Reign in Blood is the third studio album by American thrash metal band Slayer, released on October 7, 1986 by Def Jam Recordings. The album was the band's first collaboration with producer Rick Rubin, whose input helped the band's sound evolve. The release date of the album was delayed because of concerns regarding the lyrical subject matter of the opening track "Angel of Death", which refers to Josef Mengele and describes acts such as human experimentation that he committed at the Auschwitz concentration camp. However, the band's members stated numerous times that they did not condone Nazism and were merely interested in the subject.
The Review: Back in 1988 I was sick at home with the flu and my parents being the caring people they sometimes were went off to the mall. Before they left they asked if I wanted anything new to listen to, so I gave them a short list of things I wanted and they set off. About 5 or 6 hours later, they came home and I had migrated from my sick bed to the couch to watch some TV. My dad gave me a small bag with 2 new tapes in it...Metallica "Master of Puppets" and Slayer "Reign in Blood" the first 2 on the list I gave them earlier. I immediately opened them up to read the liner notes then I went back to my room to get my Walkman to play these treasures...Metallica was first and I loved it as I knew I would, then I plugged in Slayer....the sonic tapestry I experienced changed my life right then and there....so I figure it's time to give this album a once over in my own way....Let's Do This!!! At only 29 minutes long, Reign in Blood is perfect proof of quality over quantity, hell they managed to put the whole album on one side of the tape and repeated it on the second. Just because the songs aren't long, doesn't mean the music isn't good, or isn't as amazing as some ploddy and intricate prog noise. However because of how short this album is I won't do my typical track by track review...instead I'll cover the album as a whole and cover the finer points per song as I feel the need to. The production on this album gives Slayer the ability to convey their diabolical thrash through a more accessible lens. I know people take issue with Rick Rubin for his modern day production work, but he really did a fantastic job conveying Slayer with far more clarity than their debut and perhaps more than Hell Awaits (which is, by the way, a classic in its own right). This album is far more than just Angel of Death, Raining Blood & everything in between. The point of the album is how fast the band can play and how to make the best impression in the shortest time. So, yeah, you get recycled riffs, songs in the same key, and similar lyrical motifs peppered throughout. So what? This is music to be appreciated as a whole, rather than as individual parts. I mean, who honestly listens to Altar of Sacrifice and not listen to its twin song, Jesus Saves? Heathens, that's who. The guitar playing on this album is insane. Both Hanneman and King trade off riffs and solos as if in their own battle of Heaven and Hell (although there is quite a lot of Kerry King whammy bar wankoff on display all throughout this short album). These six-stringed instruments are getting obliterated - take Angel of Death alone. That series of solos toward the end of the track is random, atonal, and utterly chaotic. However in this case I would not have it any other way. Elsewhere, the riffage is suited for slower moments; the opening of Criminally Insane and Postmortem prove that the band can reduce the speed without sacrificing the intensity. Angel of Death is a masterclass in how to open an album. Tom Araya's scream is arguably the best scream ever, and the proudest "stepped on a LEGO" moment I think captured on tape. Lombardo's drumming - that double bass drum onslaught before everything comes back for a final chorus tho!!! - is top notch throughout, and indeed on the whole album, because he keeps momentum going. Angel of Death, in particular, is just going straight for the throat, continuing to slice even when your head is firmly off of your shoulders. Lyrically, you will find more extreme lyrics in metal, whether they be the OTT and tongue in cheek Cannibal Corpse or the offense magnet that is Anal Cunt, but I doubt you'll find anything as dark or as diabolical as the lyrics penned by Hanneman and King. I mean - I know I keep going back to this track - let's be real: Angel of Death is the most graphic depiction of the Holocaust and the heinous experiments by Josef Mengele. Oh, and another thing, it's from the perspective of the bad guys. Read this: "Auschwitz, the meaning of pain The way that I want you to die Slow death, immense decay Showers that cleanse you of your life Forced in like cattle you run Stripped of your life's worth Human mice, for the angel of death Four hundred thousand more to die..." "Millions laid out in their Crowded tombs Sickening ways to achieve The holocaust Pathetic harmless victims Left to die Rancid angel of death Flying free" And morality police guardians think that this song advocates the Holocaust? It's pretty obvious that this song comes from a place of interest in the subject matter, but clearly there is no support for it. Then again, the song doesn't outright condemn the Nazis, even if the adjective "rancid" gives it away. The filler songs so to speak are still amazing. Necrophobic has this really cool hornet swarm sound to it, with Araya's motormouth commanding the