Babymetal -Metal Galaxy (2019)
Current Members:
Suzuka Nakamoto (Su-Metal) - Lead Vocals & Dance
Moa Kikuchi (MoaMetal) - Screams & Dance
Metal Galaxy is the third studio album by Japanese heavy metal band Babymetal. It was released in Japan on October 8, 2019, with an international release following on October 11, 2019 worldwide. The album was released through BMD Fox Records in Japan, in Europe under earMusic, and elsewhere under Babymetal Records.
First Impressions:
Typical Babymetal fare, creative and very fun...but still kinda weird.
As an overview for those who may not know, this group was assembled in 2010 by Key Kobayashi from 3 members of the idol group Sakura Gakuin (Suzuka Nakamoto, Moa Kikuchi, & Yui Mizuno). Their first single was a track called "Doki Doki Morning" which was released in the same year. They hit it big internationally with "Gimmie Chocolate!" in 2013, a track that was on their debut album in 2014. Their 2nd album "Metal Resistance" was released on April 1st 2016 (Fox Day) and it furthered their popularity greatly, much to the chagrin of the metal elitists who were still up in arms over their very existence...3 years, a couple of missteps in image, and the departure of Yui Mizuno (for vaguely explained reasons) went by and it leads us here, 2019. The 3rd album comes off as an exercise in creativity yet again...especially when you take in the 5 tracks that were released off it over 2 of those years. But how does this album fare in the long run as a whole? I'll be reviewing the Japanese release of this one and notate the differences between it and the international version at the end. So without further babbling let's dive into this one track by track and see where the Fox God leads us....Let's Do This!!!
Japanese Edition Disc 1
1."Future Metal" 2:05
Never really got into these lead in tracks, but this one is interesting in its construction...very synth heavy and a bit spacey...it's an intro, and it's short.
2."Da Da Dance" (featuring Tak Matsumoto) 3:50
Well this one calls up an echo of an earlier track of theirs "Ii Ne". Very EDM at its core and quite an energetic little song. The guitars that were overlayed over this one are at points kinda dream theater (ish). It's a competently composed track with some great performances and production on it. Typical type of track from this little group and it's not a bad thing.
3."Elevator Girl" 2:45
One of the 5 singles from this one, it's a weird hybrid of metal and easy jazz like music. One of the several tracks that are sung in a large percentage of english, something they have been doing more of since their second album. Something far more prevalent than the usual word or two in most Japanese lyrics, when their language doesn't have a comparative. The musicianship is tight as always and Su-Metal's voice is over processed as usual on tracks like this. Her voice as is would serve the track just fine, she is very capable.
4."Shanti Shanti Shanti" 3:10
The latest single released before the album dropped and this is where this group shines. The Hindu inspiration is executed very well, and it gives this track a very pleasant and vibrant feel. This song is just fun to listen to and you can't help but move along with it. A super track and really helps the momentum of the whole album.
5."Oh! Majinai" (featuring Joakim Brodén) 3:12
Well....we are headed into folk metal territory. This track really sounds like it should be on a korpiklaani or alestorm album...and that is fun in its purest form. Songs like this are one of the main reason I love this group, they are not afraid to cross genres and explore the potential...I picture a crowd of burly bearded men in a venue wearing Babymetal shirts and a large mug of beer in their hand chanting along like pirates with this one. It's just so much fun.
6."Brand New Day" (featuring Tim Henson and Scott LePage) 4:08
Well this one is the definition of this band as it was defined earlier, metal fused with J Pop...this is a track that would fit on a perfume album if you removed the metal parts. It's very commercial pop at its very core and it's as catchy as hell in its own way. Not a bad track, but honestly not one of my favorites...but what it does, it does very well. Although the snaps are a nice touch.
7."↑↓←→BBAB" 3:05*
Well, this is interesting. What's with the auto tune? This track is a bit of filler to me, it kinda goes nowhere special but it isn't boring...it just won't be on one of my playlists anytime soon. Can't say much more.
8."Night Night Burn!" 3:40
Back to the metal, a upper tempo one that falls into the experimental arena. It goes from metallic to poppy off and on, but more metal than pop...the pop has a basic 90's style r&b pop type thing, but not exactly. The more I hear live from this band the more I wish they would leave Suzuka's voice alone...she really doesn't need all the post production things they do...she can carry a song very well. The subtle Caribbean vibe towards the late middle of the track is cool though.
