BABYMETAL

[Wicked Teletubby 528]

as there's no general topic for this band I thought I'd start one.

some general discussion and minor news could belong here.

 

for those who's not into THAT side of YouTube, BABYMETAL is a Japanese pop idol + metal act growing huge around the world as of now.

 

their live music video for a song, Gimichoco!! is now enjoying a great success getting more than 8 million views.

on March 8 and 9, BABYMETAL played two big shows at NIPPON BUDOKAN after which it was decided that the band is to go overseas.

 

their debut self-titled album has made it onto the tops of iTunes charts in the US and select European countries.

this summer, BABYMETAL is playing in Europe, including Sonisphere Festival.

 

 

as for the news, girls are now in New York doing some photosessions.

 

Edited July 20, 2016 by Wicked Teletubby

[kyoselflove 2680]

I heard their album a few months ago and I actually enjoyed it.  There were a few songs that I really liked but I can't remember what they were called.  I like the concept and look forward to more releases

[kurenaishineek 646]

Well im not into pop idols , but with the metal music its sounds more like moe doujin metal and im totally into this kind of music . I love their songs , altough i was mega dissapointed in their full album , only 3 new songs .

[fitear1590 2414]

^Yeah, it was sad the album only featured a few new tracks.  I hadn't heard a lot of the b-sides anyway, so it wasn't a big deal.  Still, it would've been nice if the old tracks were rerecorded or somehow revamped, but as an idol elitist informed us on last.fm "DUH, IDOL GROUPS DON'T DO THAT!"  Oh.


ANYWAY, this band is highly amusing.  Their lives and PVs always make me laugh just from their sheer ridiculousness.
The most unfortunate thing about this band is seeing metal creeps perv out to a bunch of young girls...

Also, I kinda wish the backing band members would get a little more credit, but I was happy to see in that recent live trailer that they do guitar solos and stuff.  Speaking of which, BABYMETAL is coming to Germany just days after I'm leaving... Otherwise, I seriously would've considered going, haha.

In any case, looking forward to whatever they do next.  I think the voices of the 2 "dancers/screamers" have gotten more tolerable on the album's new tracks, so they'll probably be even better on their next release.

[Zeus 7997]

Finally glad to see this girls get some attention! They're not bad at all, really.

[Peace Heavy mk II 7200]

Doing what vkei has been trying to do since 2007

[Guest mitsu the indie girl]

Doing what vkei has been trying to do since 2007

 

This says it all. haha

[Traxan 148]

so by now I assume you've all heard the girls will open for Lady Gaga on 5 dates around the western US. It'll be curious how Gaga's audience, which skews heavily to gay men, will react. I thought KPP would be a better match for Gaga, tbh.

 

The gimmick won't last once they hit puberty, but look at the crowd in that video. Those people are going nuts. So the gimmick works. We'll probably see new Babymetals as the girls grow up. I think the oldest will have a good career as a pop singer herself. She's got a nice voice and presence. Not sure on the two little ones.

[Traxan 148]

Well, the girls went to Sonisphere, a major metal show that takes place every summer in Europe, and pretty much took over the place. They got to hang with Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax, among others.

 

 

 

 

http://www.metalinjection.net/around-the-interwebs/babymetal-meet-members-of-metallica-slayer-carcass-deftones-more

[doombox 4421]

I can't help but to love this group. I find the music to be really good and super catchy, and really what else could I ask for. 
Their fans keep telling me I have to go listen to the rest of their girl group, and I'm pretty sure that's never gonna happen because I only got into this project due to it being a twist on metal.
But I hope these girls ride the novelty until the wheels fall off. I'm kinda scared what GaGa's crowd will think of them, but then again even bad press is good press. Their name is getting out to literally millions of people because of it so I'm sure in the end it'll all be worth it.

[togz 2004]

I like the music, but I really can't handle the super kawaii high pitched voices, which is why it's hard for me to really appreciate a lot of idol pop.

