Ranking all of Lovebites songs from weakest to best. (Updated w/Lovebites EP II songs)

    Power/speed/thrash metal band Lovebites comprise the best and most vital heavy metal band in a long, long time.  Not in recent memory have I been  so compelled to purchase every album and EP by a band.  They play heavy metal by old school rules with no emo or core bullshit, yet the infusion of what can best be called “anime music” influence has given them a fresh take on metal that only they can get away with.


    The band themselves are still relatively new (7 years old as of this writing), so a challenging task such as ranking a discography by songs is not THAT difficult (they haven’t even crossed the 60 mark yet).  Still for such a compelling body of work, nothing is easy, and one else on the internet has done this yet (no, really), so allow me to the first so that everyone afterwords will base their future opinions around my glorious E-peen.  Covers such as Eagle Fly Free and Painkiller will not be included.  They’re more like rare oddities rather than quirky staples all Green Manalishi for Judas Priest or Last Caress for Metallica.  Like anything, certain songs seen as staples will be called not so great, and songs you may not have heard of will be called the best thing ever!



So without further adieu:



60. Journey To The Otherside


I know, I know, it’s about former bassist and leader Rosanna Miho coping with the loss of her father, but like Running Wild’s “Diamonds of the Black Chest,” something about this chorus rubs me the wrong way.  Nothing really sticks out rhythmically or musically either.




59. Lost In The Garden


The only time Lovebites approach Dragonforce levels of silliness.  That extended outro… nah, this ain't it.




58. Wicked Witch


I can never remember how this one goes.



57. Spellbound


A staple of Lovebites catalog is the “gallop.” (The Trooper, Run To The Hills). However, the only difference between this and the other gallopers are the cheesy keytars.  Miyako actually uses it live, which sounds cool, until you actually see it and you realize keytars are the one thing from the 80s that should have stayed there.  Loses points for only being available on an extremely hard to find single.



56. Nameless Warrior


Blinding fast song with a somewhat interesting breakdown, but loses points for being the “new song on the greatest hits album.”  Not worth buying the compilation in question if you already have everything. If you still buy 2 disc greatest hits import CDs from Japan, you could do worse than get a copy.  At least Journey To The Other Side isn't on it.



55. Someone's Dream


Fami gets a bass solo.  Neato.  The rest of the song is rather generic.  Chorus ain't great either.



54. The Spirit Lives On


Has the unenviable task of following the legendary title track of their fourth album.  Nothing we haven’t heard before.



53. & 52. Shadowmaker & Bravehearted


OVERRATED & OVERRATED. Two multi-syllabic one word piles of forgettable that I still can’t tell apart from each other.  Along with We The United, these two have outstayed their welcome in the setlist.  Also, I love dearest Harupi Sweetchu, but if she is in fact a songwriter, how come she hasn’t written anything since this?  Even Midori has more songs than her at this point.



51. Scream For Me


Cool skank beat that implies a Sum 41 influence.  But Sum 41 didn’t write 6 minute songs that should have been 4.  Or at least not with the millennials nostalgic for Warped tour.



50. Break The Wall


OVERRATED.   Lovebites have a few songs that would be highlights on Testament and Overkill albums.  This is not one of them.  Possibly the most mid-thrash song ever.  That middle interlude part would be more interesting if it was its own song.



49. We The United


OVERRATED.   It's another fast song among many that doesn't have any real hooks.  The only real bit of interest is there's a minute long harmony solo between Midori & Miyako.



48. Inspire


Typical power metal, even with the piano.  Decent enough, but at this point I’m more interested in soft/slow following through than a bait and switch into something fast.  



47. Puppet on Strings


Empty Daydream part 2. Not a bad thing, but this got banished to "rare single B-side" status like Spellbound did.  They ought to at least put it on a live album. Above average solos and harmonies in the middle.   Would work ok as Sailor Moon ending credits.




46. Golden Destination


Another average gallop.  On it’s own its fine, but not what I would designate as the first single (for the excellent Electric Pentagram, the album of the 2020s).




45. Liar


Typical power metal, even with the piano.  Decent enough, but at this point I’m more interested in soft/slow following through than a bait and switch into something fast. Yes I know I already just wrote this for Inspire.  Point still stands.




