Rocker (feedbot)
Gold Member
Reviewing Babymetal’s new album might feel a little like a futile endeavour. Half of the trio’s appeal is in their frenetic live shows, and only part of their energy can be captured on record. They’re also very marmite in their appeal; you either love the intergalactic, hyper-real feel of Su-Metal’s vocals backed with endless power chords, or you’re in the camp of grumbling that they aren’t ‘real metal’. However, what ‘Metal Forth’ brings to the table is a sense of ambition. Babymetal have brought in all of their friends as collaborators, securing their place in the pantheon of legitimate artists, and aim to take on the entire mythical multiverse with their widened sound. This is an album that bursts with anticipation of what could come next.
You’ll know two of the tracks already. ‘RATATATA’, featuring the irreverent Electric Callboy, is a club jam par excellence, swerving between languages and walls of production to create a retro future banger. Similarly, ‘METALI!!’, with Tom Morello jumping in, is a huge, fun track rich in eastern spice, but the rest of the collaborations on ‘Metal Forth’ are just as unexpected. Bloodywood, evidently paying Babymetal back for lending their guest vocals on ‘Bekhauf’, join for ‘Kon! Kon!’. It takes both bands’ sound up a notch, if that was even possible; faster, tougher and brighter, this song reveals the best of both acts. ‘From Me To You’ benefits from tour support Poppy’s doll-like sweetness to add an emotional resonance in the middle of the furious drumming, and Spiritbox do the absolute opposite, sprinkling some dirt on ‘My Queen’ via glitching samples and climbing desperation. Anyone who’s previously accused Babymetal of being lightweight will be resoundingly silenced by Slaughter To Prevail’s appearance on ‘Song 3’, and we realise quickly that this is what the Babymetal sound has been missing. They needed more grit and more depth to take them to the next level, and they’ve found it by making a few well-placed calls to their mates. That’s not to say that the more experimental solos dripping with synth courtesy of Polyphia on ‘Sunset Kiss’ aren’t fun, but when they find someone to add some darkness to their sound, we have space to appreciate Su-Metal’s vocals all the more.
With only three Babymetal-only tracks, it’s easy to see ‘Metal Forth’ as a single with a ton of bonus releases added on as free gifts. That said, the Girls Alone songs aren’t shabby at all, though it’s the closer, ‘White Flame ー白炎ー’, that really sparkles. We’re talking Dragonforce levels of speed and fantasy that betray exactly what Babymetal are going to offer on their world tour, a euphoric, entrancing, rocket-powered vastness which is going to sink the stadium into the Thames when they next hit London. Ironically enough, ‘KxAxWxAxIxI’ is anything but cute, a gutsy little smasher that’s destined to hit a million TikTok tourist backing videos, and ‘Algorism’ is a grower, its basic first impressions giving way to an appreciation for the way the Kami band are setting up the growling.
On one hand, ‘Metal Forth’ does feel like an extended advert for Babymetal’s next tour plans, or perhaps a very extended EP, but it can easily been seen as more than that. With fifteen years of metal under their belt and a recent move away from the awkwardly chibi ‘Gimme Chocolate!!’ Era, ‘Metal Forth’ can be read as a primer rather than a promotion, a celebration of how far they’ve flown past their origins. With contributions from legends and ‘real bands’ alike, the ladies are demonstrating the versatility of their sound on this album and how much it can compliment gruffer, grittier tones. While they haven’t taken over the world quite yet, ‘Metal Forth’ proves that Babymetal can achieve anything they put their minds to.
KATE ALLVEY
You’ll know two of the tracks already. ‘RATATATA’, featuring the irreverent Electric Callboy, is a club jam par excellence, swerving between languages and walls of production to create a retro future banger. Similarly, ‘METALI!!’, with Tom Morello jumping in, is a huge, fun track rich in eastern spice, but the rest of the collaborations on ‘Metal Forth’ are just as unexpected. Bloodywood, evidently paying Babymetal back for lending their guest vocals on ‘Bekhauf’, join for ‘Kon! Kon!’. It takes both bands’ sound up a notch, if that was even possible; faster, tougher and brighter, this song reveals the best of both acts. ‘From Me To You’ benefits from tour support Poppy’s doll-like sweetness to add an emotional resonance in the middle of the furious drumming, and Spiritbox do the absolute opposite, sprinkling some dirt on ‘My Queen’ via glitching samples and climbing desperation. Anyone who’s previously accused Babymetal of being lightweight will be resoundingly silenced by Slaughter To Prevail’s appearance on ‘Song 3’, and we realise quickly that this is what the Babymetal sound has been missing. They needed more grit and more depth to take them to the next level, and they’ve found it by making a few well-placed calls to their mates. That’s not to say that the more experimental solos dripping with synth courtesy of Polyphia on ‘Sunset Kiss’ aren’t fun, but when they find someone to add some darkness to their sound, we have space to appreciate Su-Metal’s vocals all the more.
With only three Babymetal-only tracks, it’s easy to see ‘Metal Forth’ as a single with a ton of bonus releases added on as free gifts. That said, the Girls Alone songs aren’t shabby at all, though it’s the closer, ‘White Flame ー白炎ー’, that really sparkles. We’re talking Dragonforce levels of speed and fantasy that betray exactly what Babymetal are going to offer on their world tour, a euphoric, entrancing, rocket-powered vastness which is going to sink the stadium into the Thames when they next hit London. Ironically enough, ‘KxAxWxAxIxI’ is anything but cute, a gutsy little smasher that’s destined to hit a million TikTok tourist backing videos, and ‘Algorism’ is a grower, its basic first impressions giving way to an appreciation for the way the Kami band are setting up the growling.
On one hand, ‘Metal Forth’ does feel like an extended advert for Babymetal’s next tour plans, or perhaps a very extended EP, but it can easily been seen as more than that. With fifteen years of metal under their belt and a recent move away from the awkwardly chibi ‘Gimme Chocolate!!’ Era, ‘Metal Forth’ can be read as a primer rather than a promotion, a celebration of how far they’ve flown past their origins. With contributions from legends and ‘real bands’ alike, the ladies are demonstrating the versatility of their sound on this album and how much it can compliment gruffer, grittier tones. While they haven’t taken over the world quite yet, ‘Metal Forth’ proves that Babymetal can achieve anything they put their minds to.
KATE ALLVEY