Anthem

Anthem (アンセム) is a Japanese heavy metal band that was formed during the early 1980s in Tokyo. They are among the handful of heavy metal bands founded in Japan during that time and are considered to be one of the most successful and influential, alongside Loudness and Earthshaker. Anthem was founded in Tokyo during 1981 as a quartet, composed of singer Maeda Toshihito, guitarist Koyanagi Akifumi, bass player Shibata Naoto (also known as "Ski") and drummer Ohuchi Takamasa. Koyanagi left in late 1983 to be replaced by Fukada Hiroya. In December 1984 vocalist Maeda Toshihito also left and Anthem drafted Sakamoto Eizou for their debut eponymous album, issued in July 1985 by Nexus and licensed to Europe via Roadrunner Records. They broke up in 1992 but reunited in 2001.