Lovebites: Outstanding Power
Now, I don't really do album reviews, and I especially don't write them for metal-archives, but this is an exception. I mean my post popular post on said blog is a Lovebites' song-ranking for fuck's sake! So I feel like I have to give a review of it, particularly since the metal press seems to be completely avoiding it, choosing to wait for the Napalm Records release instead. Ladies, everyone says it, and I'll say it too, FIRE YOUR MANAGEMENT! This is Jayne Andrews' levels of incompetence. Hell, I'd entertain a bit that Andrews could do a better job!
If you want the short of it, better than Judgement Day, not as good as Electric Pentagram, but definitely a step in the right direction. 10/10 by modern standards, and 8 or a 9 by their standards.
What we have an album that is very much a power metal album, but willing to take a couple of chances. Unfortunately the way things are sequenced, it's almost like their apologetic for taking such chance. Case in point being Phoenix Rises Again following the album's most daring song, "Dream of King." It does perfectly stand to reason to follow a chance up with something typical if you're sticking to your own sound, but I don't think I'd like Phoenix Rises Again if Helloween made it.
We also have for the first time ever, every member of the band contributing music. That's right, not only has Fami written her first metal song (only 11 more to go* to match Miho), but Haruna has awaken from her songless stupor to give us a song that is in fact better than Bravehearted (though that ain't sayin much, I never loved Bravehearted to begin with)! Side note: Haruna is the only musician here that didn't need Mao's musical help to complete the song. This notion, combined with the fact that she's the drummer, is really really funny to me.
Midori's contribution is Wheels on Fire, and come on girl, you can do better than this. Maybe a little less time in the gym next album. Asami gives us what might be my favorite song on the album "Eve of Change" and the first ballad she's written since Epilogue, Eternally? Is it better? Hard to say (the "YOUR MY LIFE" bit is a tad clunky), but it's a fantastic song either way.
The rest, as usual, is Miyako, who provides as with the usual faire of power metal with the occasional thrash tunes. But her most fascinating track on here is the aforementioned "Dream of King." Aside from the wacky grammar (don't you guys have proofreaders/translators for this), this is Lovebites take on "modern metal" for lack of a better term, but it avoids the stupid parts (dumb core vocals, hip hop scratches, lack of guitar solos) and emphasizes the parts that matter (slower tempos, dabbles in electronic). I applaud her for taking this chance and wish there was more songs that took chances. You guys are 5 albums in now, start proving that you are more than just another Euro-power metal band!
I've never been much of a production expert, and half the time I hear these commenters online bitch I wanna smack em, but I wanna emphasize something a couple of others have mentioned and isn't super discussed: Asami's diction. It's gotten really weak.
Now, Japanese accent's and dialogue are always going to be an obstacle for western audiences, but you could understand "What is the worst way to die," "This will be our final night, this will be our final fight," "humans are greedy and selfish" "If you've never been hurt, you can't feel the pain of others) "look at those black clouds, it's going to break us (although I swear that penultimate word sounds like rape).
Lyrics matter and enunciation matters. The most famous metal vocalists are James Hetfield, Dave Mustaine, Corey Taylor, Bruce Dickinson and Ozzy Osbourne (were in that last case :( ), and it's less for their ability and more for the ease of the listener to understand what they are saying. I've heard more than one person complain that "she might as well be singing in Japanese," and that is NOT a good thing. For fuck's sake Nagi sings Rainbow's "Kill The King" with BETTER clarity than Dio did! You're supposed to be one of the English speakers that actually lived in the states while you went college!
All in all, Outstanding Power was worth the wait, is one of their better ones, and I'm still rooting for them!
9/10 by their standards
9.5/10 by everyone else's
*and 10 good ones
Can't believe I beat BastardHead for a review to this, please come back!
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