proceedings. Then, with Reborn and Epidemic, we get a sort of medieval vibe being brought in. All I can think of is fire, in both the idea of burning the witch in the former song and burning the victims to prevent the spread of disease in the latter. Although a tough act to follow, Piece by Piece picks up where Angel of Death left off by just going for speed. The twin pairing of Altar of Sacrifice (a song actually about, you know, sacrificing virgins and even says "HAIL SATAN!") and Jesus Saves is actually genius. The former song is probably Kerry King's crowning achievement as a composer, and the opening minute of Jesus Saves is sludgy and slowburning as fuck, before...you guessed it, SPEEEEED! Speaking of Jesus Saves, please give a standing ovation to Mr. Tom Araya, not only being a bass player singer but by singing lyrics totally spitting in the face of his Catholic faith. The temptation to refuse to make art due to conflicts of beliefs is there from almost everyone, so for him to actually go along with it and mean it is a feat in and of itself. I'm sure he said four hundred thousand Hail Mary's after vomiting this out: "You go to the church, you kiss the cross You will be saved at any cost You have your own reality Christianity You spend your life just kissing ass A trait that's grown as time has passed You think the world will end today You praise the Lord, it's all you say" Yeah, this reads like an edgy 14 year old atheist. It's become a King staple to just lambast Christianity for the fuck of it. However, divorced from the purpose of the song - to piss off Christians - the guy does have a point. It's just that it's difficult to make out when Araya is trying to keep up with the onslaught of blast beats and crushing guitars. Raining Blood is overplayed for a reason: it is a furious masterpiece. After the end of Postmortem, another winner for my money thanks to its kickass riff, we get rain falling. Then, thudding drums, and feedback. The guitars enter - DUN DUN DUN - and then the album closer is set loose. The verses are almost the nail in the coffin, going as fast as anywhere on the album. The lyrics, too, are of resolution, a literal mutiny in Heaven. "Trapped in purgatory A lifeless object, alive Awaiting reprisal Death will be their acquiescence The sky is turning red Return to power draws near Fall into me, the sky's crimson tears Abolish the rules made of stone..." "Raining blood From a lacerated sky Bleeding its horror Creating my structure now I shall reign in blood" A sole guitar, and then - I kid you not, this is actually credited on the album - noise comes flooding through. The drums are going faster than before, the bass is totally buried, the whammy bars are being ripped out of their bridges. It's rising! It's going! IT'S GONNA- *clap of thunder and rain for fifty seconds* It's actually taken me longer to write this review than the album itself. I suppose I should take a leaf out of Slayer's book and use more brevity. This was a watershed album for me, I never professed to be a huge Slayer fan, mostly because I'm not mental enough to carve their logo on me with a razor blade while yelling SSSLLLLAAAAYYYYYEEEERRRR!!! at the top of my lungs, but I do appreciate them and their place in the arena of Metal as a whole. I am unsure if this or South of Heaven is my favorite Slayer album. Whilst RiB thrives on speed, SoH is a much more doom-laden, atmospheric album. Either way, I love this album and it is an absolute classic, deserving of all of its accolades. May you forever reign, my dark and twisted friend. Score: 4.5/5
Babymetal (stylized as BABYMETAL) are a Japanese kawaii metal band. The band consists currently of Suzuka Nakamoto as "Su-metal" (Vocal and Dance) and Moa Kikuchi as "Moametal" (Scream and Dance). The band is produced and created by Kobametal from the Amuse talent agency. Their vocals are backed by heavy metal instrumentation, performed by a group of session musicians known as the "Kami Band" at live performances.
Origin:
Tokyo, Japan
Genres:
Kawaii metal, heavy metal, J-pop, power metal, alternative metal
Years active:
2010–present
Labels:
Juonbu, BMD Fox, Toy's Factory, Amuse
Associated acts:
Sakura Gakuin, Karen Girl's, Yuyoyuppe
Website: babymetal.com
Members:
Su-metal
Moametal
Past members:
Yuimetal
The band was formed in 2010, with the original lineup of Su-metal (Vocal and Dance), Moametal (Scream and Dance), and Yui Mizuno as "Yuimetal" (Scream and Dance), with the concept of a fusion of the heavy metal and Japanese idol genres. Originally a sub-unit of the Japanese idol group Sakura Gakuin, Babymetal became an independent act in 2013, following Nakamoto's departure from Sakura Gakuin. Babymetal released their eponymous debut album in February 2014. Their second album Metal Resistance was released worldwide on April 1, 2016, charting well internationally for a Japanese band. Babymetal has also embarked on several tours, with a majority of their tour dates taking place outside of Asia.
On October 19, 2018, Babymetal announced that Yui Mizuno (Yuimetal) decided to leave the band due to poor health, following her absence from live performances since December 2017. Since her departure, the band has performed with one or more backup dancers called at live performances. In 2019, the band introduced three backup dancers that were present in a rotation on each live show to form a trio with Moametal and Sumetal, with the dancers being called Avengers.