Japanese Edition Disc 2
1."In the Name Of" 4:30
Ooohhh....gothic chorus stuff...nice. This is a good way to our some drama back in this album...I approve. Then the track kicks in and we have more of that middle eastern influence creeping in, but this is done in a more war song like thing, it's actually quite epic. The growly vocals on it harken back to their original lead off track on their first release "Babymetal Death". This is quite a cool track, this would be a great track to blast as you lead an army into war. Excellent.
2."Distortion" (featuring Alissa White-Gluz) 3:04
A bit of a recording of the first track they released late last year. Still a great track and really feels like traditional Babymetal...but under all its fuzzy effects and overproduction poor Alissa gets a bit lost in it, you can still hear her, but she's trapped behind a layer of fuzz. But all in all a good track and still one of my favorites.
3."Pa Pa Ya!!" (featuring F. Hero) 3:55
This was the single that really harkened their return. Catchy as hell and fun to listen to....not a bad thing to say about this one...but there is one thing that kinda bugs me, when I listened to the original release and this one side by side, the chanting is a bit slower on this one, not too much but still it's noticeable. The mid song rap by F. Hero is quite jarring at first but it's well done and fits the track quite well once you wrap your head around it...great track.
4."BxMxC" 3:03*
Well it's Babymetal goes urban gangsta tone...but not full gangsta rap, thank god for that. The Bass on this one and the electronic clips really give this a big feeling, and a deep punching low feel. However Su's vocals here are very creative and not her usual fare...they go all over the place in tone and pitch, well done but quite destracting, I would like to hear the raw vocal track of this one without the post production...as a whole this track is very industrial in sound but it really leans more towards the urban and dubstep side of things. A very unique track, and a surprisingly good one too.
5."Kagerou" 3:30
The track that was called "Tattoo" early on by the fans, and the track is one where Su had much looser, if any, choreography live...especially during the dark side era after Yui left, and Su did this one solo. This is a very traditional pop metal type track with very little post production, it's by far one of my favorites on this album. It's a showcase for Su and her voice...it's really what Babymetal should be in a lot of ways. Should Su ever do a solo album, I hope it sounds like this, she just shines on it...this is simply put, her place in the genre. Tracks like this are where I say that she is the logical successor to the Queen of all metal once Doro Pesch quits making music.
6."Starlight" 3:37
The tribute to the late Mikio Fujioka and the second song they released after Yui left the group. A fitting little piece, and it tends to bring a smile to your face. Its high energy and very tight sounding. The vocals in the chorus have an ethereal feeling to them and the song as a whole is packed with Babymetal tropes...it's a great little track and a bit of an earworm after a few listening sessions.
7."Shine" 5:52
A track that has a somber start and fits the mold of a traditional Babymetal epic track in its constriction, much like "The One" on their last album it has slower verses and a much grander chorus section that even shares some vocal phrasing with the abovementioned track "The One". It's a nicely constructed song and it was performed great. I can't say enough good things about this one at all.
8."Arkadia" 5:18
Well this one starts with more chorus type stuff and rolls into a song that more resembles a Dragonforce song. This is a love letter to all power metal bands in its construction, and being a fan of that genre, I love it. This is a great capper to a great album....tight musicianship, great vocal phrasing, and over all a super performance. This is an empowering track that has no dull parts and doesn't overstay its welcome. I just love it.
[*The international version still has a large track list of 14 songs ("↑↓←→BBAB" & "BxMxC" were removed from the international version) but some would still say this album is a bit bloated given the type of album it is.]
Conclusion:
With this being their 3rd album over the course of almost 10 years (typical for Japanese idol groups, a ton of singles followed by a full album) this is pretty much more of the same from this group, but more of the same isn't a bad thing. This group and their writing team is still top notch and not afraid to keep testing the waters with styles and genres, and it usually works out for the better. Now, in all honesty at 16 songs for the Japanese release and 14 for the international release, this album is a bit bloated but all the tracks here have merit(and they say there was more recorded for this one). For all its clever parts and overproduction at its core it's a well performed album and a joy to listen to...I really can't complain too much about this one...it fits their discography and feels like a continuation of their last album. Very well done indeed.
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