15 years of Headbanging

An unexpected treat showed up on YouTube! BABYMETAL dropped a remake of the iconic Headbanger MV. Headbanger features a young female protagonist celebrating her 15th birthday, so it makes sense that this remake is meant to celebrate BABYMETAL's 15th anniversary.

The location has been updated to a gaming arcade in which a crane game grabs a neckbrace to kick off the song. Out of a video game screen, the ancestral spirit, or Kami, makes his reappearance Sadako-like. SU sings lead and MOA provides the clean harmonies as always, but MOMO gets to go full ham on her backing growls, adding an even harder edge to this classic track.

The choreography is the same, but after 15 years of repetition, the movements are polished and energetic without being breathlessly frenetic. The Kami steals the show, though. He goes into a Kevin McCallister style frenzy, running around the arcade like nobody's looking (nobody is looking 'cos it's empty), but Japanese finesse still comes though as he politely gives silent thanks before tucking into his ramen. He also celebrates with a soda pop shower (you're still not allowed to celebrate with champaign at 15), but mops up his mess at the same ridiculous Red-bull fuelled pace immediately after. It's a cute comedic touch to the faux horror theme that is so BABYMETAL.

Happy 15th anniversary to BABYMETAL! I hope to continue supporting your work until you change your name to BIDDYMETAL 50+ years from now!

Ichi, ni, san!!!

"Song 3", BABYMETAL's collab with Slaughter to Prevail has now an official music video. The song already featured in BM's latest European 'live' concerts, so I've heard it once before via fancam.

This track has the most consistent harsh vocals for BM, giving MOMO her time to shine. Coincidentally, it was released on the same day as Hanabie's "Spicy Queen", so we have two girl bands dropping heavy beats and harsh vocals almost simultaneously. What a treat!

Anyway... "Song 3" gives the attention to MOA and MOMO, being composed more like a cheerleader chant with repeated counts of "ichi, ni, san", or "one, two, three". SU still gets some melody time, but it's less prominent a feature here.

Between the collab with Poppy and this one, rage seems to be the common theme. With "From Me to U", it's about calming your inner rage, while embracing and acknowledging its legitimacy. But with "Song 3", it's more about confronting the things that enrage us, say like pressure, failure, and perhaps even literal bullying. The count of "ichi, ni, san" at first brings focus when we're feeling overwhelmed, then becomes a discipline for training to overcome, and finally it's a countout, having KO'ed the adversary. What's interesting is that winning doesn't involve actual violence, but rather speaking up and asserting oneself with confidence.

I don't know StP at all, but they're wearing Oni and fox masks, so perhaps masks is their thing? The lead singer shows his face, though. I'm assuming that he represents the bullied boy now grown up and finally can't take it no more. He enrolls in BM's school of Karate where BM plays multiple roles as cheerleaders, trainers, referees, and the award presenter. StP's music is both discordant and heavy, creating the tension and overall stressful atmosphere which the growls make even more oppressive. But BM's melodic lines and lighthearted delivery still cuts through the tension, bringing hope and determination to rise to the challenge.

BM have always been genre-bending queens, but this is the first time they've taken on their own metal space as a genre and given us something of a more expected metal sound throughout the song. Not dance, not pop, just straight up metal -- with a little lemon zest for flavour. Heck, yes!

'Metali' MV is an energy vortex of joy and fun

I reacted to the audio-only track of 'Metali' in my previous post. The official video adds so much more to the enjoyment of this new BABYMETAL single.

Like its predecessors, 'Megitsune' and 'Karate', this video is very proudly Japanese: in set featuring traditional architecture, traditional costume in both festival and theatre attire, and even the lighting in the early part of the video displays rays radiating from the circular portal behind SU, suggesting the Rising Sun flag from Japan's earlier, more nationalistic days.

Although there is much tradition to be proud of, the ladies throw shade at the more oppressive parts of their culture. Their choreography comprises high stepping and stomping, with aggressive arm and hand movements, very unladylike. While dancing, MOA and MOMO 'accidentally' kick over traditional tea sets which can be seen as symbols of female subservience, and the ladies are having none of it. There is also the shocking visual of many 'fox signs' suddenly breaking through the traditional paper wall mid-ground, immediately followed by another jump-scare of two characters physically bursting through walls both stage left and right. These elements continue the band's penchant for fun horror movie imagery, but also reinforce their central message of breaking past barriers, like they constantly have had to do, while encouraging their audience to do the same.

Masks from Japanese theatre return, but other than the expected kitsune masks which feature in some backgrounds, in the foreground the supporting mass dancers wear human faces, representing us in the audience dancing, singing and chanting, being part of the festival, and really the show. The mid-piece breakdown unexpectedly throws back to a Japanese theatrical narration. Since MOMO takes the spotlight here, the voice is probably her's even if we only see her dancing, not vocalizing. This directorial choice keeps the energy going instead of slowing the pace to a standstill, which would break the momentum, and nobody wants that.