Now that we have the brief history covered let's get into some greater detail about this monumental and divisive act...so let's start from the inception as it is known, I will warn you that this all may read as confusing as its subject, it will double back on itself from time to time, but anyway, Let's Do This. Kobametal, the band's producer and long-time heavy metal enthusiast, started planning to launch an idol/heavy metal fusion group in 2009 after he was impressed by Suzuka Nakamoto's performance with her previous group, Karen Girl's, thinking she was suitable to be the lead vocalist for the new group. The band was formed in 2010 in Tokyo, Japan, as the heavy music club (重音部 Jūonbu), or sub-unit, of the female idol group Sakura Gakuin, which was also newly formed that year. According to Kobametal, Yui Mizuno and Moa Kikuchi were added to complement Nakamoto's "unique stage presence" with their then small statures, dancing around her "like angels". None of the three members were familiar with metal music before the inception of the band. A fact that is no longer relevant, as the members really grew into the music with a dedicated interest.
Babymetal's first live appearance was on November 28, 2010, at Sakura Gakuin's first solo concert, Sakura Gakuin Festival ☆ 2010. In July 2011, Babymetal premiered the song, "Ijime, Dame, Zettai" ("No More Bullying"), at a Sakura Gakuin concert, but it would only be performed during live concerts for the time being. The band's first single, "Doki Doki Morning", originally appeared on Sakura Gakuin's debut album Sakura Gakuin 2010 Nendo: Message, released on April 27, 2011. A music video for the song was uploaded to Toy's Factory channel on YouTube on 12 October 2011, and was released as a DVD single in late 2011, under the independent Toy's Factory sub-label Juonbu Records. The music video totaled over 1 million views by the end of 2012.
Babymetal's first CD single was a collaboration with the band Kiba of Akiba, titled "Babymetal / Kiba of Akiba". Released in March 2012 by Juonbu Records, the single ranked at number three on the Oricon weekly indie chart, and number one in the Tower Records Shibuya weekly indie ranking. In the summer of 2012, the band released a music video for their next single, "Headbangeeeeerrrrr!!!!!", directed by Hidenobu Tanabe. In August 2012, Babymetal debuted at Japan's Summer Sonic Festival, becoming the youngest act ever to perform at the festival, at the average age of 12. The same year, Babymetal performed outside of Japan for the first time, Anime Festival Asia 2012, in Singapore.
On January 9, 2013, the band debuted on a major record label with "Ijime, Dame, Zettai". Released under the main Toy's Factory label and Juonbu Records, it sold 19,000 copies in its first week and debuted at number six in the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart. In the spring of 2013, Nakamoto graduated from junior high school and therefore had to "graduate" from Sakura Gakuin (a group of elementary and junior high school girls). However, their management decided that Babymetal would not dissolve and would continue its activities as a band. The group released its next single, "Megitsune", on June 19, 2013, under Toy's Factory and the band's new sublabel BMD Fox Records.
On 10 and 11 August 2013, Babymetal again took part in the Summer Sonic Festival, performing both in Tokyo and Osaka. Later, in October 2013, Babymetal also became the youngest act ever to perform at the heavy metal music festival Loud Park. In November 2013, Babymetal released a promo video for the Japanese premiere of Metallica's movie Through the Never, and released its first live music video Live: Legend I, D, Z Apocalypse, which debuted at seventh place in the weekly Oricon Blu-ray Disc charts, and at second place among music Blu-rays. In December 2013 Babymetal performed overseas again, at Anime Festival Asia Indonesia 2013, and played for a second time in Singapore, after their first overseas Asian tour in 2012.
On 26 February 2014, Babymetal released its first, eponymous album. It contained thirteen tracks and was also available in a limited edition that included a DVD with music videos and live footage. The album was very well received by music critics as well as the public, selling over 37,000 copies in Japan its first week, debuting at number four on the Oricon Weekly Album Chart, and number two in Billboard Japan. It also topped iTunes Metal charts in Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States, and reached number 187 on the US Billboard 200 chart on March 22; few Japanese artists have ever entered the chart. Their album also made it into the Heatseekers chart at number four. On March 1 and 2, 2014, the band gave two concerts at Budokan. With the average age of 14.7, they became youngest-ever female act to give a show there. The two concerts were attended by 20,000 people. On April 3, 2014, an episode of the Fine Brothers' YouTubers React show was uploaded to YouTube, covering the band, as well as the music videos of "Doki Doki Morning", "Iine!", and "Gimme Chocolate!!"; the band members' own reaction to the video would later be released on April 30, 2016.
