Lovebites - Frozen Serenade - Margarita Kid Reacts! 

Thanks for the recommendations and great info :-)

The thing I like about these type of backing tracks live is that they're not essential; if there was a technical glitch and they weren't played, the music wouldn't really suffer.

@@DadDaughtersandDrinks That's what makes Lovebites masters at backing tracks. They are there to accentuate, not cover up anything. They all shred, and then have to time themselves with [piano or guitar backing tracks to fill voids in their compositions. I do not like backing tracks used as a way to cover up mediocrity. The best example of backing tracks for me with Lovebites is "Swan Song w/Chopin into" - 2020 version, not the newer released one. All I can say is if you ever wanted to hear a backing track come to life, this is it.

I already reacted to the SwanSong/Chopin 2020 version (my first Lovebites). Agreed on the backing track.

Thanks for the info and links. On the list for sure!

Yeah, sorry. I figured it out and fixed it so it shouldn't happen again.

This is the 2021 version (the best! Still before Miho left...), in which they've invested a lot into the visuals of this song (snow, stairs for ballet, etc)...

But let's not forget, that Miyako (dark hair guitarist/pianist) was 4-5 months into pregnancy!

I had no idea! That's awesome (and a little scary)

Miyako now has a little daugter, IIRC. In a few months, it'll be time for the first piano lessons! 😁

That's a really interesting comment about Steve Harris and the galloping sound. Reminds me of the Trooper, if I'm getting what you mean.

Galloping triplets is what I think it is called, and yes, The Trooper is a good example! Another might be Run To The Hills. Cheers!@@DadDaughtersandDrinks

Yes, Run to the Hills is another one for sure!

Live album 2CD/DVD/Blu-ray from August 23rd, 2023, of March 11th live concert [Trailer] Knockin' At Heaven's Gate - The Hammer Of Wrath (live 2023) (first promotional video) - Nameless Warrior (live 2023) (second snippet) - Judgement Day (live 2023) (third snippet) - Liar (live 2023) (forth snippet) Live album 2CD/DVD/Blu-ray from December 20th, 2023, of March 12th live concert [Trailer] Knockin' At Heaven's Gate - Part II - Stand And Deliver (Shoot 'Em Down) (live 2023) (first promotional video) - Swan Song (live 2023) (second snippet) - M.D.O. (live 2023) (third snippet) New stuff (LOVEBITES 2.0, with new bassist Fami) - Judgement Day [OMV] - Stand And Deliver (Shoot 'Em Down) [OMV] Other new stuff from new album (audio and release party only) - Soldier Stands Solitarily - We Are The Resurrection - Lost In The Garden - Dissonance - My Orion - The Spirit Lives On - Wicked Witch - Victim Of Time

More unusual (but still very good) stuff - The Apocalypse - Under The Red Sky - Above The Black Sea - Empty Daydream - Scream For Me - Signs Of Deliverance - Addicted - Inspire - Spellbound - Bravehearted * Burden Of Time (studio live 2020, must see with a special gimmick by Miyako!) - The Crusade - Today Is The Day - Journey To The Otherside - No Time To Hesitate - Pledge Of The Saviour - M.D.O. - The Unbroken - Warning Shot - Golden Destination Audio only - Puppet On Strings - The Final Collision - Mastermind 01 - Dystopia Symphony - Paranoia Covers - Eagle Fly Free (Helloween) - Painkiller (Judas Priest) - Love Bites (So Do I) (Halestorm) Fami。covers - Alien Alien (NayutalieN ft. Hatsune Miku) [bass cover] Miyako piano covers (Etude Op.23) - Eagle Fly Free (Helloween) - Burn (Deep Purple) - Battery (Metallica) - The Loner (Gary Moore) - Far Beyond The Sun (Yngwie Malmsteen) - Addicted (LOVEBITES)

Each of your 4 reactions is marked with a star (*).

Once again, thanks for keeping up with what I've done *, that's really cool.

The Floyd Rose bridge makes sense with all the whammy use. You must be a serious player if you're using the same gear.

