BABYMETAL: Metal Galaxy (HEAVY METAL): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

After having amused the planet in 2015 with a surprising mix of J-pop and black metal, the Babymetal project has quicly run out of steam with a second album far too caricatural to be worthy of interest. The three teenagers are back with "Metal Galaxy" their third effort, an even more ambitious album just released this fall.

A true phenomenon in Japan and a national glory, the three Japanese musicians, accompanied by talented but anonymous musicians, are struggling to find their audience in Europe. Because, after the surprise and amusement of discovery, Babymetal's universe has a hard time enthralling the Western public, mainly because of a Japanese cultural anchoring that is so prevalent in their music and their artistic universe.

The conquest of the world imposed on him a musical openness, obvious on this last production and necessary to interest a wider audience than that of mangas and other lovers of muscular j-pop. This opening therefore requires the contribution of many guests, who serve to legitimize the project as best they can, such as Alissa White-Gluz (Arch Enemy), Joakim Bröden (Sabaton), the Thai rapper F.hero, Tim Henson and Scott Lepage (Polyphia) and Tak Matsumoto, Japanese rock guitarist.

Ostensibly playing on variety to get a wide audience, the three (more so young than that) singers always base most of their compositions on wild rhythms, very present Amaranth-like electro synths, jerky riffs with indus tones on Japanese melodies. Thus "Pa Pa Ya! will recall the first album, just like "Da Da Da Dance", hits in power in the pure Babymetal style. The diversity is brought by the presence of the guests with an Alissa White-Gluz equal to herself on a frenetic "Distortion" where the growls of the beautiful Canadian woman skilfully integrate into the power metal of the song. Joakim Broden intervenes, as for him, on a strange "Oh! Majinai" with an original and catchy pagan/medieval accent. One of the nice surprises of the album despite a repetitive gimmick.

More songs are now in English like 'Elevator','Shine' and 'Brand New Day'. This last track, which sees the members of Polyphia giving it a beautiful AOR metal color and a delightfully retro sound, is quite successful from a vocal and melodic point of view. As for 'Shanti Shanti Shanti', he is eagerly looking at the Indian market with its typical musical universe.

The only real surprise will catch you at the end of the album with 'Shine', a real progressive track with epic melodic development and meticulous orchestration, followed by 'Arkadia', a pure power prog with frenetic rhythms and a stunning final solo.

With much more variety (in every sense of the word), Babymetal affirms its global ambitions. The three kids have grown up and with them their appetite for success. It is of course at the expense of the death metal of the early days that we still find ourselves on 'BxMxC' or 'Starlight'. For the rest, no more syncopated riffs and the brutal metal contrast vs j-pop. The whole thing gets smoother and thicker at the creative level, but the impression of scattering confuses the listener to the point of not knowing what he has just listened to. It will take some time for everyone to find what they like and appreciate this "Metal Galaxy" whose diversity will undoubtedly touch any music lover with at least two or three titles. It's hard to love everything but impossible to hate everything.
- Official website

BABYMETAL

METAL GALAXY

EAR MUSIC

HEAVY METAL