Later in 2014, Babymetal embarked on their first world tour, the Babymetal World Tour 2014, performing in Paris, Cologne, and in the United Kingdom at the Sonisphere Festival 2014. They made their debut appearance in the United States on July 27 with a headlining show at The Fonda Theatre in Hollywood. They played Heavy Montréal 2014 in Canada on August 9 alongside Metallica and Slayer, and also performed at Summer Sonic 2014 in Japan on the Mountain Stage with bands such as Avenged Sevenfold and Megadeth. Babymetal was also the opening act to five of Lady Gaga's concerts in her "ArtRave: The Artpop Ball" 2014 tour in August along the western United States. Babymetal also released their second live album Live: Legend 1999 & 1997 Apocalypse on October 19, 2014, featuring their live performances at both the NHK Hall and at Makuhari Messe Event Hall from 2013.
By the end of 2014 it was obvious that this was a very divisive group among the community of metalheads globally. The more open minded ones embracing the group after the initial WTF moments wore off and their unique brand of metal was recognized. Then there were the "Elitist" metalheads, the faction of the fandom that could not accept this "cute" form of a music style that is typically about violence and power. These fans started creating websites and social media pages that mocked the group at every turn. These endeavors however didn't sway the fans of this group and in all reality, many of these "elitist" metal fans eventually accepted that this group isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
In August 2014, it was announced that the band would be returning to England to play another show at London's O2 Academy Brixton on November 8, their final European show of the year as part of the group's "Babymetal Apocalypse" phase. It was later announced that the band would also be returning to New York City, which they had visited earlier in the year without giving an actual performance, performing in the Hammerstein Ballroom on November 4. At their Brixton performance, the band debuted a new song titled "Road of Resistance." Later revealed to be a collaboration with Sam Totman and Herman Li of prominent power metal band DragonForce, the song was subsequently released as a bonus track of their first live album Live at Budokan: Red Night, simultaneously released on January 7, 2015 along with the band's third live video album Live at Budokan: Red Night & Black Night Apocalypse, and later released as a digital single. Li later revealed via Twitter and Facebook posts that he and Totman had been working on the song's guitar parts since 2013. In 2015, the re-released their eponymous album via earMusic and RAL/Sony Music Entertainment. Ahead of their performance at the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards on June 15, the trio made a surprise appearance during DragonForce's set at Download Festival, performing "Gimme Chocolate!!", despite event organizer Andy Copping stating that he would never book the band.
During the band's headlining shows at Yokohama Arena in December 2015, announced a second studio album to be released on April 1, 2016, as well as a world tour starting in London at the Wembley Arena, and concluding in Japan with a debut at the Tokyo Dome. On January 15, 2016, the second album's title was revealed to be Metal Resistance.
Their second album had shown differences from their debut album. Yuimetal states that “compared to the first album and definitely the second album they challenged themselves to a lot of new, different types of genres of music, even more than before.” Another difference is that there is more use of positive lyrics than ever before. The band made a point to provide a wide variety of styles to attract a wider audience. They even tried to do a full song in English.
The band came up with the album title “Metal Resistance” because they believed it represents who they are and what they do as Babymetal. Su-metal said that “it’s about them exploring new, different aspects of what they can do.”
On March 13, the band's producer, Kobametal, received an Excellence Award from the Association of Media in Digital (AMD) in Japan for his success in promoting the band internationally. On April 2, one day after the release of Metal Resistance, Babymetal became the first Japanese act to headline Wembley Arena, with the largest sale of merchandise for a single day event in the venue's history, coinciding with the highest ever entry for an album in the UK charts for a Japanese act. The Guardian gave their Wembley performance a rating of five out of five stars. On April 5, Babymetal made their U.S. television debut, performing "Gimme Chocolate!!" on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Babymetal were added as a character skin in the Wii U video game Super Mario Maker in 2016.
On May 26, 2016, WWE's Triple H announced on Twitter that Babymetal's song "Karate", along with A Day to Remember's "Paranoia", would be used as official theme songs of NXT TakeOver: The End. On July 18, the band made a special appearance at the Alternative Press Music Awards where they performed "Karate" before being joined onstage by Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford. Halford, along with Nakamoto and the Kami Band, performed an abridged version of "Painkiller", followed by a performance of "Breaking the Law" where they were rejoined by Mizuno and Kikuchi on guitars. On July 27, Metal Hammer readers voted Babymetal's debut album as the best album of the 21st century. In September 2016, Warner Bros. announced that a hybrid live action-animation fantasy-adventure short form series featuring the members of the band was under development. The series would be developed by Blue Ribbon Content in collaboration with Amuse Group USA (an Amuse Inc. subsidiary based in the United States). The band's producer, Kobametal, is also involved with production of the series.
