Review by Shadowdoom9 (Andi) for Lovebites - Glory, Glory, to the World (2021)
Around the time I'm making this review, the COVID pandemic has started to die down a lot. We're all going back to our normal lives, and bands have gone back to performing live shows. The only times people wear masks nowadays in when they have the virus which is much milder than when the pandemic firs started. But why am I talking about that here? Well, I'm about to bring up how it all went down in the perspective of one of many bands hit by this world-changing phenomenon...
Lovebites' tour for Electric Pentagram was cut short by the pandemic, with shows postponed or cancelled. However, that didn't stop the band from being productive. They wrote a theme song for an anime and starting working on a new EP. Glory, Glory to the World has given us some light in the darkness!
To start this 4 or 5-track EP, the opening title track blasts off with the guitarwork of Miyako and Midori, performing their tapping and shredding, sounding better than before! That motivational anthem has given listeners hope in these blighted times. "No Time to Hesitate" has fun energetic tricks that sound borrowed from Motorhead. Asami's vocals are so clear here, as is the bass by Miho (who by the way would leave the band after this EP). There's just so much greatness the band has made in a 4-year span.
Next song "Paranoia" has more progressive drumming by Haruna, filled with polyrhythms. "Dystopian Symphony" is where everything is so emotional, from the fast guitars and drums to the emotional keys and vocals. It's all performed sufficiently, and it makes another highlight. There's one track that isn't part of the original EP but ended up becoming a limited edition digital bonus track, "Winds of Transylvania". It was original written as the theme song for the anime Vlad Love, and I think this is the closest anime fans are gonna get to the fast beat and guitar tapping of DragonForce. It's one of their fastest and most thrashy songs that I love. VLAD LOVE!!!!
I always thought DragonForce was one of the very few bands that could pull off speedy power metal mixed with elements of prog, thrash, and melodeath, the latter two especially in Reaching Into Infinity. But now I know that Lovebites can do it too and they rule at that! They have quite the streak going on when it comes to masterpiece releases short or long. I think it's clear that the international part of their fanbase is the amount of ocean cover the earth, around 70%. The world has been blessed with their glory, Glory to the World. It's another chapter in their spectacular journey. And even with that EP being the last with bassist Miho, they would carry on with a new one and still sound as memorable as ever. I'll just end this review by saying.... Glory to Lovebites!
Favorites: All songs especially "Glory to the World", "Dystopian Symphony", and "Winds of Transylvania"