LOVEBITES - JAPAN

Awakening From Abyss – 2017 - Victor
Clockwork Immortality – 2018 - Victor/Arising Empire
Electric Pentagram – 2020 - Victor/JPU
Heavy Metal Never Dies – Live In Tokyo 2021 – 2021 - Victor
Judgement Day - 2023 - Victor
Knockin' At Heaven's Gate - 2023 - Victor
Knockin' At Heaven's Gate - Part II - 2023 - Victor
Memorial For The Warrior Souls - 2024 - Victor

Lovebites image
  
 
Members
Vocals
Uverworld>>ASAMI>>Uverworld

Guitar
A Drop Of Joker, Sonic Lover Reckless, Solo>>MI-YA [WATANABE MIYAKO]>>Sonic Lover Reckless, Solo – Gekijometalicche>>TATEMATSU MIDORI


Bass
Destrose, Estrella, Moth In Lilac, Coma Countess>>Rosana Miho>>Moth In Lilac, Come Countess, Down Dope Squad, Maki Oyama, The Midnight Roses, Chaos Control - Solo>>FAMI>>Solo

Drum
Shizuoka Koutetsu Gassou Dan, Destrose>>YOSAI HARUNA>>Destrose





History & Biography
The Tokyo-based band was founded by former Destrose members bassist Miho and drummer Haruna in 2016 and immediately launched a management and record company, which were one and the same. Asami had never sung heavy metal before and had a background in R&B and session backing vocals. Her demo was heard by Miho and the rest of the band. The Lovebites EP came in May of 2017. Awakening From Abyss full-length arrived in the autumn of 2017. Lovebites released a new mini-album entitled Battle Against Damnation through Victor Entertainment in June 2018. Light Bringer’s Mao helped continuously with songwriting and keyboards. The group played a secret show in which they only played cover versions like Metallica and Krokus songs. The band played Bloodstock and Wacken that year. A tour of Europe took the band to several countries in 2018. The band signed a licensing deal with Arising Empire, the metalcore sub-label of Nuclear Blast, in late 2018. The band's next full-length album, entitled Clockwork Immortality, would be released on December 7th 2018. The group opened for Arch Enemy for two concerts in China in March 2019. The band and Dragonforce toured the UK and used the Extreme Power Metal monicker in late 2019. The girls had an album called Electric Pentagram through JPU Records on 31.01.2020. The band had a video for the song When Destinies Align. Golden Destination, a reference to Metallian Towers likely, was a single culled from the aforementioned album. The band contributed a song called Winds Of Transylvania to an anime called Vlad Love in late 2020. The anime's characters perform the Lovebites' song and a clip of the group was placed in the opening credits.

Lovebites released an EP, entitled Glory, Glory, To The World, through JPU Records in March 2021. A version of this EP contained the aforementioned Winds Of Transylvania. Heavy Metal Never Dies – Live In Tokyo 2021 was a live CD and DVD in 2021. The recording stemmed from a March show, which was postponed from January due to COVID-19. Bassist Miho left Lovebites in August 2021 and would not be persuaded to stay. The band claimed they tried to dissuade Rosana Miho from leaving. The reason for Miho's departure was not explained, but in her statement Miho said regarding her departure that ""Over the past couple of years, I have been self-reflecting and reconsidering how I can be myself as a musician." It was, therefore, thought that Miho was heading in a different direction than the rest of the group. Lovebites went on hiatus and vowed to return for a change despite how “hiatus” usually translates to disbandment in Japan. In a December 2021 twist, it was Watanabe Miyako Mi-ya who put out an announcement regarding her marriage and child birth. She simultaneously announced she is married and giving birth to a daughter. Lovebites announced open auditions for the vacant bass position, following Miho's departure, for May 2022. The band claimed any nationality or gender was welcome, but Japan was not allowing foreigners into the country at the time and this was deemed a marketing statement. Bassist Miho had quit the act in 2021. Asami wrote lyrics for Lonesome_Blue, which was the band of Aldious’ live guitarist Narumi (ex-Destrose). The band welcomed bassist Fami to the family as its newest member. She was a solo artist and a YouTuber.

Down Dope Squad surprisingly was not the latest Miami ghetto rap band, but an all-girl covers’ band featuring Yoshi and Oyama Maki (both from Aldious), former bassist Miho and Hina (TSP) in 2022. The group had a new album called Judgement Day in February 2023. The girls also announced concerts on March 11th and 12 for Ex Theater Roppongi, Tokyo, Japan. The album was again mixed and mastered by the Finns, Mikko Karmila and Mika Jussila. A version of the album came with a bonus DVD featuring footage from the recent bassist auditions. Miho was a guest on the 2023 solo album of Mari, the former drummer for Mary’s Blood. Miyako had a solo EP of mostly cover versions, called Etude Op.23, in 2023. The band conducted the Judgement Day tour of Japan in August and September. Fami was signing autographs at an appearance at something called 'bass day' in November. The band was booked for ProgPower USA Festival of September 2024. It would be its first USA concert. The band subsequently added three concerts in Dallas, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. A two-CD live album came in the summer of 2023. Knockin' At Heaven's Gate was taped in Tokyo. The band also issued a live DVD. Amusingly, the band announced a second part culled from a different night and with an overlapping line-up of songs. The band was booked for the Rock Imperium festival of Spain, Hellfest in France and a concert in Italy for June 2024. Others concerts were booked in UK and Belgium. The group joined the self-cover version trend and announced Memorial For The Warrior Souls, a live video/CD, which featured the concert at Hitomi Memorial Hall of September 2023. It was released by Victor in August 2024. An edition included a rerecorded edition of the band’s debut EP, which was now entitled Lovebites EP II. The group further announced a couple of gigs in South Korea, one alongside goth band Xandria at Jeonju Ultimate Music Festival, and a separate club performance. Moreover, Miyako announced the second A Day With Miyako piano recital for the autumn. Fans could attend via a ticket lottery and hear Miyako engage the piano in Tokyo.

The band’s album covers feature a wolf to signify the act’s lone wolf status. Love Bites (So Do I) is a song by American rock band Halestorm and was covered by Lovebites. The band’s releases generally follow an alphabetical order from A and on; however, The Lovebites EP debut and a release of a livestream do not follow the convention. Guitarist Midori is a bodybuilder.


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