Respected Japanese rock band lynch. complete their long-awaited comeback with powerful new album REBORN, out now internationally from JPU Records. The release follows the band’s spectacular show at Japan’s legendary Nippon Budokan arena, marking their official return from hiatus a few months ago.
REBORN features ten tracks and is the first album in the band’s long history to have tracks written by all five members. In a video message recorded especially for the band’s international fandom, bassist Akinori comments, “I think you’ll find a wide range of unique songs [on it]. So I believe you can feel the new lynch.”
lynch. hail from Nagoya, Japan. Fronted by vocalist HAZUKI, who can effortlessly switch between beautiful vibrato vocals and aggressive screams, and utilising multi-faceted bass sounds within the rock genre, the band have gained support from Japan’s domestic rock scene, as well as a following overseas. In 2022 lynch. performed at Nippon Budokan for the first time in their career, and now with the release of REBORN, their momentum continues to grow even further.
HAZUKI’s solo work is also available from JPU Records, and sees him create music completely different to that of lynch., but will still appeal to fans and newcomers alike. He even covered lynch.’s 2020 single ALLIVE in his new style, found on latest single RENGEKYOU.
LOVEBITES, one of Japan’s most important names in heavy metal, return from their hiatus with a new member, a new music video and news of a fourth studio album coming in February 2023. The album is also available to preorder today from JPU Records, and is available physically in three editions.
JUDGEMENT DAY, the fittingly titled album will be the first to feature the band’s new line-up, which includes bassist Fami, who was selected after an audition process and is just 20 years of age. The fast, melodic and heavy metal sound that LOVEBITES has excelled at since their debut is still burning strong, but has been sublimated further. Newcomer Fami also brings an added charm to the quintet, including her signature slap technique. The album contains ten completely new songs, mixed and mastered by Finnish masterminds Mikko Karmila and Mika Jussila, who have worked on all of the band’s studio albums.
Fans can get a taste of the new LOVEBITES today with the release of the digital single and music video to the album’s title track, available to download, stream and watch now:
The cover art for the album features a wolf, an incarnation of the band that has appeared on all of LOVEBITES’ previous albums. This time, as the title suggests (JUDGEMENT DAY), the wolf clutches scales that weigh good and evil within its jaws, and is captured sprinting between the sun and the moon. Further meaning from the cover art can be discovered in the title track’s music video, and further details will likely be revealed in the future too.
The album will be released digitally worldwide on 22 February 2023, and released on CD from JPU Records from 24 February 2023. A video on Demand and CD bundle is also available directly from JPU Records’ website. It features a documentary of the bassist auditions which includes interviews with the members of the band, as well as Fami while she was still one of the finalists – all with English subtitles. It also includes four studio sessions; ‘The Hammer of Wrath’, ‘Golden Destination’ and ‘Shadowmaker’ from the audition finals, and ‘Bravehearted’, the first session with Fami as an official member of LOVEBITES. There is also a third edition that includes the CD, the video on demand content and a JUDGEMENT DAY T-shirt. Additionally, 50 orders of this latter bundle will randomly receive a sleeve case that has been signed by the members of the band.
LOVEBITES – JUDGEMENT DAY
CD release date: 24 February 2023.
The fourth studio album from LOVEBITES, the first to be released with Fami on bass.
LOVEBITES JUDGEMENT DAY Tracklist: 1. We Are The Resurrection 2. Judgement Day 3. The Spirit Lives On 4. Wicked Witch 5. Stand And Deliver (Shoot ’em Down) 6. Victim Of Time 7. My Orion 8. Lost In The Garden 9. Dissonance 10. Soldier Stands Solitarily
VoD (Video on Demand) Includes: – Bassist Audition Documentary (with English subtitles) – Studio Sessions of ‘The Hammer of Wrath’, ‘Golden Destination’, ‘Shadowmaker’ and ‘Bravehearted’
T-shirt Edition Includes: – All of the above – Double sided T-shirt printed in the UK with UK sizes – 50 orders will be selected at random to receive a signed sleeve case
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.