On September 19 (Red Night) and September 20, 2016 (Black Night), Babymetal ended their Babymetal World Tour 2016: Legend Metal Resistance by performing at the Tokyo Dome, with both nights sold out and approximately 55,000 people attending each night. These included fans from Japan and many others from around the world. Yuimetal admitted she was "still in shock" that she was playing at the venue. Moametal felt the same, calling it "a big challenge for young girls of our age to stand on that stage". Su-metal explained that "In Japan we have played many big venues like Budokan and others, but Tokyo Dome was always a place that I have been dreaming of performing at." In December 2016, Babymetal supported the Red Hot Chili Peppers during The Getaway World Tour in the UK. During their final show on the tour, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith joined Babymetal onstage to perform their covers of Judas Priest's "Painkiller" and "Breaking the Law". After the performance, Smith thanked Babymetal for being on tour with them and led the audience in singing "Happy Birthday" to Su-metal.
In January 2017, Babymetal supported Metallica for their WorldWired Tour at Gocheok Sky Dome and also appeared in Japan's performance of the Guns N' Roses' Not in This Lifetime... Tour as the opening act. In April 2017, Babymetal supported the Red Hot Chili Peppers during The Getaway World Tour in the US. In June 2017, Babymetal performed at the KISW Pain in the Grass music event in Auburn, Washington. During the summer of 2017, they supported Korn on their Serenity of Summer Tour. Afterwards, they commenced their The Five Fox Festival in Japan tour.
In October 2017, Babymetal were officially revealed as the performers of the "Unikitty Theme" for the Unikitty! TV series. On December 2 and December 3, 2017, Babymetal performed at the Hiroshima Green Arena, with the shows billed Legend "S" Baptism XX. This was the first time the group performed in Su-Metal's hometown of Hiroshima, and it was an early coming of age celebration for her, since December 20, 2017 was her 20th birthday (as hinted in the show title), the age of majority in Japan; the lyrics to "Headbangeeeeerrrrr!!!!", about a girl's fifteenth birthday, were even modified for the occasion. This was also Babymetal's first performance without all three members, as Yuimetal was unable to perform due to illness.
On December 30, 2017, Kami Band guitarist Mikio Fujioka fell from an observation deck; he died from his injuries on January 5, 2018.
On April 1, 2018, Babymetal posted a mysterious video entitled "Metal Resistance Episode VII – The Revelation" on their YouTube channel. In the video, it is explained that a "dark side" of Babymetal exists, "with seven metal spirits", and that a "new era is about to begin". On May 1, they announced via Twitter that they were launching their own record label, named Babymetal Records. One day later, they posted another cryptic message via Twitter and Instagram, stating that "no one will know who, when, where, or how, the Chosen Seven will be presented, only the Fox God knows." Over the next week, they posted a series of cryptic images onto their Instagram story, labelled 1-7, and displaying mysterious, black and white imagery in anticipation of the tour and the Chosen Seven.
On May 8, 2018, just ahead of the Babymetal World Tour 2018, the band released a music video for a new single, "Distortion". Yuimetal was absent from Babymetal's tour of the United States in May 2018, with no advance warning. Amid fan speculation on Mizuno's status with the group, a representative of 5B Management, the American management company representing Babymetal, replied to an inquiry from Alternative Press Magazine by saying that "Yuimetal remains a member of the band, but she is not on this current U.S. tour." The reply also hinted about "a new narrative for the future of the band which is currently evolving" and a "storyline" that "has changed." However, Yuimetal was also absent from Babymetal's European tour in June 2018, and her appearance for the Asian leg remained unconfirmed. Babymetal has since performed at Rock on the Range in Columbus, Ohio, the Download Festival in Donington Park, United Kingdom, and the Rock am Ring and Rock im Park festivals in Germany.
On July 9, 2018, the band won the champion of Heavy Metal World Cup 2018.
On October 19, 2018, shortly before the Japan leg of the tour, the band released a new single, "Starlight". On the same day, the band officially announced Yuimetal's departure from the group. Mizuno has since released a statement explaining her decision and her desire to pursue a solo career...however this was done via Amuse press releases and some fans question the validity of these statements as the whole truth. There are still a wide variety of theories as to the real reason Yui departed the band. Given the history of the Japanese music industry, especially concerning the Idol industry as a whole, some of these fan theories are not without merit.
On October 30, 2018, the Apocrypha: The Legend of Babymetal graphic novel was released by Z2 Comics, with story by "The Prophet of the Fox God" and art by GMB Chomichuk. The story presented the legend of the Three as they traveled through different time periods to combat evil.
The 2018 tour year was heavily panned by a large portion of the fan base and was seen as convoluted and flat out broken, the "chosen seven" story pretty much fell flat leaving many fans confused as to what Koba was doing to the obviously winning formula they started with. Near the end of this arc, and after the Yui departure press release the group started abandoning this questionable formula and rolled it back to a trio utilizing the talents of a third temporary member Saya Hirai, and rolling it back to more traditional BABYMETAL fare...the fans started coming back after this change, thanks to the obvious chemistry of these 3 and the familiarity and fun of it just being a trio once again...however Saya was only a filler and even greater things were about to happen.
