INTERVIEW: Lovebites

First bursting out onto the metal scene in August of 2017 with their self-titled The Lovebites EP and subsequent debut album Awakening From Abyss, Japanese quintet LOVEBITES have since quickly established themselves as the latest in a long line of bands on the verge of crossing-over into worldwide attention, with a stylish, neo-classical-infused take on power metal that’s been making waves across the metal world over the last 12 months; bagging themselves festival slots at prestigious events like Bloodstock and Wacken, along with a Metal Hammer Golden Gods award nomination for Best New Band in the process. Ahead of the release of their latest EP, Battle Against Damnation, we had the opportunity to put some questions to the whole band and find out a bit more about the record, their influences and what’s coming up in their immediate future.

At the time of writing, we’re around two weeks away from the release of Battle Against Damnation – how excited are you for your fans to finally get to hear this record?

Asami (vocals): We’re so happy to finish work on this EP and to have the opportunity not only to release it overseas, but also to be able to play it live this summer at Wacken and Bloodstock!

There’s a lot of what sounds like classic British heavy metal influences on this record, particularly the likes of IRON MAIDEN on songs like The Crusade; as well as what sounds like a lot of European power metal across most of the record. Were there any particular bands you were inspired by as you went into the songwriting for this release?

Mi-Ya (guitar/keyboards): There are a lot of British, European and American metal bands we admire, but for this EP there were two particular names that I was thinking of while writing; these were Ireland’s Gary Moore and Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff. The guitar solo in the middle of Break The Wall was written with Moore in mind; when I think of a bluesy guitar sound I think of him.

Are there any tracks or specific moments on Battle Against Damnation that you’re especially proud of?

Mi-Ya: The final two songs of the EP. They are connected to each other and I wrote both as a kind of love letter to Rachmaninoff. I love his Piano Concerto No. 2 and I’ve dreamt of being able to play it on piano with the backing of a full orchestra one day, but my skill isn’t quite there yet. So instead I wanted to create a kind of ‘guitar concerto’, and this turned into the tracks Under The Red Sky and Above The Black Sea. For this reason, these two tracks are very personal and important to me.

This is obviously the band’s third proper release now, after your debut, THE LOVEBITES EP, and first album Awakening From Abyss both came out last year – how do you feel the band has progressed in the time since that first EP?

Miho (bass): Well, this is really our second proper release. THE LOVEBITES EP was more of a demo we made while trying to get signed, but the label who picked us up in Japan loved it so much they released it with proper mastering, and then we got a label overseas too who also released it. We celebrated our first-year anniversary last week, things have moved so fast in those 12 months! We never expected to be able to perform overseas so quickly, especially in London – it was a dream come true. And then being added to Wacken and Bloodstock! I’m so happy with what we could achieve in such a short time.

Obviously, one of the key things that sets LOVEBITES apart from some other Japanese bands is that your lyrics have almost always been entirely in English, with the exception of ‘Bravehearted’ from THE LOVEBITES EP – how early on in the formation of the band did you make that choice and do you think it’s helped a lot with gaining new fans around the world?

Miho: All of our favourite metal bands sing in English, it just feels natural we should sing in English too.

In the time since Awakening From Abyss came out, you’ve obviously been gaining a lot more attention from Western music press and fans, including getting nominated for “Best New Band” in Metal Hammer’s Golden Gods Awards 2018. Being quite a new band, how important is it to you that you’re already getting such recognition and high praise from critics and fans?

Miho: I’m so happy that we can be accepted by such prestigious metal institutions like Metal Hammer, Wacken and Bloodstock. Sometimes I doubted myself when creating this band, in Japan I could feel some negativity when I told people I wanted to make a proper metal band influenced by classic and modern bands. But in the end I don’t care, I love metal and this is the band I’ve always dreamed of being in. I’m so happy with others can enjoy our music too. Keep it metal!

Japanese heavy metal of all kinds always seems to have been a popular thing in Europe, first thanks to visual-kei styled acts like X JAPAN and DIR EN GREY, and more recently with heavier acts like CROSSFAITH, and even idol spinoff bands like BABYMETAL becoming hugely popular over here – what do you think it is that makes Japanese metal bands so interesting to foreign audiences around the world?

Midori (guitar): We have a lot of metal bands in Japan, but it’s only the ones at the top of their game that manage to be heard overseas, so of course they’re going to appeal to fans of the genre if the music is strong enough. Metal is metal.

In terms of live concerts, you’ve got a few shows in Japan coming up in June and July, and then you’re heading back over to Europe in August for both Bloodstock Festival here in the UK and Wacken Open Air in Germany – how does it feel to be playing at such huge festivals and what should people be expecting from a LOVEBITES live performance at those events?

Haruna (drums): We’ve come so far in just a year! It’s going to be a big challenge but I’m honoured to be in this position. I think you can expect a powerful metal performance from us with a strong stage presence.

Which of the new songs from Battle Against Damnation are you most looking forward to playing live?

Miyako: It’s gotta be The Crusade! Why? Two words; twin solos!”

Haruna: I’m looking forward to playing ‘Break The Wall’ live. It’s the most aggressive LOVEBITES song yet, and the verse is easy English to sing along with; ‘Die! By! My! Side!’, I’d be so happy to see fans sing this with their fists in the air.

What else is coming up for the band in the rest of 2018 and beyond?

Miho: We want to keep creating exciting and technically challenging music and play more and more shows!”

Is there any message you’d like to give to your fans and the readers of Distorted Sound Magazine?

Miho: Thank you Distorted Sound Magazine for being interested in writing about us, and thank you for reading the interview! We hope to see you with your fists in the air at one of our live shows someday soon.

Battle Against Damnation is set for release on June 8th via JPU Records.

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