Lovebites - Electric Pentagram (Review)

Band Lovebites follows the strategy that I expected: if they release new songs, then obviously not in 2019, - they lefted too much strength in 2018. The absence of new albums in 2019 was a justified decision - it's noticeable that they work at the limit of their capabilities. However, there was no need to wait long for new songs: on January 29 a new album was released.

My rating: 72/100 Best song: Dancing With the Devil

The general concept looks like a new attempt to put pressure on nostalgia sense of the post-NWOBHM times. I will explain with a simple example why I don't like this concept. There is a painting by Malevich “Black Square” - it's just a black square on a simple background. This painting was sold for 20 million USD. 10 million USD were spent on advertising. That is, it turns out that anyone can draw a square, spend 10 million on advertising and sell their creation for 20 million. You don't have 10 million? Then this is not your game!

I started my previous thought for a following reason. In the naming you can see something familiar. The name of the second track is borrowed from Megadeth, the name of the fourth from Saxon, the name of the eighth from Breaking Benjamin, the name of the tenth from Annihilator, the name of the eleventh from Pantera. And I really don't want to believe that even the name of the last track is also borrowed (from Symphony X). And this is just what I personally noticed.

Something very similar can be said about composer's work. Composer again had the task of composing something epic - and again it turned out flawlessly. In general, composer again coped with the task perfectly, but again I don't like his means of solving artistic tasks. Therefore, I will not even describe the album structure.

The vocalist is again good: her voice is very strong and interesting. Varieties of vocal parts are quite worth the wait, although an attempt to convey the vocalist’s skill shades is not particularly noticeable here. An interesting game of contrasts should also be noted: sometimes the voice is calm, and sometimes it's emotional. Yes, this is implemented according to the standard scheme. But overall, the vocalist did an excellent job.

Instrumental parts - here the situation is ambiguous. On the one side, the instruments sound great again. On the other side, here you can hear something very familiar. However, there is something to tell about. Guitars sound great. Guitar parts structures are so impressive that I cannot describe it in words. And, as usual, I note that I did not immediately understand how this is played - I see this as a positive point. A high level of skill is noticeable. But I don't like a couple of points. For example, too many pinch harmonics in main riff of 4 tracks. Also in several tracks, through the twin lead guitar and triplets on rhythm guitar, the spirit of Iron Maiden is felt. Now about the rhythm section: it's really powerful and diverse. I’ll even say more: most of the impression is the drummer's work. There is a wide variety of both basic patterns and blast bits, as well as fills. Additional instruments should also be noted. There are not many here - a high bet on guitars is noticeable. But the synthesizers are used very skillfully - they perfectly complement the picture.

Reality is a cruel thing: you do everything perfectly, but there is too much load on one part - and the structure is destroyed. And again, this detail was the general idea: in it you can see the great desire to repeat patterns that are several years older than members. In general, this project is a very revealing example of how far one can go in trying to gain access to a western audience. Speaking directly about this release, I liked the album Clockwork Immortality more. Electric Pentagram could have turned out to be the best album of the band, if not for this increased desire to look like their Western colleagues. Going to your goal no matter what - it's always an honor. But everywhere there are boundaries, after which music is no longer perceived as art. These girls have crossed this border.