55 year old weekend warrior. I play out at beer joints a couple times a month. Came of age in the '80s when Floyds were all the rage. I was already a Lovebites fan when I came across the guitar on a used gear site. Talked the guy down to $1450. Those retail new at $2500, and are hard to get. Always on back order. More than I needed to spend. But at that price, had to pull the trigger.

Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do

I apologize for the sound issue. I've figured it out and fixed it. Thanks for hanging in there!

@@DadDaughtersandDrinks Hey it's LOVEBITES. I'm always going to be there 😊.

I'm actually in the process of posting my Asterism - Dawn reaction that I recorded last night. Brought me to tears, which I wasn't expecting. Unfortunately, I hadn't learned about the sound issue yet, so that was the last reaction I did with the echo. Hopefully it's still tolerable.

Yeah, I discovered the sound issue after the fact. I've corrected the issue so it shouldn't happen again. If I had the time I'd check all the videos before I upload them, but I just don't. Especially after I post like 50 videos with no issues, there's a little less concern. But like I said, that should be fixed now.

Haha, I don't think what I said was bad; I viewed it as a compliment!

Yes, I realized what it was after I recorded this. It's been fixed though, so no more Lovebites with bad audio.

Yes, sorry. I did figure out the problem after the fact, so it won't happen again!

I've got both of those on the list, and it looks like Epilogue will probably be coming soon. Thanks for the info and recommendations!

Sorry, yes, there was a sound problem. I've got it fixed, so hopefully it won't happen again. Agree about the backing music; I have no problem with it at all, I was just curious if there was actually someone else since I'm not super familiar with the band yet.

@@DadDaughtersandDrinks Since your comments are relevant and good, I want to hear your comments well. About extra long guitar necks, watch this clip. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ponTbDDMYjw.html The guitarist is Machiya of Wagakki Band. Since his band plays Japanese ethnic music/metal/rock fusion, his guitar is optimized to Japanese scale. He's got extra five frets in this case and using a capo. Have a good one.

Thanks! Just took a look at that link, and you're right; that's almost 30 frets there I think! Unusual to see someone capo on an electric for this style of playing; I assume there were some open strings he wanted to play, and heck, with that many frets you can capo at 5 and still have 24 frets to work with! I wonder at some point if the frets just start getting to close together.

That's basically what it was. My OBS mixer was outputting my headphone monitor on top of the original output, causing that echo. It's fixed and I apologize!

Those are both at the top of my Lovebites list. Thanks for confirming!

I actually don't have external speakers, but I had a bad OBS setting that basically made it sound like that. All fixed now, but it was too late for this one.

Thanks. I've got the audio issue figured out and it won't happen again. I appreciate your hanging in there!

That's really cool! It's rare to hear a guitarist that is playing on a guitar they built themselves (certainly not at that caliber).

@@DadDaughtersandDrinksMiyako also did some modifications for her guitars, but she is more the gear nerd and is experimenting a lot with that. She also recorded and produced her piano EP by herself. Also she does a lot for the band‘s demo tracks in her homestudio …

I'm always very appreciative of musicians that don't just play, but can really produce a song from end-to-end, including sound engineering (which is a form of modern Wizardry that boggles my mind more than any musical skill)

I appreciate the like, and I apologize for the sound issue. I've figured it out and fixed it.

Yup, that's the guitar face alright!

Thank you again! I think they are coming over this weekend, so I'll try to get them to react to Epilogue for you :-)

@@DadDaughtersandDrinks That would be fantastic, Look forward to it.. Thank you

Yep, there were a few tech problems. I've got them all worked out though. Thanks!

Actually, it wasn't an issue in my headphones. It was just duplicating what was in my headphones over the top of the browser. All good now.

Thanks - I've got both of those on the list!

No external speakers in my rig; I did figure out what was causing it (user error in my OBS settings that was basically equivalent to having speakers next to my mic.) I do appreciate you pointing it out. Thanks!

