With the departure of vocalist Mike Vescera (off to join the ranks of Yngwie Malmsteen's band -- poor bastard), not to mention the loss of founding bassist Masayoshi Yamashita, Loudness' "American experiment" was officially over. Having failed to make any further headway in the States, despite their best efforts to play by the more commercial tastes of American metal audiences, it was obvious that guitarist Akira Takasaki intended 1992's simply-titled Loudness to serve as a big middle-finger to all those who had messed with his band in recent years. Possibly the heaviest record of Loudness' career, the album was pure aggression, but, sadly, little else. New recruits Masaki Yamada (formerly vocalist for rival Japanese metal band EZO) and bassist Taiji Sawada do their part in helping Loudness take their first step back from the brink of extinction, but, truth be told, Takasaki really could have used a break to regroup and recharge his creative batteries.