BABYMETAL – “Babymetal”
Babymetal
Japan is famous for it’s curiosity. So why should we wonder about a band called BABYMETAL that is fronted by three girls and who add baby-like singing to heavy metal? We should not, but what we should really be surprised by is that this combination sounds pretty good! When the girls started, they’ve been 13, eleven and eleven years old. That was in 2010, four years later, their self-titled debut was released in Japan. earMusic finally brings this album to Europe, where the girls are already playing big shows and festivals.
Gaga like the Lady.
Funny to know, BABYMETAL already supported Lady Gaga at a tour in the US. My first touch with this band was in late 2011 when I found an animated video to the song ‘Doki Doki Morning’, which perfectly represents the combination of heavy metal and Kawaii. Cute looking as always, the girls released a real music video for that song, later, and what is really special about this one is the fact that there are only a few cuts (I think five, can’t find the clip anymore) in a dance performance video. These little girls really know what they do!
When playing live, BABYMETAL are supported by an anonymous band (you cannot see their faces) who keep themselves in the background – the girls of course dance a lot. Really funny to see in the video for ‘Gimme chocolate!!’.
Crazy, cute, interesting, curious, unique, unbelievable – cannot find enough adjectives.
But let us talk about the album now! The first song ‘Babymetal Death’ introduces the members, but the following ‘Megitsune’ is blasting! I just could not sit anymore when I listened to it! The song has everything – melody, metal, interesting vocals, emotion, drama, trueness, you can even try to sing along with it. It is catchy without loosing it’s heaviness and the tune is so ear-catching. You HAVE TO listen to that song! I love it.
‘Gimme chocolate!!’ is cute and wild at the same time and puts the pedal to the metal even more. But the following ‘line!’ (yes, they love exclamation marks) has more pop and techno elements, even a rap part and more Kawaii vocals. In some songs, BABYMETAL are supported by a growler who keeps himself in the background most of the time.
Very interesting because of it’s many influences and because the two smaller girls Yuimetal and Moametal sing more in this one is ‘Onedari Daisakusen’. It is a headbanger, somehow, even though it has a lot of rap – and the vocals are unbelievably cute! ‘Uki Uki Midnight’ might be the sequel to ‘Doki Doki Morning’ – the song is danceable anyway with some dubstep elements and poppy strophes – and a little spooky.
Not just metal – many different types of music.
BABYMETAL can also do punk. ‘Catch me if you can’ is really, really weird with a catchy refrain. There is also a heavy mid-tempo ballad on the album called ‘Rondo of nightmare’. After that, ‘Head Bangeeeeerrrr!!!!!’ shows why the band is called BABYMETAL. Fast and heavy – with different vocals, this one could be on every metal album on this planet.
The girls also have special fans – Herman Li and Sam Totman from Dragonforce did a song with BABYMETAL called ‘Road to resistance’ and you can of course hear the typical Dragonforce guitars. If the band ever needs new singers – here they are!
In total, BABYMETAL is a phenomena you should listen to at least once. Everybody has to decide for himself/herself whether he/she likes it or not. This band is heavy metal with a big sense of humour and worth being supported around the globe. This combination of metal and Kawaii is unique at least in our part of the world and – if I had to say it in one word – it’s just cool.
Tracklist:
01. BABYMETAL DEATH
02. Megitsune
03. Gimme chocolate!!
04. line!
05. Akatsuki
06. Doki Doki Morning
07. Onedari Daisakusen
08. Song 4
09. Uki Uki Midnight
10. Catch me if you can
11. Rondo of nightmare
12. Head Bangeeeeerrrr!!!!!
13. Ijme, Dame, Zettai
14. Road to resistance
15. Gimme Chocolate!! (live)