I'm overwhelmed right now. BABYMETAL's latest album "Metal Forth" released today along with another official MV, "My Queen" ft Spiritbox.
There are still a number of new tracks on the album that haven't had an official MV yet, so rather than reviewing the audio versions, I'll review each one as they get released as videos.
I will say, though, that overall, I enjoyed "Metal Forth". The previously released video tracks are all bangers. They're loads of fun to headbang and jump to, as already reviewed below. Which leaves the new tracks being more artistic in the musical presentation. At least, that's my first impression. Not speaking the language, I need more visuals to infer context, and I don't have that right now.
And that brings me to "My Queen". I'm picking up a serious, not fun vibe from this one. For me, it's a contemplative song, more rhythmic than melodic. BABYMETAL face off against Courtney LaPlante, Spiritbox's vocalist, on a chessboard. BM is the black queen piece, LaPlante is the opposing white queen. There is also the presence of The Evil One, so named by the credits in the YouTube description.
Through the song, the queens posture and move against each other. SU, of course, gets most of the vocals. Not to be upstaged, LaPlante gets a substantial verse that lets her vocals shine. LaPlante alternates clean, almost spoken vocals with her screams, then crescendos over screamed lines. While the song doesn't really invite the audience to sing and move along, it's still very intense, heavy and maybe even... uneasy. That dark bassline undertone creates a sense of menace that pervades all around.
The visuals suggest that this could be an anti-war song. Combatants face each other on a battlefield, but who put them there? Who's really planning the engagement? In the end, the players (The Evil One) win or lose. They can always start a new game. But it's those who've got their boots on the ground who've paid the ultimate price.
On the battlefield, even the queen is just a pawn in the player's hands.
