Anyone who has been following my scribbles over the years will now that my normal listening practice is to play albums without any pre-conceived ideas and only read the press release when it is time to actually record my thoughts. My initial reaction as I was reading this was that of surprise as I was convinced that this was a German power metal/melodic rock act, and was totally thrown when I realised they were Japanese. I kept reading and when I got to the bottom there was the photo of the band, and it was only at this point I realised this was a women-only outfit. They were all dressed in white dresses, which made me immediately think of Angel, in total contrast to the rest of the scene so then went over to YouTube to see if there any live videos available. Lo and behold there was the complete set from last year’s Bloodstock with all five girls wearing the same outfits, as if they were heading for a night out, instead of taking the stage by storm.
Turning back to the album, what we have here is an incredibly commercial twin-guitar power metal act with commercial hooks and songs aplenty. Singer Asami reminds me somewhat of Doro, with just the slightest accent (all songs are in English) and she knows the limitations of her range but makes up for it in power. I have never held onto outdated views that women can’t rock, and these guys prove that it is possible to do just that and dress up at the same stage and not worry about denim and leather. But, forget the looks, and listen to the music as here is a band taking Eighties power metal by storm and giving a new lick of life. They had the crowd going at Bloodstock, with plenty of fists during the air during the very first song, and Lovebites are determined to do it their way, and with an album like this behind them I am sure nothing is going to get in their way. This is definitely a name to look out for, as they are going to be making big waves in the scene over the next few years.
Rating: 8/10
Links:
https://www.facebook.com/LovebitesTheBand/
https://www.arising-empire.com/
