Lovebites is as precise a mechanism as a Grand Seiko timepiece.

Lovebites is as powerful an industrial machine as a Lexus LFA.

Lovebites is as finely tuned as, well, the universe – the actual universe on the very largest scale, which means, basically, gravitation, the universal force of attraction between all forms of matter.

What that means in rock music terms is that Lovebites, the all-women Japanese band whose mantra is “We are Lovebites, and we play heavy metal,” is as complicated, as powerful, and as sophisticated as any rock band that has ever hit the stage.

That “hit the stage” is the key phrase in the previous paragraph. Lovebites is a band that is best experienced live. If you’re lucky enough, that means in person. If not, Lovebites has provided ample documentation in Blu-ray, DVD and CD releases. It is only in concert is where the listener can begin to grasp – just barely – the enormity of the greatness of Lovebites.

「1」

Don’t misunderstand. Lovebites’ studio albums and EPs are outstanding works of rock art. The songs kick ass; the hooks are wildly accessible; and the performers – vocalist asami, drummer haruna, bassist miho, and guitarists miyako and midori tatematsu – are as appealing as any group since The Beatles.

And, yes, Lovebites’ management packages all of this to within an inch of the band’s lives. The studio albums are such products of studio wizardry as to be almost overwhelming. There hasn’t been a wall of sound with this many guitars since Oasis’ ill-fated album Be Here Now. In listening to the studio recordings, the listener doesn’t know where to focus his or her attention.

The EP Golden Destination is an example of the excess of which producers can be guilty. This otherwise admirable release contains an utterly unnecessary “orchestral” version of the song “Thunder Vengeance.” If you can hear an “orchestra” anywhere in this relentless assault on the nerves, then you should be satisfied with the quality of your aural abilities. The best strategy is to ignore extraneous string sections and synthesizer soundscapes.

 

The real question is, “are Lovebites able to translate the complexity of their albums to live performance?”The answer is “holy shit, how do they do that?”

 

「2」

A Lovebites concert is as highly choreographed as any performance by the Tokyo Ballet. A quick comparison of the timings of live performances to the original studio performances indicate that the length of the songs in concert track very closely with the studio timings (see chart below). Most of the differences in timing can be attributed to audience applause and to asami’s announcements. A great rhythm section and in-ear monitors work wonders.

And because Lovebites is such a complex piece of machinery, it is impossible to capture all of their intricacies in one article. This will be the first in a series that explore why close listening to a Lovebites concert on Blu-ray, DVD or CD can be such a rewarding experience.

These articles will be based primarily on the official live recordings. There are currently five available, with a sixth to be released later this month:

1. Battle in the East – Live at Tsutaya O-East (June 28, 2018) – Bonus DVD with the Clockwork Immortality It will be referred to as “Battle” in these articles.
2. Crusaders Standing At Wacken – Live at the Wacken Festival in Germany (August 4, 2018) – Bonus DVD with some packages of the Electric Pentagram CD (“Wacken”)
3. Daughters Of the Dawn – Live at Mynavi Blitz Akasaka, Tokyo (January 27, 2019) – DVD and CD Release (“Daughters”)
4. Invitation To The Theatre – Live at EX Theater, Roppongi, Tokyo (July 12, 2019) – Two bonus CDs with some packages of Electric Pentagram (“Invitation”)
5. Five Of A Kind – Live at Zep DiverCity, Tokyo (February 21, 2020) – available in stand-alone DVD, BluRay and CD releases (“Five”).

「3」

Battle is unique in that it is an inventory of the complete works of Lovebites at one point in time. It includes every song from The Lovebites EP, Awakening From Abyss, and the second EP Battle Against Damnation. In fact, with the exception of four songs from the most recent album, Electric Pentagram, two songs from the Golden Destination EP and “Winds Of Transylvania,” the newest anime single, every song in their catalog has been documented in live performance. Invitation has the added bonus of a cover of the Halestorm song, “Lovebites,” from which the band took its name, and miyako’s performance of the opening theme from Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor. Five features miyako’s performance of Frederic Chopin’s Opus 10, No. 12, the “Revolutionary Etude.”

Wacken is notable because it is the rawest of the recordings. Lovebites may seem like it can attain perfection in every concert, but the listener can hear some imperfections on this particular recording. There is the slightest of hesitations and unintended click of a string toward the end of midori’s solo in “Over The Black Sea.” There is a bend on miyako’s introduction to “The Crusade” that doesn’t quite reach its intended tone. asami’s rising octave swoops, when she accents songs with a blood-curdling “Yeah,” are not always as smooth as they usually are. These are minor quibbles. But they accentuate the dangers – and glories – of live performance.

「4」

As always, the devil is in the details. And the details in the context of a Lovebites performance are more often than not contained in the guitar work of miyako and midori. Or midori and miyako. Because if one of the two is the fastest guitarist on the planet Earth, then the other is the second fastest. The only arbiters of the question are midori and miyako (or miyako and midori) themselves.

