The heavy metal band LOVEBITES has just released a thrilling performance video of ‘Swan Song’ from their live work, ‘Knockin’ at Heaven’s Gate – Chapter 2′, which hit the shelves today, December 20th. The release is now rocking their official YouTube channel.
‘Knockin’ at Heaven’s Gate – Chapter 2′ captures the electrifying atmosphere of the second day of ‘WE ARE THE RESURRECTION’, the band’s comeback show after a hiatus, held in March this year at Tokyo’s EX Theater. This marked the debut of their new formation featuring bassist fami. The video and audio of this passionately charged performance are comprehensively compiled in Blu-ray, DVD, and CD formats.
Back in August, the band released ‘Knockin’ at Heaven’s Gate – Live in Tokyo 2023′, showcasing the first day of the performance. It stirred a buzz, topping Oricon’s (Japan’s major ranking system) weekly Music DVD and Blu-ray charts upon its release (dated September 4th). This new release encapsulates the second day’s set, which saw significant changes, including five tracks that weren’t played on the first day, like ‘We The United’. It’s a true testament to their triumphant return, with both nights combined offering a complete picture of their revival. The newly released ‘Swan Song’ is a breathtaking video exclusively performed on the second day, encapsulating the entire venue in a massive sing-along.
For international fans, snagging a copy of LOVEBITES’ Blu-rays and other visual media can be a bit of a challenge, so for now, let’s all enjoy the heart-pounding action on YouTube and streaming platforms!
Artist Profile: LOVEBITES
LOVEBITES formed in 2016 with vocalist Asami, guitarists Midori and Miyako, bassist Miho and drummer Haruna. The band’s EP THE LOVEBITES EP was mixed by Mikko Karmila and mastered by Mika Jussila, a team of talented Finnish engineers known for their work with Nightwish, Children of Bodom and Amorphis. In May 2017 LOVEBITES made their debut and released THE LOVEBITES EP through London’s JPU Records, followed by full length album AWAKENING FROM ABYSS in October 2017 and had a series of shows in Japan and the UK.
In 2018 LOVEBITES made their first festival appearance at Vans Warped Tour Japan 2018 Presented by XFLAG, as well as a headline show in June for mini album BATTLE AGAINST DAMNATION. In July they participated in HEADSTRONG FES.18 organised by ANTHEM, followed by performing at the world’s biggest metal festival Wacken Open Air in Germany and Bloodstock Open Air in the UK. They also toured Europe with X-ray Touring. After returning to Japan LOVEBITES completed their second album CLOCKWORK IMMORTALITY by the end of the year, and performed at Metal Mania by RED BULL, which also featured LOUDNESS.
LOVEBITES began 2019 by touring Japan, followed by supporting Arch Enemy on tour in China. First live album DAUGHTERS OF THE DAWN: LIVE IN TOKYO 2019 was released in July, recorded at MYNABI BLITZ AKASAKA in Tokyo in support of CLOCKWORK IMMORTALITY. The same month the band toured festivals, including Download Festival in the UK, Graspop Metal Meeting in Belgium, and Download Festival Madrid in Spain. At Download Festival in the UK, Asami joined HALESTORM on stage to sing “Love Bites (And So Do I)”, the song that gave LOVEBITES their name. When the band returned to Japan they toured Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka before appearing at SUMMER SONIC 2019. They then joined DragonForce for their UK tour in November as special guests.
In January 2020, the band released third album ELECTRIC PENTAGRAM. It became the band’s first album to enter Japan’s Oricon Top 10 rankings, peaking at number nine. The band then kicked off tour of Japan in February and released FIVE OF A KIND: LIVE IN TOKYO 2020 in July, recorded at Zepp DiverCity, which reached number one in the Oricon Music Blu-ray chart.
In March 2021 they released mini album GLORY, GLORY, TO THE WORLD, which reached number ten in the billboard general chart. Immediately afterwards the band began the RIDE FOR VENGEANCE TOUR 2021, touring four cities across Japan. In August Miho left the band and it was announced that LOVEBITES would take a break. In the meantime HEAVY METAL NEVER DIES – LIVE IN TOKYO 2021 was released in the UK as a CD and video on demand release, featuring the Tokyo show from the RIDE FOR VENGEANCE TOUR 2021, followed by best album IN THE BEGINNING: THE BEST OF 2017-2021.
In April 2022, the band held an audition for all nationalities, ages, and genders worldwide to find a new bassist. After a long selection process, fami joined in October of the same year, leading to LOVEBITES once again being composed of five members.