Energy is such a huge part of this song. The melody is super-catchy, the moves are big and deceptively easy to follow, and the audience participation is built in so obviously that when SU calls, without hesitation we want to yell back at the top of our lungs, punching the air while we do so. Somehow, self-consciousness gets shoved aside in this energy vortex, and everyone just gets sucked into being one with the performance. 'Live' in concert, this song would be an experience like no other.

We also get to see Tom Morello's contribution. Not familiar with him or his work, watching him play the guitar in the latter part of the video and hearing his beautifully weird East-West fusion on strings is a privilege. That last visual of the three ladies sitting on his guitar, waving at the crowd, is their tribute and thanks to Morello. The placement of the guitar makes them look like they are literally standing (in this case sitting) on the shoulder of a giant. Such humility in respecting their inspirations guiding them forward.

BABYMETAL is best experienced 'live', but they do occasionally put out official MVs that slap hard -- I'm thinking 'Megitsune' and 'Karate' as among my favourites. This one, 'Metali', shoots straight up to the top of my list. It has me dancing in my chair with every re-watch. That's my main criterion for a great music video.

BABYMETAL return to their Japanese roots in 'Metali'

BABYMETAL has gone home to Japan with their latest single after touring the world for creative inspiration. 'Metali' features the most traditional Japanese instrumentation since 'Megitsune' from a decade ago. It opens with the strings of (presumably) a shamisen which continues to be prominent in the music throughout. Likewise, the musical composition sounds East Asian, reminiscent of some traditional Japanese festivals involving music and interactive chanting. Yet, the main instrumental accompaniment is straight up metal, rhythmic and heavy, unrelenting and powerful. That, I'm guessing is where guest musician, Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine), comes in to seamlessly blend West with East.

SU's vocals are almost aggressive: still melodic, but tends to be inspired by their fellow contemporary Japanese female-led metal bands, a genre arguably pioneered by BABYMETAL, so it's come full circle with the original taking inspiration from those they inspired. It's also notable that this is the first original BABYMETAL song released with MOMOMETAL as the official third member of the new trio. The chorus sounds nice and full again with the voices of MOA and MOMO combining as one to aid with the heavy lifting.

The theatrical narration midway through the track adds to the sense of homecoming. The voice is as yet uncredited, but I'm speculating it could be MOMO's given her experience with musical theatre during her early career. It could just as well be SU's or MOA's, though, as they, too, are vocally versatile.

I just looked up the translation for "wasshoi", which is repeatedly chanted, and indeed it is a word that is used in traditional festivals to get everyone in sync and work together to lift a shrine for a grand parade. It's a homecoming for BABYMETAL, and they've brought the whole world back with them for the party!

'Metali' dropped on 18 August 2023, and is available on YouTube (above), and on Spotify. Probably elsewhere too.

Edit: Big surprise! It's not just new music on YouTube, but a whole new official music video! This band gives so much, and keeps on giving. And I was there for the premiere!

Chibimetal debut teased in METALVERSE#1 trailer?

We have dates for a new reveal of something mysterious happening in BABYMETAL lore. An alternate universe version of BABYMETAL? At the launch of BABYMETAL's 2023 World Tour, a new trio of youngsters introduced as 'Chibimetal' performed alongside our known METAL ladies in their 'live' performances of (as far as I have discovered) 'Karate' and 'Doki Doki Morning'.

Comprising SG alumna (of course!), Chibimetal shadowed their older counterparts perfectly, move for move, note for note. But the Chibis are thankfully not exact carbon copies of their mentors(?). Chibi attire features a similar cut, but a starkly different colour scheme; and there's a noticeable height inversion in that both supporting dance-vocalists are taller than the lead.

Which brings us to this trailer that dropped just hours ago. Apparently, Chibimetal's development is more advanced than I expected, if they're ready to reveal something major in just under two months. There's speculation that this new group could be a cover band for BABYMETAL's earlier songs, which SU, MOA, and MOMO may have outgrown. But I really hope that we'll be getting some fresh, new music coming from the newly 'discovered' METALVERSE invasion that would be worthy of introducing a new kawaii metal band to our universe.

What will actually be revealed at Spotify O-East (a 'live' concert venue in Shibuya, Tokyo) is anyone's guess at this moment. We wait with bated breath...!

Edit: I'm speculating, wishful thinking really, that since SG ceased operations in 2021, could the management have been taking these last two years to retrain and re-brand the former girl idol band in the direction that its most successful spinoff unit had taken? Could SG have gone completely metal with its different sub-units to create many different varieties of new metal variants, hence the apparent multi-dimensionality of the Metalverse? Metaru-Sakura Gakuin sounds absolutely nutty, but this think-tank has made weird things work before. One can only hope.

