"Golden Destination" is the first single by Japanese

power metal Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal, often within a symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in co ...

band Lovebites. Taken from their third studio album, ''

Electric Pentagram ''Electric Pentagram'' is the third studio album by Japanese power metal band Lovebites. The album was released in Japan on January 29, 2020 by Victor Entertainment, and in the United Kingdom two days later by JPU Records. Red River Entertainmen ...

'', it was released in Japan by

Victor Entertainment is a subsidiary of JVCKenwood that produces and distributes music, movies and other entertainment products such as anime and television shows in Japan. It is known as JVC Entertainment in countries where Sony Music Entertainment operates the RC ...

on February 19, 2020 and internationally by

JPU Records JPU Records is a British record label formed in 2012, which specializes in handling international releases by Japanese artists. Notable acts on JPU's roster include The Gazette (band), The Gazette, Band-Maid, Lovebites (band), Lovebites, and Nemo ...

on April 10. The song reached number 20 on the

Oricon Singles Chart The Oricon Singles Chart is the Japanese music industry-standard Single (music), singles popularity chart issued daily, weekly, monthly and yearly by Oricon. Chart rankings are based on physical singles' sales. Until 2017, Oricon did not track down ...

and number 22 on ''

Billboard Japan ''Billboard Japan'' is a sister organization of the U.S.-based music magazine '' Billboard''. It is operated by the Japanese Osaka-based company Hanshin Contents Link (a subsidiary of Hanshin Electric Railway), holding an exclusive licence fr ...

''s Top Singles chart.

Overview

''Decibel'' magazine reported that bassist Miho wrote "Golden Destination" to honor British metal. She compared it to "Don't Bite the Dust", from the band's debut EP and first album, stating that this is how the older song would probably sound if she had written it today. The single includes three other songs, including an orchestral version of "Thunder Vengeance" from ''Electric Pentagram''. Like all of the band's releases, it was mixed by Mikko Karmila and mastered by Mika Jussila at

Finnvox Studios Finnvox Studios is a recording studio located in Pitäjänmäki, Helsinki, Finland. It was founded by Erkki Ertesuo, Kurt Juuranto and Lejos Inc. in 1965 and is the longest running studio recording facility in Finland. The original multi-track ...

in Helsinki, Finland. Also returning for the cover art was The EasyRabbit CreArtions, a duo of Spanish artists David López Gómez and Carlos Vincente León. The music video for "Golden Destination" follows Lovebites touring the United Kingdom in November 2019 as a support act for

DragonForce DragonForce are a British power metal band from London, formed in 1999. They are known for their long and fast guitar solos, fantasy-themed lyrics and retro video game-influenced sound. The band themselves refer to their music as "extreme po ...

Release

"Golden Destination" was only released on physical formats. First released on CD by

on February 19, 2020, a limited edition was created that includes a pendant necklace featuring a pentagram. Victor then released a limited edition

12" vinyl The twelve-inch single (often written as 12-inch or 12) is a type of vinyl (polyvinyl chloride or PVC) gramophone record that has wider groove spacing and shorter playing time with a "single" or a few related sound tracks on each surface, compar ...

record version of the single, titled in Japanese, on December 25, 2020 with new liner notes by Masanori Ito. Internationally,

released the single on April 10, 2020 on CD and 12" vinyl.

Reception

Blabbermouth.net ''Blabbermouth.net'' is a website dedicated to metal and rock news, as well as album and music DVD reviews. It is run by the website's founder Borivoj Krgin. The first version of the website was launched in March 2001. In October 2001, the rec ...

's Dom Lawson described "Golden Destination" as

Helloween Helloween is a German power metal band founded in 1984 in Hamburg by members of bands Iron Fist, Gentry, Second Hell and Powerfool. The band has at times been called one of the most influential European heavy metal bands of the 1980s. Its first ...

on steroids, "with some of the most blistering lead work you'll hear in 2020 and a delicious AOR sheen." James Weaver of ''Distorted Sound'' called the song an "absolute romp" thanks to its twin guitar harmonies, "breathtaking leadwork" and

NWOBHM The new wave of British heavy metal (often abbreviated as NWOBHM) was a nationwide musical movement that began in England in the mid-1970s and achieved international attention by the early 1980s. Editor Alan Lewis coined the term for an arti ...

-inspired structure. ''

Kerrang! ''Kerrang!'' is a British music webzine and quarterly magazine that primarily covers rock, punk and heavy metal music. Since 2017, the magazine has been published by Wasted Talent Ltd (the same company that owns electronic music publication ...

''s Olly Thomas described the guitar riffs as

Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris (musician), Steve Harris. Although fluid in the early years of the band, the line-up for most ...

-esque.

Track listing

Personnel

Lovebites *Haruna – drums *Miho – bass *

Midori Midori (みどり, ミドリ, , , ) is the Japanese word for "green" and may refer to: Places * Midori, Gunma * Midori-ku, Chiba * Midori-ku, Nagoya * Midori-ku, Sagamihara * Midori-ku, Saitama * Midori-ku, Yokohama People Given name * M ...

– guitars *Miyako – guitars and keyboards *Asami – vocals Other *Mao – keyboards and programming *Steve Jacobs – production *Mikko Karmila – mixing *Mika Jussila – mastering

Charts

References

External links

* {{Authority control 2020 songs 2020 debut singles English-language Japanese songs Power metal songs Victor Entertainment singles Japanese heavy metal songs