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BABY METAL
"Metal Resistance" (Toy's
Factory; 2016)
Reviewed by Jeff Rogers
I love metal in all its forms. It has to be
heavy though and I've learned to accept the growling vocals as long as the music
is heavy. Now, cue up Baby Metal. These girls (Su-Metal on vocals; Yuimetal on
screams; Moametal on screams) are not what you'd think of when heavy metal comes
to mind. Long hair, they've got it. It's black too. Excellent guitar and drums,
the backing band has it going on. Think DragonForce meets their faster older
brothers in a guitar-off. Metal lyrics? Nope, it's all in Japanese (well, they
are a couple of English songs). Metal screams? Nope (well, a couple of growls).
But it's teenage girls singing with a metal backing band. So why in the hell is
this stuff so catchy? Beats me, but I've heard enough Japanese metal that I've
come to expect excellent speed metal from their country. The girly singing will
grate on if you let it but I've got to say, I actually like the music and they
have a couple of tracks that I rock out to. (Yeah, I said it!).
This is their
second disc so if you think this is some kind of gimmick, think again. These
girls are considered metal idols and their backing band is called the Kami Band.
You get speed metal, ska and sometimes Viking metal with Baby Metal. The band is
awesome, the singers, well, not so much but never mind about that. These girls
have been on the same stage as Megadeth -- yeah, embrace the change because you
might not have a choice. They are currently gearing up for a tour with the Red
Hot Chili Peppers.
In order for you to dig "kawaii" (meaning
"cute" in Japanese) you should understand that the whole genre is based on manga
comics and if you're a fan then this is just icing on the cake. If not, then
it's the iceberg you might want to avoid. I'm not saying it's going to sink
metal as most of us know it, but now you've added a whole bunch of fans to a
genre that is pretty much reserved for those who want to let off some steam, not
sway to teenage empowerment in cute red and black dresses.
All criticism aside, Baby Metal has tapped
into a new sound that just might be your newest guilty pleasure. I've made my
piece, no shame in liking something new if given the chance.
For more information, (don't worry, we don't know if you click the link or not), check out http://www.babymetal.com.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
Copyright © 2016 by R. Scott Bolton. All rights reserved.