47 Tracks Remastered, Extensive Booklet with Lyrics, Translations and Transliterations
the GazettE will mark the band’s 20th anniversary by releasing an international version of upcoming three-disc album the GazettE 20TH ANNIVERSARY BEST ALBUM HETERODOXY-DIVIDED 3 CONCEPTS-. It will be released from London’s JPU Records on 23 December 2022 and is available to preorder from today. A retail release in the UK and Europe will follow from 13 January 2023.
This edition of the album, which features 47 tracks from the GazettE’s extensive catalogue completely remastered, and a voluminous booklet. Each song’s lyrics have been lovingly translated into English, as well as transliterated into Romaji so that the band’s international fans can enjoy the tracks on an even deeper level, regardless of Japanese ability. The original Japanese lyrics are also included. Fans from EU countries can also enjoy purchasing the album direct from JPU Records without attracting any additional taxes or fees upon delivery.
Each of the album’s three discs has a different concept. Disc one is entitled SINGLES and contains 16 tracks, starting with the GazettE’s debut major label single ‘Cassis’, and includes all of their singles in chronological order until latest single ‘UNDYING’. Disc two is entitled ABYSS and features 15 tracks, including a number of B-sides. Disc three is named LUCY and includes a further 16 songs.
the GazettE 20TH ANNIVERSARY BEST ALBUM HETERODOXY-DIVIDED 3 CONCEPTS-
Disc One: SINGLES 01. Cassis 02. REGRET 03. Filth in the beauty 04. Hyena 05. 紅蓮 (Guren) 06. LEECH 07. DISTRESS AND COMA 08. BEFORE I DECAY 09. SHIVER 10. Red 11. PLEDGE 12. VORTEX 13. REMEMBER THE URGE 14. FADELESS 15. UGLY 16. UNDYING
Disc Three: LUCY 01. RAGE 02. NINTH ODD SMELL 03. Maggots 04. 裏切る舌 (Uragiru Bero) 05. LUCY 06. VENOMOUS SPIDER’S WEB 07. GABRIEL ON THE GALLOWS 08. DAWN 09. TWO OF A KIND 10. ATTITUDE 11. VERMIN 12. OGRE 13. HEADACHE MAN 14. ABHOR GOD 15. BLEMISH 16. TOMORROW NEVER DIES
Japan’s Broken By The Scream redefine ‘idol’ with new album RISE into CHAOS, out on CD internationally via JPU Records from 11 November 2022. The all-female unit incorporates elements of djent, metalcore, and tech-metal with cute pop vocals supplied by members Ayame Yabusame and Tsubaki Nanaougi, accompanied by the unbelievably brutal grows of Io Nodukidaira and Kagura Uriin. They’ve performed at some of Asia’s biggest rock and metal festivals, have a track in PS4 game Onee Chanbara ORIGIN, and have gained huge amounts of attention from fans all over the world.
RISE into CHAOS pushes the four-membered force’s sound further than ever before. Heavier riffs, more powerful vocal prowess, and even more genres covered. Screamer Io wanted this album to at least include one song with a Latin flavour. It’s done. Ayame wanted something a bit more cute and traditional idol style. It’s on here. And growler Tsubaki wanted something with crazy lyrics yet was still emotional and we get exactly that with the bonkers ‘Mela Mela Senorita’.
Album opener ‘Kanjou Cross Counter’ has already caused a major impact for Broken By The Scream. Its music video has been experienced over 425k times on YouTube, the group’s second most popular video to date, and is flooded with comments from around the world blown away by the song’s power. Latest music video ‘Kokoro, Harebare’ perhaps captures the essence of RISE into CHAOS and Broken By The Scream the best, with its unadulterated super cute pop chorus, outrageous guitar shreds, ridiculously crushing drums and shockingly guttural vocal parts that demonstrate just how unique and imaginative this unit can be.
Experience Broken By The Scream for yourself from 11 November. The CD includes an exclusive booklet with English lyric translations and romaji transliterations so fans can scream along and also understand the lyrical content. Click below to order.