44. Today is The Day


Colony drop of an opening section gives into more typical J-Rock flavored metal.  Fun tune, but lower tier compare to the rest of the Electric Pentagram songs.




43. Glory, Glory To The World


overrated....slightly.  Their most popular video on youtube.  Fast, but nothing really outstanding.  It’s certainly no Holy War or Rising.  Fucking algorithm.  Guitarist Tatematsu Midori supposedly wrote this being inspired by sermons in black churches.  I can’t say I’ve ever heard of black churches operating at 380 bpm, but what do I know?




42. Unchained


An above average gallop.  Sticky breakdown, stickier chorus. 




41. Soul Defender


"What's that, Judas Priest stole the 'A Frozen Serenade' acoustic interlude for 'Giants In The Sky?'  Well we'll just steal something from Invincible Shield then!"




40. Pledge Of the Saviour


Solid chorus, and the motif guitar harmony sounds inspired from Thin Lizzy’s Renegade.  Always a plus.  Would be higher if not for the fadeout.  Fuck fadeouts.




39. Warning Shot


More like a warning death star blast.  Infinitely more interesting than most of the “staples” from Awakening.




38. Dystopia Symphony

The closest they get to “flower metal” (a rather gaudy piano lick is the hook of the song), but not as bad as Lost In The Garden.




37. We Are The Resurrection 


Solid opener that indicates (albeit nervously) that the departure of Miho will not affect the intensity one iota.




36. The Apocalypse


Great fast song with a killer chorus that stumbles abit an awkward breakdown transition.




35. Addicted


Solider opener to the supposed AOR influenced album.  You know its AOR because it opens with acoustic guitars




34. Victim Of Time


Fast and furious Judgement Day cut worthy of being on Overkill’s 2010s output.




33. Mastermind 01


Ska-flavored like Scream For Me, but unlike the latter, this trims the fat.  In the context of the Clockwork Immortality album, it serves as a great primer for M.D.O.




32. Above The Black Sea


Symphonic metal done the right way.  Proof pudding that female guitarists are better suited to run bands than male keyboardists.   At least I assume that Miyako runs the band now.  I could be wrong (dark horse guess is Haruna).




31. Paranoia


Halfway through the Electric Pentagram cycle, Asami discovered a newfound love for thrash.  After a one minute entry fee (similar to Set The World On Fire) we find she has a better understanding of it than the big 4 do in 2024.




30. Signs Of Deliverance


Walls Of Jericho style riff opens to a song not quite of its caliber, but is worthy of Keeper 1.  (Keeper 1 is inferior to WoJ IMO.  Both are inferior to Keeper 2).




29. Rising


Opening will trick you into thinking it’s faster than it is.  Nifty waltzy piano interlude.  Bit of a carbon copy of Liar.  As of this writing, this is their highest streamed song on Spotify.  




28. Burden of Time


“Steamrolling [sic] like an 18 wheeler with a drunk driver driving, there’s no surviving.” -Inspectah Deck 




27. Dissonance


Asami’s self-proclaimed peak of her thrash songs.  No argument here.




26. The Crusade


Ever since Bastardhead called this an unashamed rewrite of Aces High, I’ve never quite been able to hear it otherwise, but at least this song’s dissonant harmonies don’t fuck up live albums like Aces Highs do (yeah I said it, sue me).




25. Where's Identity


It's like someone said to them "Stand & Deliver but lean even more into Exodus."  Success!




24. Winds of Transylvania


This one is the literal anime theme song.  Though they should have called it Tornados of Transylvania cos after hearing this you’ll feel like your kidneys have shifted.




23. The Awakening/Hammer Of Wrath


Thrash's long awaited answer to The Hellion/Electric Eye. GO! (second only to Tomas Lindberg).  




22. Holy War


The other big hit on youtube, or at least among vocal coaches (possibly because passerby think it’s a Megadeth cover.  It’s not).  A decent enough constructed song, with an excellent Stained Class- esque lead break from Miyako.