On April 1, 2019, Babymetal announced, via Twitter, that they would be releasing their third album later that year. On May 10, 2019, the band released the single "Elevator Girl". On May 29, 2019, it was announced that Babymetal will perform at the Glastonbury Festival in England on June 30, making them the first Japanese band to play on one of the festivals main stages. Babymetal also plans for their first arena concert in the United States at The Forum in Los Angeles, CA, set for October 11, 2019. This was later revealed to coincide with the release of the band's third album Metal Galaxy with its featured song "Da Da Dance". It was featured on NPR's "best new albums of the week" the week of its release. On July 1, 2019, Babymetal released a new single from the upcoming album and a video entitled "PA PA YA!!", featuring F Hero. The video, shot at one of their shows in Yokohama, also includes touring member Kano Fujihira, one of three girls currently rotating in Yui's place - Kano Fujihira, Riho Sayashi and Momoko Okazaki - who are known as the "Avengers".
In October 2019, the band became the first Asian act to reach the peak of Billboard Top Rock Albums Chart.
Most of Japanese pop idols show a bright atmosphere, light music, smiles and a charming face. However, Lorraine Plourde has argued that Baby Metal reminds people of a slightly darker, slightly more complex version of cuteness. The band defines its style as a new genre called "kawaii metal" ("kawaii" meaning "cute") and clarifies that it is "a mix of J-pop idol and heavy metal". The group has also been described as alternative metal, death metal, power metal, and speed metal.
Tristan Peterson, of Metal Obsession, remarked in his review of the band's debut album "This band was created for the demographic of “Music that your Japanese Boyfriend/Girlfriend, who doesn’t really like Metal, would enjoy.” as well as "[Babymetal] has made metal cute without losing any of its edge."
Patrick St. Michel from Japanese music and culture site MTV 81 praises the "pure, headbang-inducing energy" of the group's live performances and describes their style as a mixture of "...seemingly disparate sounds of heavy metal and idol pop, creating music anchored both by throat-mauling screeches and cuddly choruses." The magazine Metal Hammer described their act using the formula "Short skirts, school girl charm and squeaky voices — just like in the manga comics. But they mix the whole thing with Metal."
Lyrical themes found in Babymetal's music focus on real-world issues. Also, they give the message of positivity and self-empowerment with the atmosphere of their music containing less serious and playful themes. To be specific, the body image concerns of girls and women pressured by society to remain thin and also bullying, while they also sing about what it's like going to your first concert, the concept of an "ideal woman" and chocolate, subjects which critics say are a step away from typical lyrical styles used by most metal bands. However these topics and lyrical themes are a refreshing change of pace given the traditional subjects of violence, debauchery, and other misogynistic themes that the various sub-genres tend to produce.
Su-metal is the main vocalist, credited on Babymetal's official site with vocals and dancing, while Moametal and Yuimetal are credited with scream and dance, on either side of her in a triangle formation. In the band's early years, the band members did not speak directly to the audience, or smile at the crowd, but over time the band has incorporated more audience engagement and call and responses into their performances. Between songs, Babymetal do not engage with the crowd. Instead, during this time there will be a blackout, or, in situations where that is not possible, they will freeze in a pose or turn away from the crowd.Early on Babymetal's costumes took a variety of cues from the popular Japanese Gothic and Punk Lolita styles, with an emphasis on red and black. Currently their costumes still take cues from the same type of styles, they included a bit of metal fashion and have gone into more black and silver...they also have toyed with black and gold as well in the recent past.
During the 2018 World Tour, due to Yuimetal's absence, the band performed with Moametal and Su-metal in front of one another, using risers to separate, while two backup dancers perform at the sides of the stage. Since her official departure, the traditional triangle formation has been restored, with a non-singing backup dancer performing in Yuimetal's place, something I touched on earlier as well.
Instead of the sign of the horns, the band uses the hand gesture of the kitsune to symbolise the band's supposed divine inspiration. Initially, the band members were shown photos of the sign of the horns, but mistook it for the head of a fox. Rather than correct the error, the management accepted the kitsune sign as the band's sign. Additionally, Babymetal style of moshing, known as mosh'sh (モッシュッシュ mosshusshu), has been described a safe, fun, friendly game of push and shove.
Their live presence has evolved as well over the years, Currently at their concerts, Babymetal are accompanied by a backing band. In their early stages, the backing band consisted of the "Babybones"—a group of nameless individuals dressed in skeleton costumes that would mime live performances while pre-recorded studio tracks were being used. In late 2012, Babymetal debuted a live band for their live performances which they referred to as "Full Metal Band" - a group of live musicians dressed in white robes and corpse paint. They have since been referred to by band members and fans as "Gods of Metal" and more recently "Kami Band". From late 2012 to early 2014, the two groups would alternate, with the Kami Band being used more for festival appearances and special events. At the Babymetal Death Match Tour in May 2013, the Kami Band performed all music live for the first time. As of early 2014, the Babybones band has been quietly retired, and the Kami Band has since been established as Babymetal's primary backing band.
