LOUDNESS jealousy P-6268

A Fierce Farewell (For Now): Loudness’ ‘Jealousy’ EP (P-6268)

Let’s focus on a powerful mini-album from Japanese metal legends Loudness, marking the end of a significant era. This is their 1988 EP, “Jealousy,” released in Japan on Warner-Pioneer Corporation (under license from ATCO Records) with the catalog number P-6268.

Issued on May 25, 1988, this 12-inch, 33 ⅓ RPM mini-album arrived after their “Hurricane Eyes” album. Produced by the band themselves and engineered by Bill Freesh, “Jealousy” was specifically created for their Japanese fanbase, featuring five out of its six tracks sung entirely in Japanese – a contrast to their recent primarily English-language international releases.

The EP delivers pure, high-energy Loudness heavy metal across its six tracks: “Jealousy” (a track originally written for “Hurricane Eyes”), “Long Distance Love,” “Good Things Going,” “Die Of Hunger,” “Heavier Than Hell” (featuring guest backing vocals from Frank DiMino of Angel and Paul Raymond of UFO), and “Dreamer And Screamer” (the only English track, used as a theme for the OVA “Shonan Bakusozoku 5”). The music showcases the classic lineup delivering powerful riffs, complex solos, driving rhythms, and soaring vocals.

Crucially, “Jealousy” marks the final studio recording featuring original vocalist Minoru Niihara before his departure from the band later that year (he would eventually return). This lends the EP unique historical weight, capturing the end of the band’s first major chapter.

P-6268 is an essential release for Loudness completists, capturing the original lineup’s potent chemistry on Niihara’s last studio outing of that era, delivered almost entirely in their native language.