21. The Bell In The Jail


Not gonna lie, I was way more interested in where the doomy crushing intro was going to go before giving way to something off of Black Rose.  Still, easily the best song off the second Lovebites EP and I highly, highly encourage them to keep going in this direction.




20. My Orion


A girl power anthem waiting to happen.  Mid-paced and glorious.  Dammit ladies, go back to midpaced!  You’ve fulfilled your fast song quota (I feel like a dad telling the daughter to slow down during driving lessons).




19. Empty Daydream


Clockwork Immortality is regarded as being the most AOR influenced album.  This track is the most AOR, and it’s charming.




18. The Unbroken


This one has a Van Halen swing that you find on Hot For Teacher and Sinner’s Swing.  Wish one or two songs from Judgement Day did this.




17. Stand & Deliver (Shoot Em Down)


Motorhead meets Spice Girls.  Nasty and sassy.




16. M.D.O.


Another brilliant, deadly thrasher and well deserved live staple. Is to Lovebites what N.F.L. (and A.I.R.) is to Anthrax.   Pay particular attention to the chorus riffage underneath the chants. 




15. Raise Some Hell


A coked up Black Label Society with a pinch of Saxon’s "Denim and Leather".




14. No Time To Hesitate


UNDERRATED.  A death-from-the-skies chorus worthy of being an anime theme song.




13. When Destinies Align


Beloved classic. Opening harmony riff worthy of Somewhere In Time or Piece of Mind. Could be their best song if it was a little shorter.




12. Thunder Vengeance


THRAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSH!! 




11. Judgement Day 


Asami writing this deadly scorcher of a lead single on a piano is so shocking it’s the equivalent of the “TONY STARK BUILT THAT IN A CAVE WITH SCRAPS” meme.   And that final scream… Jesus.  Bruce, King Diamond and Rob would be proud.




10.  Swan Song


Exquisite classical flavored power speed metal.  Even better live when the fadeout to piano is replaced with a dead-stop.




9. Dancing With The Devil


Stadium stomper worthy of its own stage in BlazBlue. Awesome R&B vocal runs at the end.  MAKE MORE SONGS LIKE THIS DAMMIT!




8. Set The World On Fire


Why yes Virginia, those are blast beats.  If I was Testament or Exodus and I had to follow Lovebites when they play this song, I’d be sweating bullets (pun intended).




7. Epilogue


Limited Edition 2018 Still In Love With You.  Gary Moore, Brian Robertson, and Scott Gorham  (and Phil Lynott for that matter) would and should be proud.  Remember kids, the number one important detail in putting piano ballads in metal is god-tier guitar solos.




6. Under The Red Sky


The proper Lovebites concert grand finale.  Lyrically, it’s Electric Funeral taken to a power metal abstraction.  Typical happy power metal chorus, but given the subject matter that’s a miracle. 




5. Edge of the World


Crystallized perfection of the soft-to-loud, slow-to-fast formula. The last 2 minutes are worthy of a Sailor Moon final battle.  Asami’s vocals are powerful enough to pull you out of heroin addiction on a path to Bilderberg success.




4. The Final Collision


THE MOST UNDERRATED.  The S-tier chorus alone is worth the price of Clockwork Immortality. (Given that Lovebites are obscure by American standards, that's a pretty penny).  If this was the first Nightwish single with Floor Tarja would have been memory holed faster than you can say Chris Benoit.




3. Don’t Bite The Dust 


Classic bloody classic.  A unanimously beloved single and live staple.   This is the song we wish Iron Maiden would go back to writing after locking Steve Harris in a cellar.  




2. Soldier Stands Solitarily


A military grade kill-satellite meant to shatter moons and crater planets.   Goes toe to toe with the Angel Of Deaths, Strike Of The Beasts, Disciples of The Watches, Riot Of Violences, and other assorted L’amours staples.  




1. A Frozen Serenade


This Asami penned masterstroke is what legions of Euro-symphonic assclowns have been trying -and miserably failing- to create for the past 20 years.  What makes this track seminal is not only what does, but what it doesn’t do. No beauty and the beast vocal stupidity, no guitars taking a backseat to orchestras.  A truly progressive movement with nay a single note wasted.   Worthy of Rick Beato, Charismatic Voice AND Professor of Rock studies.

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