If You Can Find Tickets, Don't Miss Seeing This Band!

Long awaited first appearance in North America

Screenshot from “Unchained,” youtube © Victor (Japan)

Something interesting is always happening in the Japanese rock scene, but this moment feels different. Several important bands had been on the brink of calling it quits, only to re-emerge with a vengeance, and it’s all peaking now. Each of them had spun into crisis with the loss of one or more key band members. Each found a way to survive, and, what’s more, they all appear to have leveled up.

I previously posted on Bridear, the eldest of these bands (founded in 2011). They had gone through several lineup changes and experimented with a variety of styles. They eventually rebuilt around two young guitar phenoms who compose great songs and love to go hard. Their newest album and the accompanying music videos signal a return to their roots in old-school heavy metal.

If you didn’t see my post about their comeback, here it is.

Still Burning: When a Band Comes Back From the Brink Hotter Than Ever

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Lovebites lost their founder during the pandemic, when she left to deal with personal issues. The rest of the band went on hiatus while deciding what to do, and found themselves, like so many artists, isolated by the pandemic. In a way, their route to re-emergence was the most dramatic.

They knew they had to find a way to carry on without the person many fans viewed as the band's soul. Not just carry on—they had to replace her if they wanted to continue. After all, a rock band without a bassist is not really a thing, is it?

After a long spell in seclusion, they announced a global audition for a new bassist. Hundreds of musicians, many of them world-class, auditioned. A video documentary of the process is posted on YouTube; here is the short version:

The band eventually chose a 20-year-old wunderkind who had never performed in front of a live audience. It was a huge gamble, especially for a band whose renown has been built on live performances. It seems clear now that they hit the jackpot.

Their comeback is well underway. They have performed several live shows and released two DVDs of concert footage—over four hours worth—and all of it is astonishingly good. They have a new EP with five original songs coming out on August 28, and they will be making their first-ever appearances in North America from September 6–12.

A delightful surprise: Fusing Soul with Metal

“Unchained” is the first video single released from the new EP. In some ways, it is quite recognizable as a Lovebites song — melodic, high-energy, inspiring but also technical. In other ways, it is atypical. It is not heavy metal in the classic sense but a fusion of metal and… gospel?

The choruses, with their transitions from minor to major and the soaring vocals, bring to mind an American church revival. The body language in the video leaves little doubt in my mind that this was the intention. It is also an atypical Lovebites song because the two guitarists give us a harmonized duet instead of their usual duelling solos.

So what do you think? Am I imagining the gospel influence?

“Unchained” (official music video):

Lovebites are in the middle of their second international tour, and the first one which will bring them to North America. I consider them a must-see band, and have tickets for two of their shows. I’m on a waiting list for their first show, at ProgPower.

Here is what they are like live. The song is appropriately titled “We Are the Resurrection”:

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I will be posting much more about Lovebites. Meanwhile, their September tour dates are largely sold out, but tickets may still be available on the resale market. For me they are a can’t miss band. If you are interested, their official site is here.