The Kami Band has consisted of a rotating line-up of different musicians since its debut in late 2012. As of early 2018, however, the line-up has been relatively stable, consisting of guitarists Takayoshi Ohmura, Leda, and Isao, bassist Boh, and drummers Hideki Aoyama and Yuya Maeta with members occasionally substituting for one another if needed. Kami Band member Leda has contributed to Babymetal's music, most notably on their album Metal Resistance (credited as Ledametal).
Babymetal's music videos, which showcase their distinct visual aesthetic, have helped the band gain broad attention. Their video for "Gimme Chocolate!!" went viral in 2014 with USA Today's Brian Mansfield commenting that the "video looks like some kind of bizarre animé, with a dark-goth set and band members playing in skeleton costumes, and the three girls execute intricate choreography, flash heart signs and make windmill arm motions like they're playing air guitar"
In regards to their music video for the song “Karate", Moametal said that she’s “very proud that they are now representing this culture that came from Japan through their music, and it’s a way for more people outside of Japan to also learn what karate is all about.” The lyrics talk about never giving up and moving forward. Yuimetal stated that the choreography for the song represented the lyrics and that “it’s important to be able to express the messages that they want to put across through the music with their dance moves.” The majority of their lyrics are in Japanese and they see their choreography as a way to break the language barrier.
According to Kei "Kobametal" Kobayashi, the band's executive producer, the band was formed under the idea of a new type of metal, and the members of the band receive "divine messages" from the Fox God, though Nakamoto explained that the messages received were indirect, as they would be sent to Kobametal first. He stated that it was up to the people's decision to accept or reject the idea. Additionally, he rejected the notion of the band being a "metal" or "pop" act, preferring "the one and only Babymetal." Kikuchi joked that the three members did not decide to join the band, as it was a destiny chosen by the Fox God, whose goal is said to have the band perform and spread their music all over the world.
The band has received varied reception by the public. Some critics praised the band for being "creative" and "rule-breaking" in the metal genre, while others called the band a "novelty group" and a "silly balancing act". When asked about people who do not consider the band's pop-infused music "metal", Nakamoto acknowledged the claims and praised such accusations, warranting how metal purists have their own preferences for metal being a certain way, and taking them into consideration for the band's progress. Additionally, the band members believe in staying true to themselves and enjoying what they do, as she agrees is enough for them.
The fanbase, collectively referred to as "The One", has been noted by Mizuno to be a mixed demographic of varying age. Noting the fans of metal and pop, she described the "metalheads" who look like themselves, and the pop fans who dress and cosplay as them. She hopes to be able to continue to reach out to all different types of people. When asked about being role models for their fans and young girls, she considered it an honour. She further emphasized the importance of being able to reach out to the youth, especially for younger music fans branching out to the metal genre via Babymetal, noting her own lack of experience of metal before joining the band.
In December 10, 2013, Babymetal released Babymetal Apocalypse, an incomplete binder that would be gradually filled with pages intermittently made available later. Pages would include the lore of Babymetal, artwork and photos, and information on member-exclusive events, like "Apocrypha" during the Babymetal World Tour 2014. By purchasing the binder and entering a code included with the enclosed art book online, one could join the band's official fanclub called "Babymetal Apocalypse Web". A video uploaded to "Babymetal Apocalypse Web" members in December 2014 announced the transition to a new official fanclub called "The One", which started with limited edition releases for Live at Budokan: Red Night & Black Night Apocalypse, and would continue to release member-exclusive media with news published to the official fansite.
Babymetal is credited for creating the kawaii metal (“cute metal” in English) genre, which combines elements from J-pop and heavy metal. This genre has introduced metal to new audiences, and many new kawaii metal bands such as Doll$Boxx and Deadlift Lolita have formed since Babymetal’s debut. While most kawaii metal bands are based in Japan, the genre has begun to spread outside the country to places like South Korea, where kawaii metal bands like Pritz have formed. Furthermore, the reach of Babymetal’s influence has stretched far beyond Japan. In 2016 Babymetal became the highest charting Japanese band ever in the UK’s Official Charts history with the release of their album Metal Resistance. In the US, Metal Resistance was the first Japanese album to chart in the Billboard Top 40 in over 50 years, where it reached #39 in its first week. The last Japanese artist to break the Top 40 was Kyu Sakamoto in 1963.In 2019 Babymetal became the first Asian act to top the Billboard Rock Albums chart with the release of their third studio album Metal Galaxy.
