Lovebites (stylized as LOVEBITES) is a Japanese power metal band, formed in 2016 by former Destrose members Miho and Haruna. Its lineup currently consists of Haruna on drums, Midori and Miyako on guitar, Asami on vocals, and Fami on bass. After signing to Victor Entertainment, the group released both their debut EP and their first album in 2017, The Lovebites EP and Awakening from Abyss, before performing their first overseas concerts at the end of the year. With another EP and album released in 2018, Battle Against Damnation and Clockwork Immortality, Lovebites quickly garnered international attention and won that year's Metal Hammer Golden Gods Award for Best New Band. Following the releases of Electric Pentagram (2020) and Glory, Glory, to the World (2021), bassist Miho left the band in August 2021. After a year-long hiatus, Lovebites recruited Fami on bass and released Judgement Day, their fourth album, in February 2023. It is their highest-charting record to date, reaching number 5 on both the Oricon and Billboard Japan charts.
History
Formation and first album (2016–2017)
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. 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. 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. 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. They had their first concert on November 18, 2016, at Tsutaya O-West as part of the Girls Band Next Generation event. For the show, they were supported by third guitarist Sena. They had previously performed a secret gig at Shibuya O-Crest on August 4, 2016, under the pseudonym "POWERSLAVES".
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. 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.
Support member Miyako became a full member of the band in August 2017. Their first full-length album Awakening from Abyss was released in Japan and North America on October 25, and in the UK two days later. It was again mixed and mastered by Karmila and Jussila and includes re-recordings of the four tracks from their debut EP. The album was supported by the sold out three-date Awakening from Abyss Tour 2017 from November 17 to December 7. 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.
International recognition and Miho's departure (2018–2021)
On February 23, 2018, Lovebites played a concert titled Re-Awakening from Abyss at Duo Music Exchange. They then performed on the Japanese leg of Warped Tour on April 1 and released their second EP Battle Against Damnation on June 6. Days later, they won the 2018 Metal Hammer Golden Gods Award for Best New Band. They performed at Wacken Open Air on August 4, becoming the first Japanese all-female metal band to appear at the German festival. They also performed on the main stage at Bloodstock Open Air on August 10, 2018. In November, Lovebites held their first European tour that saw them visit the Netherlands, Germany, France and the UK. 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. 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.