Ελληνικά
Genre: Kawaii Metal
Country: Japan
Label: Cooking Vinyl
Year: 2023
It’s really incredible that Babymetal have reached a decade of discography and each of their albums is better than the previous one. This extravagant Far Eastern obscurity that started out as a sweet musical Frankenstein, has come of age and can now stand alongside all the modern sounds of metal without lacking anything.
Lacking, I said? Exactly the opposite! I can think of many well-known acts who would kill to combine – in such a fresh way – well-written pop tunes, with a metal aesthetic. Babymetal doesn’t just stop there, of course. They write extremely catchy songs, they fit them into their own world, their own mythology and they reach out to a well-varied audience: children, adults, dogs, cats and… foxes!
Those of you who follow their career, you will know that in each album, our girls try to give something more, to take their music one step further. From the frantic debut we were transported to the harder “Metal Resistance” and then we traveled to the more experimental “Metal Galaxy”. With “The Other One” Suzuka Nakamoto and Moa Kikuchi decided to offer us their most mature and well-balanced work to date. It might be early, but I think it might turn out to be their best.
The big hits/singles that would have stood out in the first place may be missing, but the album works better overall, it flows more beautifully, smoother, sweeter. Mainly, it doesn’t tire, as it did on their previous albums, where at times it felt like the sonic overload lacked substance. In “The Other One” the rhythm slowed down, melodies became sweeter and the compositions see, more dense, more decisive. The short duration of the album keeps the listener attention at full and the result is more solid, acting like small but direct punches of songs.
Babymetal’s new page is clearly more mellow, as the dust settled on their more extreme side. Those of you who enjoyed their more metallic parts, may be disappointed by the new chapter in their career. But for those of you who want an album that sits on your record shelf between Bring me the Horizon, Muse and Nevermore and looks them in the eye as a complete modern metal album with its own character and poppier personality, then you’re in for a treat.
The first thing that made a positive impression on me is the great progress in vocals. The high extremes of the past are absent and I think by now, SuMetal is rightly considered a very good singer, even if I don’t understand a word of what she says! All musical influences seem to have blended harmoniously into Babymetal’s melting pot, with the dark tale of “Mirror Mirror” standing out for its theatricality. “Maya” opening riff demolishes Budokan with ease, “Believing” and “Metalism” will leave every metalhead amazed with their adventurous momentum, while already known singles “Metal Kingdom” and” transport you to colorful anime paths.
The more I listen to it, the more I believe that the new era of Babymetal will have even bigger surprises in store. A record with great replay value, it wins you piece by piece and the future belongs to them!