[bonsaijodelfisch 328]

i'll just leave this here...

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7UWLNDH_bU

 

babymetal cover X Japan (i'll take this over recent toshi anytime )

[Youko_o 51]

It's really catchy to listen to, but the kawaiiness is annoying sometimes (that's part of the reason I dropped anime almost completely). And I don't like the way it is produced. BABYMETAL is just a selling machine. Well produced music, yes, but still just a selling machine. I enjoy when artists make a song themselves and put their souls on it. The musicians behind BABYMETAL are just making music to sell, nothing else. And the girls are also singing and dancing to sell. There's no purpose beyond that. Lame.

[relentless 254]

BABYMETAL is just a selling machine. Well produced music, yes, but still just a selling machine.

 

 

 

This can be said about the vast majority of Popular Music. And trying to quantify the amount of "soul" in a piece of music is just a useless buzzword. There's this Romantic ideal by many that music has to be produced by these struggling artists who put their very feelings into a work. Well, that's just not true.

[bonsaijodelfisch 328]

It's really catchy to listen to, but the kawaiiness is annoying sometimes (that's part of the reason I dropped anime almost completely). And I don't like the way it is produced. BABYMETAL is just a selling machine. Well produced music, yes, but still just a selling machine. I enjoy when artists make a song themselves and put their souls on it. The musicians behind BABYMETAL are just making music to sell, nothing else. And the girls are also singing and dancing to sell. There's no purpose beyond that. Lame.

 

ok, i think i need to adress this.

i read that kind of argument a LOT and the hypocrisy behind it is just staggering.

 

when in a band the guitarist writes all of the music you don't hate on the other members for playing songs they didn't write, you don't hate on actors who perform in movies/theatre that they didn't write the piece they perform, you don't hate on classical orchestras that perform music by guys already dead for hundreds of years, but somehow it is "lame" and for some not really apparent reason without "soul" when 3 teenage girls perform a series of high-energy metal-gigs all over the world?

 

on top of that these tracks are so wildly creative, new and fresh, but apparently only the concept of a selling-machine?

u-huh, because death-core-powermetal tracks about chocolate with reggae parts and dragonforce guitar-solos are a failproof combination for big bucks. sure thing...

 

i can totally understand having a disliking for the cutesy high-pitched voices, or the riddicculous genre-mish-mash that is going on, or just the tracks in general for their complexity or whatever. 

but listening to those tracks it is painstakingly clear, that a LOT of creativity, thought, work and heart went into creating something truly interesting here

(and the amount of controversy they stir up is probably the most solid proof of that)

 

if now the second guitarist from the right is the writer of the tracks or not, how would that make any difference?

[DogManX 179]

Oh boy....humanity is so predictable. A I really the only one who can't do anything with this fake idol crap? There's a pop label forcing these girls into groups, with no regards of their actual knowledge about anything they will do. BABYMETAL is a fabricated pop group supported by heavy guitars. No more. What is great about this? Oh wow they're awesome...besides the fact that none of them had any idea of metal when they started out. How difficult is it to do this kind of thing if the only thing you have to do yourself is hitting the right tone? Like already said, it's PURE sellout. All about it. Cute little girls doing metal, random music, random music videos, super random member names. (...)METAL, (...)METAL and (...)METAL, really???

These band photos make me sick, too. As if these encounters with Kerry King and co. "just happened" like that. Is it still great to imagine such a meeting if you know deep inside that also this was fabricated all through?