On the live recordings, miyako is in the left side of the mix, and midori is in the right on the recordings from 2018, Battle In The East (June 28, 2018) and Crusaders Standing At Wacken (August 4, 2018). In 2019, they switched the sides of the stage on which they stand. Therefore, on Daughters Of The Dawn, Invitation To The Theatre, and Five Of A Kind, midori is in the left side of the mix, and miyako is in the right. On the studio recordings, the lead guitar is typically in the center of the mix. The album notes indicate which guitarist is playing the solos. As a general rule, both midori and miyako play solos in every song, and they often come together for dual guitar solos, particularly at the conclusion of instrumental sections.

「5」

What you get with midori and miyako are:

• Creativity – miyako and midori both have the genius to continually surprise the listener with their willingness to do unexpected things on the guitar. In this respect, they truly rival the most eccentric guitar geniuses of the past, from blues masters such as Luther Allison (especially miyako) to progressive alchemists such as Adrian Belew (primarily midori) to rockers such as the late, great EVH (both miyako and midori);
• Technical facility – midori and miyako have mastered every aspect of high-speed guitar playing, including sweep picking, string tapping, bends, pinch harmonics and pretty much anything else you can think of. High speed guitar playing requires a tremendous amount of effort. It requires countless hours of practice with a metronome, starting slowly and gradually increasing speed. For miyako and midori to utilize all of these techniques at such high speeds with such precision is a testament to their dedication to the craft;
• Intense concentration – midori and miyako have the ability to do on stage what they do in the studio without any lapse in quality. Instead, there is a noticeable increase in intensity. They play off of each other at times, and they lock into each other at other times. It is almost as if their fingers are intertwined.

The best example of the uncanny symbiosis between miyako and midori Is the instrumental section of “We The United,” which is unusual in that the entire guitar “solo” is done in unison by both miyako and midori. The fact that miyako finds time during the glorious neo-classical section of this solo on the Daughters version to brush back her hair over her shoulder is a mystery that may never be solved.

「6」

The rhythm section of miho and haruna is a study in contrasts. miho is the most nonchalant of the players on stage. This doesn’t mean that she is as impassive as John Entwistle of the Who or other stereotypically stoic bass players. She definitely has her rock star moves. But she plays in an effortless manner that belies – gives a false impression of – the relentless onslaught of her fretwork.

haruna, on the other hand, demonstrates the most intense concentration of the band members. As the drummer in a band that is going full-tilt boogie at almost every moment, she could be forgiven for simply maintaining the beat. Instead, she uses a complicated repertoire of clever fills, deft cymbal-work and unflagging kick drum beats to create sophisticated sonic interest. And despite haruna’s exceptional concentration to accomplish this rhythmic wizardry, her smiles indicate that she is having a hell of a lot of fun.

「7」

To return to the metaphor of the laws of the universe, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) defines gravity as the force by which a planet or other body draws objects toward its center. Not surprisingly, the gravitational pull in Lovebites is exerted by vocalist asami. And her greatness as a singer is not just in her voice, which is suited for almost very genre of music, but also in her dominating stage presence. One often hears the cliché of a performer holding an audience “in the palm of their hands.” asami makes a mockery of that cliché by, somehow, becoming one with the audience.

The next article in this series will explore the vocal and performance characteristics that make asami one of the most exciting singers in rock music. It will also explain why asami would be a perfect interpreter of the classic jazz standards, “Vanity” and “Solitude.”

Future articles in this series will discuss each of the instrumentalists, the songwriting, the arrangements and other aspects of Lovebites.

Please click on “日本語” in the top menu for the Japanese version of this article.