IDZ brings the evening to a close

(This post concludes my reaction to BABYMETAL's performance during their World Tour 2023 at Zepp, KL, 4 June 2023. If you start here and scroll downwards, the sequence will be in reverse order. If you prefer the sequence to be chronological, first scroll about 13 entries down to my 'Megitsune' review, then work your way back up.)

BABYMETAL gifts us with one final number to finish a 14 item set. The performance in the featured video (above) is the capstone to the showcase that riveted the band's place in metal canon. Sonisphere, UK, 2014, a major rock music festival, marks a glorious piece of historic lore in which an unknown band comprising a trio of uncomfortably kawaii underage frontwomen singing pop in a foreign language accompanied by a face-melting metal band got unexpectedly bumped up from the fringe event, and on to the main stage in front of 60,000 presumed hardcore metalheads. After immediately becoming the talk of the town, the band gained a beachhead from which to conquer the world.

Was their success really that unexpected? Well, even at this young age (14-16 years), the girls are already entertainment veterans, having performed in front of large numbers of paying audience for at least 4 years, if not more. The Kami band behind them is jaw-droppingly metal. Their performance package is tried and tested: the choreography is well-rehearsed, polished and perfectly coordinated; the trio's vocals are strongly melodic, and delivered with powerful conviction; their stage presence captivating. By this time, they've already picked up a global following through their MV releases on YouTube, 'Gimme Choco' being their most viewed. And judging from the display of a white neckbrace and a BABYMETAL flag from the audience (7:22) they probably have more friends in the crowd than they gave themselves credit for.

This song, 'Ijime, Dame, Zettai' (bullying, [to] stop, forever), represents a core value the band has embodied since its beginnings. Its use of metal to carry songs of positivity, encouragement, and cheer was a radical departure from what metal was 'supposed to be about' back then. Experimentation, innovation and adaptation still keeps this band fresh and relevant, even forward-looking, today.

Back in KL, the performance is over. SU calls, 'we are...?' To which we respond, 'BABYMETAL!!!' Then instead of the usual chorus of 'see you', she goes, 'berjumpa lagi', which is still literally 'see you again' but in Berhasa. It's a tiny, but heartwarming gesture to recognize the country that has welcomed them, on this effervescent and thoroughly memorable night of my mid-fifties.

BABYMETAL World Tour @ Zepp KL 2023

I was there. 'Live'. In person. VIP section. Weird, as the people who paid the most got to stand right in front of the stage where, in Shakespeare's time, the poorest people would have been standing. And the VIPs then would have been comfortably seated at the back, where today, the cheapest tickets are.

Unfortunately, this was the best shot I could get of the three in one frame. While SU and MOA are relatively clear, MOMO is blurred out due to movement. Photographs are literally shots in the dark, when lots of factors have to precisely align: Lighting, moments of stillness (which are far and few as they move around constantly without any signs of fatigue), and no random 'fox signs' or other mobile phones obstructing the view.

MOMO (Edit: nope, that's MOA. I didn't notice the dimples earlier) at least gets one good shot here, and probably my best one for the night. And what a night! Well worth the 6 hour bus ride up north, well worth the 90 minutes I spent on my feet waiting for the show to start, well worth cramming shoulder-to-shoulder in a crowd of 2000+ other BM fans (a.k.a. The One) when standing so close to people actually makes me uncomfortable.

The show comprised 14 songs, altogether lasting about an hour and a half. Each song was performed exactly the way it was always performed in their official and unofficial 'live' shows on YouTube, so perfectly coordinated, rehearsed, practiced, and polished. The only difference being that I. Was. There.

I even survived a couple of impromptu moshes. My research into metal concerts indicated that waivers had to be signed if I wanted to participate in a mosh pit, but no documents had been presented to me for my autograph. Yet, I knew that where I was standing was prime location for a wall of death, but as the crowd was well behaved, I thought nothing of staying where I was. But when 'Gimme Chocolate' came on, that's when the pushing and shoving began, without warning. So I leaned into it, nearly getting knocked off my feet a couple of times, but leaning on other people kept me upright as I carefully edged my way out of the pit. It may not have been my intention to get involved -- considering my age -- but I got what I paid for and consider surviving the experience a bonus. So I knew well enough to stay at the periphery during 'Road of Resistance' and the closing number, 'IDZ' during which moshing was expected.

I really admire these three women who brought so much life, talent, energy and joy to this small KL performance, when they've been performing almost every other night in a different city each time around Europe and Asia, and they have yet to start on their US leg before returning to Europe to close out the year. Just look at their tour schedule for 2023 alone!

The souvenirs I'm bringing home include a lanyard with VIP pass, an official promo poster, and an official bandana used for audience participation during 'Pa Pa Ya!' which I believe is the most fun song in the entire repertoire.

