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I'm not sure where High Roller finds all these Traditional Metal bands that no one else seems to have heard of, but I'm sure glad they do. Blaze is a Japanese band and their self-titled 2007 album would not have been out of place one bit if it had been released back in 1982. The songs are constructed around simple, straightforward and catchy riffs and excellent solo work, courtesy of Hisashi Suzuki. He does not play a technical style like countryman Akira Takasaki. His playing is more in line with the loose, aggressive style of Graham Oliver and Paul Quinn from those classic Saxon albums. Truly, if it weren't for vocalist Wataru Shiota's accent, I would have had no idea Blaze was not a British Band. There are no standout songs on Blaze but there aren't any weak ones either. The entire album is quality Traditional Metal, with an 80s vibe from start to finish.

If you love bands like Witch Cross, Jaguar, Tokyo Blade and others from the NWOHBM era, you should do yourself a favor and check out Blaze.