Formation and first album (2016–2017) Lovebites was formed in
Tokyo in 2016 by bassist Miho and drummer Haruna. The two met while members of
Destrose, another all-female metal band that disbanded in 2015. After recruiting guitarist
Midori and support guitarist and keyboardist Miyako (then known as Mi-ya), the four chose vocalist Asami based on a demo she made. Midori was in the band Gekijo Metalicche, Miyako was a member of A Drop of Joker and 21g, while Asami was a backup singer for
Vamps and
Uverworld. During one rehearsal, the musicians performed "
Love Bites (So Do I)" by
Halestorm. Feeling that the song fit well with Asami's voice, it left an impression on all of the members and they chose Lovebites as the name for their new band. They had their first concert on November 18, 2016, at Tsutaya O-West as part of the Girls Band Next Generation event. They had previously performed a secret gig at
Shibuya O-Crest on August 4, 2016, under the pseudonym "POWERSLAVES". Lovebites released their debut EP,
The Lovebites EP, in May 2017 via
Victor Entertainment. Miho explained that it was more of a demo to get the band signed, but the label liked it so much they had it properly mastered and released. It was mixed by Mikko Karmila and mastered by Mika Jussila, who have worked with acts like
Nightwish,
Children of Bodom, and
Stratovarius, at
Finnvox Studios in
Helsinki, Finland. The EP was released in the United Kingdom on August 25 by
JPU Records and in North America by
Sliptrick Records on August 31. Support member Miyako became a full member of the band in August 2017. Their first full-length album
Awakening from Abyss was released in Japan and North America on October 25, It was again mixed and mastered by Karmila and Jussila and includes re-recordings of the four tracks from their debut EP. In between, the group played their first gigs outside Japan: two nights at Hyper Japan Christmas and one show at
Camden Underworld, both in
London at the end of November 2017. They then performed on the Japanese leg of
Warped Tour on April 1 and released their second EP
Battle Against Damnation on June 6. Days later, they won the 2018
Metal Hammer Golden Gods Award for Best New Band. They performed at
Wacken Open Air on August 4, becoming the first Japanese all-female metal band to appear at the German festival. They also performed on the main stage at
Bloodstock Open Air on August 10, 2018. In November, Lovebites held their first European tour that saw them visit the Netherlands, Germany, France and the UK. The band released their second album
Clockwork Immortality on December 5 in Japan. Limited editions of the album include a DVD or Blu-ray of the concert video
Battle in the East, which was recorded on June 28, 2018, at
Tsutaya O-East. It was released in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand two days later by
Arising Empire, and in the UK by JPU Records on January 18, 2019. Lovebites was the opening act for
Arch Enemy at two shows in Shanghai and Beijing, China on March 23 and 24, 2019. In June, they performed at the
Download Festival in both Donington, UK and Madrid, Spain and at the
Graspop Metal Meeting in Dessel, Belgium. Their set at Donington was cited by its organizers and
Metal Hammer as one of the festival's highlight performances, including when Asami joined Halestorm on stage to sing her band's namesake song, which she had also done earlier at Download Festival Japan on March 21. On July 10, Lovebites released their first standalone concert video and live album,
Daughters of the Dawn – Live in Tokyo, recorded on January 27, 2019, at
Mynavi Blitz Akasaka. The three-date Daughters of the Dawn Tour took place between July 12 and August 9. and opened for Halestorm in Tokyo on December 2. The band's third studio album,
Electric Pentagram, was released on January 29, 2020. On July 22, Lovebites released their second standalone concert video and live album,
Five of a Kind – Live in Tokyo 2020, recorded on February 21, 2020, at
Zepp DiverCity. To celebrate the third anniversary of
Awakening from Abyss, the band streamed a live studio performance titled Awake Again, where they played the album in its entirety on October 25. Lovebites wrote the song "Winds of Transylvania" to be used as the opening theme of the
anime series
Vlad Love and were named an official ambassador for the series. Its director,
Mamoru Oshii, commented that "I could immediately see parallels between the five members and the main character of
Vlad Love. They are like a heretic of heavy metal, wearing bright white outfits while playing intense music, they are the perfect choice to take charge of a theme song to an anime not bound by convention or common sense. And above all, their name couldn't be more fitting!" The band members appear in the anime's opening credits, which also features
Vlad Loves fictional characters performing the song in a sequence that the animators based on the band's. A CD including "Winds of Transylvania" and the three other themes of the anime was released at
Ichigo Animation's CulZone stores on January 9, 2021. Lovebites released their third EP
Glory, Glory, to the World, which they recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic, on March 10, 2021. The sold out national Ride for Vengeance Tour was originally set to take place between January 24 and March 5, but was rescheduled to between March 12 and April 6 following the Japanese government's declaration of a second state of emergency due to the pandemic and its extension. The March 26 performance at
Tokyo Dome City Hall was filmed and recorded for release as the
Heavy Metal Never Dies – Live in Tokyo 2021 concert video and live album on September 29, 2021. On August 17, 2021, bassist Miho announced her departure from the band. The other members and their staff had held "countless meetings to find a way for her to stay," but ultimately decided to respect her decision. As a result, Lovebites temporarily suspended all activities, but assured fans that they would return. Between September 10–26, the band accepted votes via social media to help decide the tracklist of their first "best of" album.
In the Beginning – The Best of 2017–2021 was released on December 22, 2021. The two-disc compilation features remastered versions of 21 songs, an additional disc containing all of their music videos, and the new track "Nameless Warrior", which was the last song recorded before Miho left the band.
Fami joins and first world tour (2022–present) Between April 2 and May 24, 2022, Lovebites accepted auditions for a new bass player. Applicants had to create their own
bassline to a track the band created for the occasion and submit a video of them performing it. On October 21, Lovebites revealed 20-year-old Fami as their new bassist via a full-band performance video on
YouTube. An active musician since high school, Fami has produced her own solo album and has nearly 650,000 subscribers on her own YouTube channel. The limited editions of the album include footage of the bassist audition process, including the three songs Fami played with the band during the final selection. Lovebites held their first world tour, The Thin Line Between Love and Hate, between June 14 and September 12, 2024. It saw 17 performances in 16 cities and 10 countries, including four sold-out solo concerts in Europe and three in America. It included a South Korean date and an American leg, marking their first shows in both countries, and performances at the Rock Imperium Festival and
Resurrection Fest in Spain,
Hellfest in France, and the
ProgPower USA festival in Atlanta, Georgia. The band's fourth EP,
Lovebites EP II, was released during the tour on August 28, 2024. Lovebites then held the Eternal Phenomenon Tour throughout Japan from January 26 to March 13, 2025. It featured nine concerts, including visits to each member's hometown. In between dates of the tour, they had their first show in Mexico on March 1 as part of the Titans of Metal Fest. The band released their fifth studio album,
Outstanding Power, on February 18, 2026, and performed their first concert at the
Nippon Budokan on March 29. The latter was completely sold out and saw Lovebites announce the Outstanding Tour, their largest Japanese tour to date, which will feature ten shows in nine cities from August 29 to September 26. == Music and influences ==