					Battle		Crusaders
					In The		Standing
		Lyrics	Music	Time	East	Time	At Wacken	Time
					6/28/2018		8/4/2018
The Lovebites EP
1	Don’t Bite The Dust	Miho	Mao/Miho	4:13	13	4:13	4	4:20
2	The Apocalypse	Miho	Mao/Miho	5:00	9	5:00
3	Scream For Me	Dr. U	Miyako	5:46	5	7:15
4	Bravehearted	Haruna	Haruna	6:10	12	7:18
Awakening From Abyss
1	The Awakening		Miyako	2:05	1	1:13	1	0:55
2	The Hammer Of Wrath	Miho	Mao/Miho	4:41	10	4:56	2	4:51
3	Warning Shot	Asami	Miyako	4:03	3	4:01
4	Shadowmaker	Asami	Miyako	5:42	6	5:57	6	6:23
5	Scream For Me	Dr. U	Miyako	6:12	5	7:15
6	Liar	Dr. U	Miyako	6:03	11	6:24
7	Burden of Time	Miho	Mao/Miho	4:46	12	5:05
8	The Apocalypse	Miho	Mao/Miho	6:12	9	5:00
9	Inspire	Asami	Araken	5:20	8	5:34
10	Don’t Bite The Dust	Miho	Mao/Miho	4:13	13	4:13	4	4:20
11	Edge Of The World	Asami	Mao	6:44	15	7:08
12	Bravehearted	Asami/Haruna	Haruna	6:11	16	7:18
Battle Against Damnation
1	The Crusade	Miho	Miyako	4:51	2	5:43	3	4:56
2	Break The Wall	Miho	Miho/Miyako	5:25	4	5:27
3	Above The Black Sea	Asami	Miyako	5:05	7	5:13	5	5:14
4	Under The Red Sky	Asami	Mao	5:50	14	6:54
					Daughters		Invitation		Five
					Of The		To The		Of A
		Lyrics	Music	Time	Dawn	Time	Theater	Time	Kind	Time
					1/27/2019		7/12/2019		2/21/2020
The Lovebites EP
1	Don’t Bite The Dust	Miho	Mao/Miho	4:13	17	4:10	3	4:13	3	4:13
2	The Apocalypse	Miho	Mao/Miho	5:00
3	Scream For Me	Dr. U	Miyako	5:46
4	Bravehearted	Haruna	Haruna	6:10	3	7:14	17	6:40
Awakening From Abyss
1	The Awakening		Miyako	2:05			1	2:10	16	2:09
2	The Hammer Of Wrath	Miho	Mao/Miho	4:41			8	5:08	17	5:03
3	Warning Shot	Asami	Miyako	4:03
4	Shadowmaker	Asami	Miyako	5:42	9	5:57	16	6:16	7	6:17
5	Scream For Me	Dr. U	Miyako	6:12	7	6:38
6	Liar	Dr. U	Miyako	6:03			14	6:55
7	Burden of Time	Miho	Mao/Miho	4:46
8	The Apocalypse	Miho	Mao/Miho	6:12			2	4:51
9	Inspire	Asami	Araken	5:20			7	5:35
10	Don’t Bite The Dust	Miho	Mao/Miho	4:13	17	4:10	3	4:13	3	4:13
11	Edge Of The World	Asami	Mao	6:44	14	7:34			18	7:24
12	Bravehearted	Asami/Haruna	Haruna	6:11	3	7:14	17	6:40
Battle Against Damnation
1	The Crusade	Miho	Miyako	4:51	4	4:56
2	Break The Wall	Miho	Miho/Miyako	5:25	8	5:46	5	5:25	6	5:40
3	Above The Black Sea	Asami	Miyako	5:05	10	5:12
4	Under The Red Sky	Asami	Mao	5:50	18	6:30	19	7:16
Clockwork Immortality
1	Addicted	Asami	Miyako	5:25	2	5:25			10	5:30
2	Pledge Of The Saviour	Asami	Miyako	5:18	5	4:47
3	Rising	Asami	MIyako	5:45	6	6:55	4	6:35	4	6:48
4	Empty Daydream	Asami	Miyako	5:16	11	7:27	11	6:24
5	Mastermind 01	Asami	MIyako	4:19			6	4:29
6	M.D.O.	Miho	Mao/Miho	4:16	12	4:14	13	4:34	13	4:20
7	Journey To The Otherside	Miho	Mao/Miho	4:47	13	5:05
8	The Final Collision	Miho	Mao/Miho	5:45			10	5:48
9	We The United	Asami	Mao	5:29	15	6:10	18	6:04	19	7:20
10	Epilogue	Asami	Asami/Mao	7:07	16	8:03
Electric Pentagram
1	Thunder Vengeance	Miho	Mao/Miho	5:33					1	6:48
2	Holy War	Lovebites	Mao/Miho	5:57					2	5:54
3	Golden Destination	Miho	Mao/Miho	6:03					14	6:31
4	Raise Some Hell	Asami	Miyako	5:21					5	5:25
5	Today Is The Day	Asami	Miyako	5:51
6	When Destinies Align	Asami	Miyako	6:06					15	7:13
7	A Frozen Serenade	Asami	Asami/Mao	6:48
8	Dancing With The Devil	Asami/Midori	Mao/Midori	5:09					11	5:20
9	Signs Of Deliverance	Asami	Miyako	5:09			12	5:07	12	6:11
10	Set The World On Fire	Asami	Miyako	5:47
11	The Unbroken	Miho	Mao/Miho	6:31
12	Swan Song	Asami	Miyako	6:27					9	6:36
	Frederic Chopin – Etude Op 10, No 12 (Revolutionary Etude)						9	1:50	8	1:30
	LOVE BITES (SO DO I)						15	3:08
	Clockwork Immortality (Intro)				1	1:02
	The Everlasting (Outro)				19	2:11