Hmmm.... did you listen to the whole thing? My summary after 2 minutes was just from what I had heard up to that point, but by the end was blown away and described it as a compositional masterpiece.

@@DadDaughtersandDrinks Are you asking if I watched your entire reaction? Yes, I watched it completely. Thank you for your mark! If you mean have I heard this song? I listened to it on audio and watched it on video 100-150 times in 3.5 years. I watched this entire concert (March 2021, Tokyo) about 30 times. Therefore, I advise Reactors to first listen to (watch) an unfamiliar song in its entirety, and then draw conclusions about it. Nothing personal, just friendly advice.🤗 Perhaps you will be interested. Haruna wears special gloves for playing drums. Backing tracks (piano, keyboards) for concerts are recorded by Miyako (brunette, guitar, piano, keyboards, backing vocals). In order not to additionally hire a support keyboard player (guest) for concerts. Although inviting support musicians (guests) is a common practice in Japan. Miyako, by the way, during THIS national Tour of LOVEBITES in different cities of Japan (March-April 2021) was 4-5 months pregnant. Each concert of the Tour lasted almost 2 hours.

@@GrayFox14 Since you know he was only referring to the very beginning, and not to the entire song, there was no point in brining it up at all; it’s not a criticism of the song as a whole. Also him giving his point-by-point input, is interesting for many of us because he seems knowledgeable on the topic, and I want him to continue on that while the thoughts are still fresh in his mind.

@@SomethingToDo360 It is your opinion.

@@DadDaughtersandDrinks I notice people recommending a bunch of songs to you, but not all of them are equally impressive to me. I do think A Frozen Serenade was a really great pick, but not so much for Burden of Time, which is decent I guess. I think your next Lovebites reaction should be the live version of Judgement Day (it’s very impressive), which also includes the new bassist as well. Just sharing my opinion.

Yes, I've seen her play both already - amazing! And I apologize about the sound. I've figured out what the issue is, but it happened during recording (a bad setting in OBS) so I can't fix it. However, I was not hearing the strangeness in my headphones, so they sounded spectacular to me :-)

Actually, the issue was during the capturing itself. I've figured the issue out and it won't happen again. Big apologies.

Yep. I figured out the problem, but too late. It's all fixed now though.

Interesting thoughts on the term masterpiece. The beauty of that is that each person would probably have a different list, although I agree that there are some who call just about anything a masterpiece. It would be hard for most people I think to define what the difference would be between a masterpiece and just a really really great song. And that's where I think definitions would probably be very very different (and no less valid for each person). An interesting offshoot of this discussion would be to see how many bands are represented repeatedly, although the songs may be different. I could imagine many people might have songs by Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Eric Clapton, etc., but they might not be the ones you selected above. It's just a thought experiment really, but a fun one. If someone were to say they thought Time was a masterpiece, but not Great Gig in the Sky, I may not agree with them, but I wouldn't call them wrong either. :-)

@@DadDaughtersandDrinks A masterpiece is by many counts personal opinion. With that, in my opinion, looking at any band and their catalog, I think Lovebites has the most "masterpieces". I think musically - complex compositions, elite/virtuoso level talent playing the music - Lovebites checks off those boxes. Only public opinion can stamp their mark on what is a masterpiece, a song that stands the test of time. @hiawatha.g listed some - if I had to strain my brain for what I would consider a masterpiece in rock/metal: "Kashmir" - Led Zeppelin; "Iron Man" - Black Sabbath; "The Number of the Beast" - Iron Maiden; "Back in Black" - AC/DC, "Welcome to the Jungle" - Guns N' Roses, etc. The problem with Lovebites is the test of time angle, because they simply don't have the global notoriety of the other bands. But IMO, their music as a whole is simply "better" to MY ears (personal opinion).

