Lovebites - Battle Against Damnation (2018)^{Release ID: 12272}

I'm quite late in the Lovebites hype. I haven't discovered this band until 10 years after they formed. Probably because by the time people started hearing of that band in around 2017/2018, when I was abandoning my earlier melodic metal taste for the more modern heavier genres. I didn't know much about Lovebites until a certain Beyond the Black hit featuring vocalist Asami that made me up for that band. I'm glad that happened because they make some of the best modern-day power metal material today!

It only took the band a year to release their self-titled demo EP and their debut album Awakening from Abyss, both of which blew my mind the first time I've heard them. And now my mind is blown away by their next 4-track 21-minute EP, Battle Against Damnation! This shall help cement Lovebites as the best band in modern-day Japanese metal.

Blasting into the past is "The Crusade" with some Maiden-infused guitar melodies. "Break the Wall" has some thrash flavor to remind some of Testament. These ladies have really paid homage to the bands they seem to admire to make something new and original. The keys in the bridge sound so beautiful, fitting well for when the drums calm down after all that fury before then.

The second half show different sides with the titles suiting each occasion, starting with "Above the Black Sea". After a neoclassical tribute to Sergei Rachmaninoff, there's more of that Euro-style power metal. "Under the Red Sky" has the right blend of intensity and beauty. The different contrasts make another masterful gem from this band.

European and American metal have been spreading over through so many countries for decades, and those bands pay tribute to both the past and the present. Because of that, metal is far more diverse than possibly any other genre, and it shows. Lovebites has helped out with the genre's massive expansion by adding in their unique sound. They have proven the haters wrong. It's a battle this band and many others have won!

Favorites: All songs especially "Break the Wall" and "Under the Red Sky"

As it's my nomination for December 2023, and I have already rated this but feel it deserves a full review. I don't remember how I found out about these women from Japan but they rock hard. This is a heavy and fun release with some super strong and memorable riffs and sing-along choruses for the most die-hard metal head.  You cannot deny their talent here even if you come out of this not liking it, you are going to get this stuck in your head. Especially the last song, "It was that moment when I saw your smile", come on if you don't just get all hyped and keep that in your head for days after listening to this I don't know what will. It's symphonic, it's epic, it's fast and heavy music and all in just 21 minutes and 4 songs. All 4 songs while power metal, also hit a different vibe which is when I first listened to this got me super excited and needed more of this. Starts off with an awesome riff that reminds me of Iron Maiden, then into Break The Wall which has a thrashy sound like Megadeth . Above the Black Sea gives off a bit of a symphonic metal vibe to me and may possibly the best guitar solos on this tight EP. They shred so hard here  it's not hard to headbang here. The final song Under The Red Sky is the catchiest,  reminds me of Nightwish if they got more speed. I just can't help to sing along, and you'll feel like your listening to a big moment in an anime movie.

I've been keeping up with Lovebites since I first heard this EP and although their newer album are still solid they are pretty much all just straight power metal and don't try out these cool different genre switches as much as they do here. I love this band and hope they come out with something else similar to this again where they just have fun and try things like this again even if it's not good I want to hear more. These are one of those underappreciated acts that the eastern world just don't get enough advertising but are absolutely worth checking out and keeping in your head for days after listening.