This week’s album is the epitome of a “Wait! Just give it a chance!” project. Babymetal is a Japanese idol pop group comprised of three teenage girls. They also happen to be backed by a legitimate heavy metal band, and then just for for fun they throw in some highly choreographed dance routines and a little bit of electronica.
On Metal Resistance, Babymetal’s second studio album, the trio has found a way to fuse all of these elements into a cohesive, caffeinated, highly-addicting whole.
Album opener “Road of Resistance” features members of DragonForce, pulling off the kinda nightmare fretwork that had Guitar Hero players breaking controllers on “Through The Fire and Flames” a decade ago.
Lead single “Karate” serves as a solid intro to the band. Its whirling, headbangy guitars back a pair of chants/verses and a crazy-infectious chorus. But the album truly soars in the many showstopping moments where it sends its high-concept into the stratosphere.
“Awadama Fever” pulses with a skittish electronic track and lyrics that translate into a tale of time traveling via mint flavored chewing gum. “Meta Taro” concludes with an anthemic, minute-long march, while “Tales of the Destinies” features an old-time saloon piano interlude.
The band’s demonic-slumber-party vibe might be best summed up by the brilliant “GJ!” The track takes an ear worm hook, adds some guttural screams of “Die!” and mixes in a bit of light rapping, because why not?
This is a truly bonkers album and I can’t recommend it highly enough. Oh, and their music videos are twice as crazy.
Sounds Like: ?!?!?!?!?!?!
Perfect For: When you absolutely have to be the biggest music hipster in the room
Music Desk, Josh Buck
I’m an almost annoyingly outspoken feminist who loves writing about gender and race in mainstream art. I once had to be almost physically removed from Disneyland because my friends said it’s not cool to be the very last person in the park. I can’t wait to graduate in the spring so I can point my car West with no money and no plan, and spend months seeing the country, writing and meeting people.