Blizard-bushi” (Blizard style) that influenced many bands to come.
While the band’s visual aesthetic sometimes led to them being dismissed as a “pretty boy” band, “Kamikaze Killers” stands as undeniable proof of their exceptional musicianship and sophisticated songwriting. It is a cornerstone album of the 80s Japanese heavy metal movement.