01. Kanjou Cross Counter (RiC mix) (感情クロスカウンター) 02. Tokyo Ride 03. I tai no 04. Setsuna Hoop (RiC mix) (セツナフープ) 05. Kokoro, Harebare (ココロ、晴レ晴レ) 06. Panorama (パノラマ) 07. Mela Mela Senorita (メラメラセニョリータ) 08. Ano Natsuno Shinkirou (あの夏の蜃気楼) 09. Kila Kila Splash (キラキラスプラッシュ!!) 10. Hang in there 11. Gyakutenno Kanewa Naru (RiC mix) (逆転の鐘は鳴る) 12. Bokurano Mirai (ボクらの未来)
They’ve turned down an opening spot for Oasis just for the sake of it, their albums should have been included in Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums listings according to The Japan Times, and they are responsible for the entire soundtrack of zany cult anime FLCL. Now, for the first time in their 33-year career, the pillows will release a large chunk of their catalogue digitally.
From today, 16 September 2022, 22 singles, a best of album and a B-side compilation album from the pillows will be made available to stream and download courtesy of Japanese music specialists JPU Records. This will be followed by 14 albums and a self-cover EP on 12 October 2022.
Among the numerous highlights from today’s releases are 1997’s HYBRID RAINBOW, with its cathartic chorus and a video filmed in London which has been viewed over 2.3 million times on YouTube; 2000’s Ride on shooting star, which catapulted the band into international recognition when it, along with many other songs from the band, were used in the soundtrack to the anime FLCL, produced by GAINAX (Neon Genesis Evangelion, Gunbuster); and 2019’s Happy Go Ducky! which is also the opening theme to basketball anime Ahiru no Sora.
For October’s studio albums there’s 1998’s critically acclaimed LITTLE BUSTERS, which The Japan Times argued should have been included in The Rolling Stone’s ‘The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time’ listing; there’s early 90s album KOOL SPICE where fans can hear the band develop before finding their sound on classic albums such as RUNNERS HIGH and HAPPY BIVOUAC, right up to latest album REBROADCAST, which is also being released.
Additionally, the solo album Nonocular violet from the pillow’s main songwriter Sawao Yamanaka will also be released on 12 October 2022, bringing over 220 tracks online over the next four weeks.
HAZUKI, the vocalist of lynch. will launch his first full album EGØIST from 31 August via JPU Records for digital download and streaming. Brand new ‘Shichiseki no rai’ has also been released today, following an album teaser of all 13 tracks, which includes recent singles ‘XANADU / HEROIN(E)’ and ‘+ULTRA / AM I A LØSER?’.
Joining HAZUKI on production for a number of tracks on EGØIST is PABLO, guitarist of Pay money To my Pain (and support guitarist for the likes of LiSA, Fake?, Oblivion Dust and more). HAZUKI comments, “I asked PABLO to collaborate with me to create music and find a sound outside of my comfort zone, and I’m very impressed by what we were able to create!”
HAZUKI started playing in bands from the age of 16 and had been actively writing lyrics for several bands until he formed lynch. in 2004. As the band’s main composer he has created a wide range of styles of songs, including his own distinctive and recognisable style as a vocalist.
In 2016 he started a solo show named ‘Souen” which was based on a classical style. In 2020 he released the album ‘Souen-FUNERAL-, peaking at number nine in Japan’s Oricon Daily Chart. In the following year he held his first solo concert at Nakano Sunplaza with 2,000 people in attendance. In 2022 he decided to take a brave new step in his musical career by promising to create new style of music that is different to that of lynch.: HAZUKI was born.
Release date: 31 August 2022
1. EGOIZM 2. XANADU 3. C.O.M.A. 4. 七夕乃雷 -Shichiseki no rai- 5. AM I A LØSER? 6. CALIGULA 7. LIGHT 8. THE MIDNIGHT BLISS 9. HEROIN(E) 10. ROMANCE 11. ＋ULTRA 12. BABY, I HATE U. 13. CYGNUS
