Tokyo Blade

by Greg Prato
'80s heavy metallists Tokyo Blade went through numerous lineup changes during their career, but their only constant throughout it all was founding member Andy Boulton (guitar). First going by such names as White Diamond, Killer, and Genghis Khan, the group eventually settled on Tokyo Blade, and premiered in the early '80s. Tokyo Blade issued their debut recording in 1984 (which was self-titled in the United Kingdom, and titled Midnight Rendezvous everywhere else), featuring the lineup of Alan Marsh (vocals), Andy Wrighton (bass), John Wiggins (guitar), and Steve Pierce (drums), in addition to Boulton. Further releases followed, such as 1984's Night of the Blade, 1985's Warrior of the Rising Sun, and Blackhearts and Jaded Spades, as the group played shows alongside such renowned metal names as Metallica, Ozzy, Whitesnake, Mama's Boys, Dio, and Slayer, among others. Come 1986, Marsh, Wrighton, and Pierce had left Tokyo Blade, and resurfaced briefly with another outfit, Shogun, who issued a self-titled release the same year. Tokyo Blade continued to issue albums subsequently, before calling it a day by the late '90s (although one final studio album featuring Boulton and Marsh was completed, yet remains currently unreleased). Boulton reappeared in 2001 with his own website, which featured solo mp3s of his latest compositions.