@@DadDaughtersandDrinks Of course, this is all subjective. My own criteria for a masterpiece (largely formed in my youth, spent listening to and playing Classical music) include 1) multiple musical ideas (which is why I rank Kashmir over Stairway to Heaven) 2) an emotional journey (you actually alluded to it in this reaction, when you talked about "building" and 3) virtuosity (which is why I think rock rarely produces masterpieces--the bar to being a rock professional is not nearly as high as, for example, classical or jazz). There are songs that don't qualify that I still consider among the greatest ever. In my view, the Beatles are easily the greatest rock band of all time, but I wouldn't call any of their individual songs masterpieces, other than possibly "A Day in the Life". Lovebites have a long way to go before being considered in the Beatles' league, but they have put out 4-5 songs that meet my (admittedly arbitrary) criteria for "masterpieces". Thanks for the interesting reply to my comment!

All interesting takes (@hiawatha.g and @mmcpa). I'm glad @hiawatha.g posted criteria; it does get me thinking. But also, it's interesting to see an exception already with a Day in the Life (for the Virtuosity requirement). With @mmcpa's comment about public opinion and the test of time, I find those both very interesting things to consider. Can something be a masterpiece right away? Can it be a masterpiece if it's not well known and there really isn't a public opinion on it? I probably should actually give some opinion instead of just saying "interesting!" over and over, but I'm not sure I even really have my own definition. When I look back at the criteria mentioned above, which I would some up as 1) Complex 2) Technically challenging 3) Evokes emotion 4) A part of the public psyche. All very reasonable, and I think I largely agree, with the caveat that I don't think any of these are necessary in and of themselves, although the more boxes you tick the better. But some boxes you're just going to tick hard enough to compensate if another is missing. For me, the least important one is probably "technically challenging" When I look at the examples in the comments above, few of these are really that technically challenging (Ghost Love Score; Bohemian Rhapsody for the vocals). The public psyche one I think is partially embedded in the "evokes emotion" requirement, and is probably why some songs may be more locally considered masterpieces (I'm specifically thinking about the lack of appreciation in the US of classical music, which kind of prevents more classically-oriented styles like symphonic metal from ever really having a song be considered a masterpiece, at least not in the public psyche.) If a society doesn't like classical music, then emotion just won't be evoked. But when a song DOES live in the public psyche, I think there may be a higher chance of it being a masterpiece, but also think the test-of-time component becomes relevant in that case, otherwise every flash in the pan band might be considered to have masterpieces. I'm trying to think of an exception that isn't complex in structure (for songs I would consider masterpieces), and nothing is coming up. So.... I'd put Bohemian Rhapsody on the list, a Day in the Life, 2112 (Rush), Master of Puppets (Metallica). When I think of Pink Floyd, there are many I debate over, but I'm having trouble landing on just one. I think I would go with Time/Breathe Reprise and Shine on You Crazy Diamond (Pts I-V). If we allow that some music might have a video that is requisite to really enjoying the piece, then I would put "Hi Ren" by Ren on the list; an amazing song, but it's not really the same if you're not watching the video since it's more of a live performance piece. I'd probably also put Ren's "Tales of Jenny and Screech" (all 3 live performances) on the list, but again, it kind of needs the video. There would be a few not well known acoustic guitar pieces on the list for me: La Hora Español by Pierre Bensusan, Arial Boundaries by Michael Hedges, and Turning: Turning Back (live). This last one I consider such a masterpiece that I made sure it was the first music my 3 kids heard after they were born. So many others I debate in my mind, and I'm just not sure. War Pigs? Freebird? Sympathy for the Devil? Mamas Don't Let your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys? (ok, that one's a joke). But yeah, I could waffle over these four hours. I think I'm more confused now then when the conversation started.

@@DadDaughtersandDrinks What a great discussion--best I've had in the "comments" section. I agree, not all the boxes have to be checked but the more the better. In classical music, where some degree of complexity and a high degree of virtuosity are kind of minimum requirements, the term has usually been assumed to refer to the single most important work by any given composer. That could be interpreted to mean "important in the eyes of experts" or "living in the public psyche", as you put it. The latter, of course, opens the door to some really horrific pop songs that somehow became huge hits!

User error. Fixed.