Metal Galaxy and all of its current achievements proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that this group is back, in full force, and isn't going anywhere anytime soon. With tour dates going into 2020 and multiple festival engagements as well, let alone what ever other little secrets Koba and Amuse have up their collective sleeves, this is one group that will be around for quite some time...unless they go full Japanese Idol on us and just drop off the face of the planet all at once...but for all intents and purposes, that probably won't happen anytime soon.
Core members:
Su-metal (Suzuka Nakamoto) – lead vocals, and dancer (2010–present)
Moametal (Moa Kikuchi) – lead/background vocals, and dancer (2010–present)
Kami Band:
Takayoshi Ohmura – guitar (2013–present)
Leda Cygnus – guitar (2013–present)
Isao Fujita – guitar (2015–present
Boh – bass (2013–present)
Hideki Aoyama – drums (2013–present)
Anthony Barone – Kami Band; drums (2019–present)
Chris Kelly – Kami Band; guitar (2019–present)
CJ Masciantonio – Kami Band; guitar (2019–present)
Clint Tustin – Kami Band; bass (2019–present)
Avengers:
Riho Sayashi – backup dancer (2019–present)
Kano Fujihira – backup dancer (2019–present)
Momoko Okazaki – backup dancer (2019–present)
Past members:
Yuimetal (Yui Mizuno) – lead/background vocals, and dancer (2010–2018)
Mikio Fujioka – Kami Band; guitar (2013–2018; died 2018)
I'm going to be a bit different with this review, normally I don't review EP releases, but this was a request, so I agreed to do it for this reason. Cooper announced a Sept. 13 release for this six-song EP drawn from sessions with producer Bob Ezrin. He started recording the songs, which pay homage to the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer's Motor City hometown, in Detroit during March and continued in Los Angeles. This session pulls from a lot of Alice's early inspirations and really feels like a labor of love to the Detroit area, and not a slapped together collection of covers to satiate the fans until his next full length.
Alice opens with two original tunes. “Detroit City 2020”(which is a reworking of a previous Cooper release)is an anthem that rivals KISS’s “Detroit Rock City,” but it does have its own tinges of Kid Rock. “Go Man Go” is the closest to punk that Alice has ever sounded, and nods to the proto-punk bands MC5, The Stooges, and Death (not the early death metal band from florida).
Alice then launches into a string of covers from Detroit’s peak years of hard rock from 1965 to 1975. First is the garage rock sound of the mid-60s that would inspire Furnier and his friends to form The Spiders in Phoenix. “East Side Story” is a song written by Bob Seger for his band The Last Heard in 1966. Seger’s (great) original features the organ (probably the Farfisa?) paired with a fuzz guitar. Alice and his companions were more apt to use digital distortion, and the organ is missing.
A cover of Suzy Quatro’s “Your Mamma Won’t Like Me” from 1975 is next. Again, Alice tries to remain true to the original. Yet guitarist Wayne Kramer opted for the wah-wah pedal instead of the clavinet in Quatro’s original. That clavinet seems to be a nod to Stevie Wonder’s 1972 hit “Superstition,” by the way.
Next is a jazz-lounge interpretation of “Devil with a Blue Dress On,” made popular by Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels in 1966. It’s a fun, fresh take on the classic. Alice departs from the original medley of “Good Golly Miss Molly”; he replaces it with “Chains of Love” by J.J. Barnes. Barnes’s original is an example of the Motown-esque funk in the late ‘60s, and it’s great. Cooper’s “Chains of Love” blends well with “Devil with a Blue Dress On,” but it fails to hit as hard as Barnes had.
Finally, Cooper and his companions close with “Sister Anne,” a 1971 song by the MC5. Wayne Kramer, guitarist for the MC5, plays on this EP, and the song is all too familiar to him. This is the one cover on this album that blows away the original. It has a fuller sound, a tighter groove, and the guitars sound so much crisper. It is a great finish to this hard-driving album.
Alice’s decision to included legendary Detroit musicians was also impressive. The MC5’s Kramer handles the guitar chops, as does Mark Farner of Grand Funk Railroad (out of nearby Flint, MI). Detroit Wheels drummer Johnny “Bee” Badanjek sits behind the kit, and Detroit-based garage enthusiast Mick Collins plays bass. It’s a great lineup of talented musicians invested in the Motor City sound.
Overall, the album is a welcome return to form. It’s one of Alice’s best outputs in a while, and superior to the Hollywood Vampires. His choice to celebrate Detroit’s musical heritage is on point. Given that rock and roll appears to be in steep decline these days, it is refreshing to hear hard-hitting rock and roll pulling off the factory floor.
In short this is a welcome release for fans of Alice and maybe even fans of classic rock and roll in general. It never pushes too far away from its intended purpose and delivers a solid listening experience. I have no complaints with this one.
