Album review by Cecilia Pattison-Levi
BABYMETAL bring out the who’s who of heavy metal big guns (Tom Morello, Slaughter To Prevail, Spiritbox, Poppy, Polyphia, Electric Call Boy and Bloodywood) on their hyperactive and hectic J-Pop-meets-heavy-metal spectacle of their fifth album METAL FORTH.
If you spent March (before cyclone Alfo) in Brisbane everyone was either at a BABYMETAL show or talking about a BABYMETAL gig. The band brought their high sheen pop-gloss and hyper-charged, Japanese kawaiicore world of melody meets heavy metal and the argument – “Is this heavy metal or not?” to the masses. The people at the concerts answered that with a huge: Yes! What BABYMETAL do make is a unicorn world of escapist live heavy nu-metal meets pop performance mainly inhabited by the younger core of metal loving kids and this reviewer. It’s fun, people!
The new album was promised for June, then July and now August but it has finally arrived. And, ‘METAL FORTH’ is a chaotic ride of manic energy as the band and their guests genre-hop at high-octane pace through 10 songs in just under 30 minutes. It’s contained and tight. The album opens with a “Let’s Go” from Suzuka Nakamoto ‘Su-metal’, Moa Kikuchi ‘Moametal’, and Momoko Okazaki as ‘Momometal’ and it doesn’t stop.
The album opens with ‘From Me To U’ with Poppy as her robotic vocals wastes no time blending her cybernetic sounds with nu-metal. It’s a fast paced and explosive start. The second song in and we have German electronic-nu-metalcore outfit Electric Callboy with a synth-metal crossover and fan live favourite ‘RATATATA’. And, then the next stop is heavy paired with cute, as Slaughter To Prevail bring the dark in ‘Song 3’ which is the most popular song on Instagrams polls.
The key to BABYMETAL is the sheer Japanese enthusiasm for infectious pop sensibilities and this is demonstrated brilliantly in ‘Kon! Kon!’ featuring Indian New Delhi-based metal fusionists Bloodywood. It’s a nod to the huge Asian market, and it’s unhinged, but so much fun. Then, the downbeat of ‘K-A-W-A-I-I’ hits with traditional Japanese instruments blended with electronic sounds and rap as BABYMETAL deliver this song as a band on their own. The next song is the breezy ‘Sunset Kiss’ with Polyphia bringing in the summer vibe in a swirling confection of acoustic guitar pop, thumping drums, understated bassline thrums, guitar solos and chant-worthy choruses. Kaleidoscopic is the word!
Then, the fabulous Spiritbox join in the fun with ‘My Queen’ as they bring the heavy sounds before the light touch pop starts into a huge singalong chorus. It is followed by electro punk-pop of ‘Algorism’ where BABYMETAL are on their own again. Then, the just superbly named song ‘METAL!!!’ where the heavy rock god Tom Morello joins in the party, adding his unmistakable guitar riffing and squalling solos into the mix. The album closes with the power metal of my personal favourite song ‘White Flame’ as I voted on BABYMETAL’s socials. See their Instagram poll if you want to have a say – join the cult!)
If you’re not having fun listening to this album, you might want to check yourself as have you may have lost your sense of humour along life’s journey. For those young folks who want an unhinged sense of metal-meets every type of music through a Japanese lens and the young at heart, METAL FORTH is for you.
