Editing Loudness (section)

===Lineup Instability and Grunge Era (1991–1999)===

Vescera departed mid-tour in 1991 to join [[Yngwie Malmsteen]]'s band and was replaced by '''Masaki Yamada''', formerly of [[EZO]]. The shift in vocalists did little to stem the band's commercial decline in America, as the rise of [[grunge]] and [[alternative rock]] swept the heavy metal market. Loudness refocused on Japan.

During a period of personal reflection, Takasaki traveled to India, converted to Buddhism, and resolved to keep the band going. He retained Yamada as vocalist, brought in former EZO drummer '''Hirotsugu Homma''', and added bassist '''Naoto Shibata''' of [[Anthem (band)|Anthem]] for touring. This lineup recorded ''Heavy Metal Hippies'' (1994), a transitional album blending classic Loudness with grunge textures and world music influences, followed by ''Ghetto Machine'', ''Dragon'', and ''Engine'' through 1999.