LIMP BIZKIT. BRING ME THE HORIZON. SLEEP TOKEN. All the above have something in common – at various points in time, they’ve divided the world of rock and metal in two. For some, they’ve been the breath of fresh air the genres needed; for others, the worst thing that could have ever happened. However, perhaps no other act embodies this Marmite reaction more than three diminutive females from Tokyo, who brought out their debut album ten years ago this month. Prepare your dance moves and hail the Fox God – this is the story of the origin and self-titled record of BABYMETAL.
The genesis of BABYMETAL begins with Key Kobayashi, better known as Kobametal and his work with Amuse Inc, an artist management service heavily involved with the hugely popular, Japanese ‘idol’ scene, where entertainers are marketed for their image, attractiveness and personality. Specific to this was the Amuse Inc-founded group SAKURA GAKUIN, boasting ten to twelve members between the ages of 10 and 15. Themed around school life and club activities, one of the group’s splinter groups, or ‘sub units’ was the Kobayashi-produced and promoted Heavy Music Club comprising Suzuka Nakamoto, Yui Mizuno and Moa Kikuchi. In February of 2011, it was announced the trio would perform under the name BABYMETAL from there on, so called to denote the birth of a new kind of metal.
BABYMETAL’s first releases were on albums associated with SAKURA GAKUIN, but would go on to be featured on their debut album, like the colourful, bouncy Doki Doki Morning and the frantic thunder of Headbangeeeeerrrrr!!!!!. In 2013, Nakamoto (the oldest of the three by a year), graduated from junior high school and, by extension, had to leave the SAKURA GAKUIN group. In a move uncommon for the idol scene, BABYMETAL’s management decided that the trio would stay together and continue making music, without looking for a replacement to fill Nakamoto’s position.
The band’s next single, Megitsune, would see the touchpaper truly lit. Released on June 19, 2013, it was a viral success, with metal fans split perfectly down the middle on whether this was an utter triumph of originality or the genre reaching its absolute nadir. Most of the criticism was aimed at the vocals of the three girls, by now fully christened as Su-metal, Yuimetal and Moametal – the saccharine, squeaky pitch was as far removed from the gutturals of, say, DYING FETUS as could be humanly conceived and, as people began to delve into the group’s background and found out about their idol scene roots, comments about the manufactured image of BABYMETAL and whether or not they were little more than an industry plant began to rise.
If the vocals didn’t put people off, the elaborate backstory did: a deity only known as ‘The Fox God’ was on a campaign to bring the globe together, united through a new type of metal and had chosen the three girls to spread its gospel. Few were complaining about the musical element, though – a relentless barrage of speed metal riffs and drums, it was further proof of Japan’s ability to produce some of the best technical musicians in the world.
The album Babymetal came out on February 26th, 2014 and was received positively both in Japan and internationally. Rolling Stone Japan praised it for being “filled with elements of quality, heaviness, humour and cuteness”, Kerrang! said it was “utterly brilliant” and Metal Obsession commented that “it has made metal cute without losing any of its edge”. It also performed well commercially, topping the iTunes metal charts in the USA, Canada and the UK and even cracking the Billboard 200 a month after release.
If Megitsune was the touch paper, Gimme Chocolate!! was the explosion. Although never a single, a video for the song was released on the same day as the album and, as of writing, has over 180 million Youtube hits alone. Its mix of thrash and pop meant it became the first song to be labelled ‘kawaii metal’ or ‘cute metal’, a peculiar title given the lyrics talked about women and girls who loved chocolate but were afraid to put on weight. Nevertheless, its stratospheric reach meant BABYMETAL were being talked about across the globe; in Japan, they celebrated their success by putting on two shows at the world-renowned Nippon Budokan, becoming the youngest ever female act to perform there with an average age of just 14.6 years.
The summer of 2014 saw BABYMETAL play their first shows outside of Asia. Booked to make their UK debut at the last ever Sonisphere Festival, they were bumped up from the smaller, Bohemian tent to the main Apollo stage due to their demand; two nights later, they headlined London’s Kentish Town Forum, again upgraded from Camden’s Electric Ballroom. By the time November rolled around, they filled the legendary Hammerstein Ballroom in New York and, four nights later, headlined a sold out Brixton Academy; within 18 months of that, they performed at Wembley Arena and broke the record for the most merch sold at the venue in a single night.
These days, the novelty and success of BABYMETAL has certainly plateaued off, but their first few years were the definition of lightning in a bottle. Rarely has a band risen so meteorically through the ranks so soon after a debut record and, whether those at the time thought it for the better or worse, nobody can deny it was memorable.
Babymetal was originally released on February 26th, 2014 via BMD Fox Records/earMUSIC.
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