Lovebites (band)

Lovebites played their first concert at Tsutaya O-West in November 2016.

Lovebites was formed in Tokyo in 2016 by bassist Miho and drummer Haruna. The two met while members of Destrose, another all-female metal band that disbanded in 2015.[4] After recruiting guitarist Midori and support guitarist and keyboardist Miyako (then known as Mi-Ya), the four chose vocalist Asami based on a demo she made.[5] Midori was in the band Gekijo Metalicche, Miyako was a member of A Drop of Joker and 21g, while Asami was a backup singer for Vamps and Uverworld.[6] During one rehearsal, the musicians performed "Love Bites (So Do I)" by Halestorm. Feeling that the song fit well with Asami's voice, it left an impression on all of the members and they chose Lovebites as the name for their new band.[7] They had their first concert on November 18, 2016, at Tsutaya O-West as part of the Girls Band Next Generation event.[5][6] For the show, they were supported by third guitarist Sena.[8] They had previously performed a secret gig at Shibuya O-Crest on August 4, 2016, under the pseudonym "POWERSLAVES".[9]

Lovebites released their debut EP, The Lovebites EP, in May 2017 via Victor Entertainment. Miho explained that it was more of a demo to get the band signed, but the label liked it so much they had it properly mastered and released.[10] It was mixed by Mikko Karmila and mastered by Mika Jussila, who have worked with acts like Nightwish, Children of Bodom, and Stratovarius, at Finnvox Studios in Helsinki, Finland. The EP was released in the United Kingdom on August 25 by JPU Records and in North America by Sliptrick Records on August 31.[11]

Support member Miyako became a full member of the band in August 2017.[12] Their first full-length album Awakening from Abyss was released in Japan and North America on October 25,[12] and in the UK two days later.[13] It was again mixed and mastered by Karmila and Jussila and includes re-recordings of the four tracks from their debut EP.[4][13] The album was supported by the sold out three-date Awakening from Abyss Tour 2017 from November 17 to December 7.[14] In between, the group played their first gigs outside Japan: two nights at Hyper Japan Christmas and one show at Camden Underworld, both in London at the end of November 2017.[4]

Vocalist Asami performing in Germany at Wacken Open Air 2018.

On February 23, 2018, Lovebites played a concert titled Re-Awakening from Abyss at Duo Music Exchange.[15] They then performed on the Japanese leg of Warped Tour on April 1 and released their second EP Battle Against Damnation on June 6.[16][17][18] Days later, they won the 2018 Metal Hammer Golden Gods Award for Best New Band.[19] They performed at Wacken Open Air on August 4, becoming the first Japanese all-female metal band to appear at the German festival.[15][20][21] They also performed on the main stage at Bloodstock Open Air on August 10, 2018.[22] In November, Lovebites held their first European tour that saw them visit the Netherlands, Germany, France and the UK.[23] The band released their second album Clockwork Immortality on December 5 in Japan. Limited editions of the album include a DVD or Blu-ray of the concert video Battle in the East, which was recorded on June 28, 2018, at Tsutaya O-East.[24] It was released in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand two days later by Arising Empire, and in the UK by JPU Records on January 18, 2019.[25][26]

Lovebites was the opening act for Arch Enemy at two shows in Shanghai and Beijing, China on March 23 and 24, 2019.[27] In June, they performed at the Download Festival in both Donington, UK and Madrid, Spain and at the Graspop Metal Meeting in Dessel, Belgium.[28] Their set at Donington was cited by its organizers and Metal Hammer as one of the festival's highlight performances,[29][30] including when Asami joined Halestorm on stage to sing her band's namesake song,[31] which she had also done earlier at Download Festival Japan on March 21.[32]

On July 10, Lovebites released their first standalone concert video and live album, Daughters of the Dawn – Live in Tokyo, recorded on January 27, 2019, at Mynavi Blitz Akasaka.[33] The three-date Daughters of the Dawn Tour took place between July 12 and August 9.[33] They were a support act on DragonForce's UK tour throughout the first half of November,[34] and opened for Halestorm in Tokyo on December 2.[35] The band's third studio album, Electric Pentagram, was released on January 29, 2020.[35] It was set to be supported by a seven-date Japanese tour from February 14 to April 12,[35] but the last three concerts were postponed until June due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan.[36] On July 22, Lovebites released their second standalone concert video and live album, Five of a Kind – Live in Tokyo 2020, recorded on February 21, 2020, at Zepp DiverCity.[37] To celebrate the third anniversary of Awakening from Abyss, the band streamed a live studio performance titled Awake Again, where they played the album in its entirety on October 25.[38]

Bassist and co-founder Miho left the band in August 2021.

Lovebites wrote the song "Winds of Transylvania" to be used as the opening theme of the anime series Vlad Love and were named an official ambassador for the series. Its director, Mamoru Oshii, commented that "I could immediately see parallels between the five members and the main character of Vlad Love. They are like a heretic of heavy metal, wearing bright white outfits while playing intense music, they are the perfect choice to take charge of a theme song to an anime not bound by convention or common sense. And above all, their name couldn't be more fitting!"[39] The band members appear in the anime's opening credits, which also features Vlad Love's fictional characters performing the song in a sequence that the animators based on the band's.[40] A CD including "Winds of Transylvania" and the three other themes of the anime was released at Ichigo Animation's CulZone stores on January 9, 2021.[41]

Lovebites released their third EP Glory, Glory, to the World, which they recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic, on March 10, 2021.[42] The sold out national Ride for Vengeance Tour was originally set to take place between January 24 and March 5,[43] but was rescheduled to between March 12 and April 6 following the Japanese government's declaration of a second state of emergency due to the pandemic and its extension.[44] The March 26 performance at Tokyo Dome City Hall was filmed and recorded for release as the Heavy Metal Never Dies – Live in Tokyo 2021 concert video and live album on September 29, 2021.[45]

On August 17, 2021, bassist Miho announced her departure from the band. The other members and their staff had held "countless meetings to find a way for her to stay," but ultimately decided to respect her decision. As a result, Lovebites temporarily suspended all activities, but assured fans that they would return.[46] Between September 10–26, the band accepted votes via social media to help decide the tracklist of their first "best of" album.[47] In the Beginning – The Best of 2017–2021 was released on December 22, 2021. The two-disc compilation features remastered versions of 21 songs, an additional disc containing all of their music videos, and the new track "Nameless Warrior", which was the last song recorded before Miho left the band.[48]

Between April 2 and May 24, 2022, Lovebites accepted auditions for a new bass player. Applicants had to create their own bassline to a track the band created for the occasion and submit a video of them performing it.[49] On October 21, Lovebites revealed 20-year-old Fami as their new bassist via a full-band performance video on YouTube.[50][51] An active musician since high school, Fami has produced her own solo album and has nearly 650,000 subscribers on her own YouTube channel.[50][51] Lovebites released their fourth studio album, Judgement Day, on February 22, 2023.[52] The limited editions of the album include footage of the bassist audition process, including the three songs Fami played with the band during the final selection.[52] Their first concerts with the new lineup were held at Ex Theater Roppongi on March 11 and 12, while the tour for the album ran from August 26 to September 24 and ended with a finale titled The Last Judgement on October 5.[52][53]

Lovebites are scheduled to make their American debut on September 6, 2024, at the ProgPower USA festival in Atlanta, Georgia.[54][55]