Ya gotta get a gimmick…
[Video][Website]
[4.56]
Patrick St. Michel: The weirdest concert I’ve ever seen in Japan was last year, when Deerhoof came to Tokyo and chose Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku, a pre-teen idol-pop group (here’s what they sound like), to open. A bunch of sorta snobby rock fans stared, arms crossed, as 20-something men jumped around with glowsticks, and then those dudes stared baffled at Deerhoof. Babymetal exists to link those two markets. “Megitsune” is pretty much everything you need to know about them, as save for some traditional instruments here and there it sounds like all their previous singles: bleating synths normally associated with busy arcades combined with heavy metal signifiers. It works, as “Megitsune” morphs just enough to be engaging while always propelling forward.
[7]
Alfred Soto: Boy, does this sound crowded: guitars and vocals compete while wedged inside massive drums. A fruitful listening experience it isn’t, but “babymetal” it is.
[6]
Iain Mew: “Doki Doki Morning” was released in 2011, and it’s amazing to me that a group based on such a limited gimmick could extend to even an 18-month career. The piercing synth blasts of “Megitsune” are a better way to merge together idol pop and metal than what they had previously, but they still aren’t very good at either, and now they’ve even lost the element of humour they had going for them.
[3]
Rebecca A. Gowns: Babymetal is the SNL skit that goes on far longer than it needs to.
[2]
Daisy Le Merrer: Bacon tastes great. Sundaes are delicious. What could possibly go wrong?
[1]
Anthony Easton: This works as both babydoll pop and full-throttle metal. Who knew this was possible? I, for one, appreciate the upended sonic assault.
[7]
Brad Shoup: What Babymetal is made of (three teenagers) and where they are aimed (idol worshippers) is unusual. Beyond that? Nothing surprising, not to listeners of Sirenia, Evanescence or even Halestorm. None of the Metals are great singers, but two of them are able to pull off a convincing pigfuck scream. Like Momoiro Clover Z, the fun is in navigating a complicated arrangement, but Momoiro Clover Z songs co-exist with Momoiro Clover Z vocals. I say they scrap everything but the grindcore.
[5]
Katherine St Asaph: Name reminds me of Babydrum, the Charli XCX that could have been; but no, Babymetal is the Sleigh Bells that could have been, if “Treats” were actually the coda to some fast shred by the girls in Touhou. If you’re looking to hear “Sakura” growled by teenagers backed by vworps, I don’t know where else you’ll find that; but overall this is more concept than delivery.
[5]
Jonathan Bogart: The first time I watched a Babymetal video, some years ago now, I was giddy, my jaw on the ground at the collision of disparate elements. This was quickly followed by enervation — despite the much-hyped (in different ways) dynamism of thrash metal and idol pop, their songs ground monotonously to my ears. When Momoiro Clover Z used a similar shtick (more pop-metal than blast-beats, granted), their impressive sense of scale and suite-like composition kept it from getting dull. Babymetal fall between the stools they themselves set up: neither brvtal nor kawaii enough to power past mere incongruity. I have the sickly feeling that someone somewhere is taking it seriously.
[5]