Finally, I can't believe I saw BABYMETAL in person. Yes, anyone can see them in person as long as they have a ticket. What I mean is that I found something that I really wanted to do, and I didn't let my laziness, inertia, excuses, apprehensions, and doubts stop me from planning out this little trip and seeing it through to the end. Not often I can say this to myself, but 'mission accomplished'!

Metalizm (Official) by BABYMETAL: video first impression

Well, the official video for 'Metalizm' dropped today, taking me by surprise. This song is featured in BABYMETAL's latest album, 'The Other One'. It's clear the band has taken a whole new aesthetic and approach to their performances. No longer banking on kawaii, the focus seems to be more on creating this dynamic art form with all the talent they've developed over the years they've been performing.

I feel this art form to be unfortunately limited by the 2 dimensional medium of video it is presented in. This piece of work was designed to be more immersive than just the flat screen I'm watching it on. But the technology needed to fully appreciate this piece either hasn't been invented yet, or is simply as yet unaffordable. The best I could probably do is to strap on an Oculus headset to see and feel the swirling colours and rhythms everywhere I look instead of just straight ahead.

The song itself is hypnotic, trance-inducing. The pace of the music is somewhat slower, less frantic than many of their other songs, while the vocals are calmer, and (dare I say) designed not to test SU's range. In fact, from a quick glance at the translated lyrics, they remind me of descriptions of rather dramatic manga panels -- metal knights and metal kings in flight, bringing hope and light to the world.

The dance is full of sharp angles, perfectly synchronised, as always, creating beautiful patterns with the trio moving together, intricate yet powerful. What I see are depictions of the edginess of metal in the midst of swirling flames. The action to me is more reminiscent of forging rather than fighting, with the rhythmic pounding of hammer on anvil, and not the sharp clash of swords.

Perhaps this song is intended as a sort of palate cleanser within the concert repertoire. An item for a change of pace, and possibly a moment to recharge energy before the next big set piece.

The songs in this new album clearly signal maturity. Their performances of the past were quite literal storytelling theatre pieces. I'm happy they've now gained the confidence to simply play with their unique 3-D, multi-sensory canvas, comfortable in creating more abstract art, and letting their music speak for itself.

A gentle introduction to BABYMETAL pt. 1

I'm seriously late to the party. The girls have grown up so much, being in the business for over 10 years now. Thankfully, they have some new material released within the past month which I can review, then perhaps consider how much further down the 'fox hole' I want to delve into.

First, some context. The band has been described as pioneering the 'kawaii metal' genre. The formula was clearly explosive, but the talent agency that put the band together just went with it. Take three super talented multiple-threat pre-teens and make them front a band comprising some of the best talents in Japanese hardcore metal, infusing the hard driving beats with the melodies of idol pop. While the band members themselves are mostly session musicians, a few have stayed with the group on a semi-permanent basis. The mainstays who give the band the name 'BABYMETAL' are SU-METAL (lead vocalist) and MOAMETAL who flanks the lead with supporting vocals and dance. The original third member, YUIMETAL took the other flank, but left a few years ago due to poor health. She was a solid and much revered foundational part of the band, and greatly missed by fans today.

This video (above) is atypical of their music. On The First Take music artists of stature perform with their voices alone, accompanied by a simple unplugged music backing  Here, performers leave their bands and choreography behind so that the audience can focus on just the vocal presentation in isolation -- and record that performance in a single take. (Edit: oops, no. The featured guest can arrange their performance however they want, but it's all shot in just one take).

The video above is entitled 'The One - Unfinished ver.' which is a tribute to their huge international fanbase collectively known as the One. It is 'unfinished' as it is only a snippet of the full version. This video is significant as it features one of the first recorded appearances of MOMOMETAL as the recently confirmed third member of the group, finally returning BABYMETAL to its original trio status. While SU-METAL still sings lead here, the focus seems to be on MOAMETAL and MOMOMETAL who provide a beautiful backing harmony which we seldom appreciate, lost as it often gets in the sound and fury of their usual full metal performances, packed with so much frenetic choreography and theatrical spectacle. Also because of the loss of YUIMETAL, MOA up to this point has had no consistent partner to harmonise with.

Like the title of the song, the two-part harmony indeed blends as one, like their voices were made for each other. This harmonic base provides SU-METAL a platform for her voice to soar as she belts out a song of affirmation and identity. On one hand it pulls in the fanbase for whom the song is written, but it also welcomes MOMOMETAL into the band with an anthem of sisterly solidarity. And perhaps the song is 'unfinished' to symbolize the beginning of a new journey for this trio of amazing vocal talent.

In part 2, we will review the previous First Take release, 'Monochrome - piano ver.' by BABYMETAL.