 

If this is what VK is trying to do since 2007, then I'm damn glad letting it go. At least to me there's more to music than pure catchiness and famewhoring. And BABYMETAL really kill the idea of metal. Luckily they're all 16 soon and this project will most likely be abandoned to make room for something else.. maybe collabo with kiaryu pamyu pamyu or whatever

 

 

>>

on top of that these tracks are so wildly creative, new and fresh, but apparently only the concept of a selling-machine?

u-huh, because death-core-powermetal tracks about chocolate with reggae parts and dragonforce guitar-solos are a failproof combination for big bucks. sure thing...<<

 

Every little idiot nowadays is able to write catchy melodies. Especially in pop genre, which it basically is. Also "wildly creative".. well. What is actually creative about it? It's all been done before by similar or the same pop agencies. Just look at the PonPonPon video. It's essencially the same. The more crazy the more attention it will get. It is predictable, and it's not like there are Sigh-like avantgarde melodies in BABYMETAL. Like you said, Dragonforce meets mainstream pop/reggae. Not really a risk taken.

[Youko_o 51]

Oh boy....humanity is so predictable. A I really the only one who can't do anything with this fake idol crap? There's a pop label forcing these girls into groups, with no regards of their actual knowledge about anything they will do. BABYMETAL is a fabricated pop group supported by heavy guitars. No more. What is great about this? Oh wow they're awesome...besides the fact that none of them had any idea of metal when they started out. How difficult is it to do this kind of thing if the only thing you have to do yourself is hitting the right tone? Like already said, it's PURE sellout. All about it. Cute little girls doing metal, random music, random music videos, super random member names. (...)METAL, (...)METAL and (...)METAL, really???

These band photos make me sick, too. As if these encounters with Kerry King and co. "just happened" like that. Is it still great to imagine such a meeting if you know deep inside that also this was fabricated all through?

 

If this is what VK is trying to do since 2007, then I'm damn glad letting it go. At least to me there's more to music than pure catchiness and famewhoring. And BABYMETAL really kill the idea of metal. Luckily they're all 16 soon and this project will most likely be abandoned to make room for something else.. maybe collabo with kiaryu pamyu pamyu or whatever

 

 

I second all said here by DogManX. BABYMETAL is not really "metal", cause it kills the real idea of metal. (same for white metal bands, that's not actual metal)

 

And I'm not saying it HAS to be produced in some way and only in that way. I just prefer that way. 

 

And I'm talking only about music. Other kinds of media have their own purpose.

 

[Bear 1817]

I second all said here by DogManX. BABYMETAL is not really "metal", cause it kills the real idea of metal. (same for white metal bands, that's not actual metal)

 

Would you care to elaborate this statement, and what exactly you mean by it?

[relentless 254]

Oh boy....humanity is so predictable. A I really the only one who can't do anything with this fake idol crap? There's a pop label forcing these girls into groups, with no regards of their actual knowledge about anything they will do. BABYMETAL is a fabricated pop group supported by heavy guitars. No more. What is great about this? Oh wow they're awesome...besides the fact that none of them had any idea of metal when they started out. How difficult is it to do this kind of thing if the only thing you have to do yourself is hitting the right tone? Like already said, it's PURE sellout. All about it. Cute little girls doing metal, random music, random music videos, super random member names. (...)METAL, (...)METAL and (...)METAL, really???

These band photos make me sick, too. As if these encounters with Kerry King and co. "just happened" like that. Is it still great to imagine such a meeting if you know deep inside that also this was fabricated all through?

 

If this is what VK is trying to do since 2007, then I'm damn glad letting it go. At least to me there's more to music than pure catchiness and famewhoring. And BABYMETAL really kill the idea of metal. Luckily they're all 16 soon and this project will most likely be abandoned to make room for something else.. maybe collabo with kiaryu pamyu pamyu or whatever

 

 

>>

on top of that these tracks are so wildly creative, new and fresh, but apparently only the concept of a selling-machine?

u-huh, because death-core-powermetal tracks about chocolate with reggae parts and dragonforce guitar-solos are a failproof combination for big bucks. sure thing...<<

 

Every little idiot nowadays is able to write catchy melodies. Especially in pop genre, which it basically is. Also "wildly creative".. well. What is actually creative about it? It's all been done before by similar or the same pop agencies. Just look at the PonPonPon video. It's essencially the same. The more crazy the more attention it will get. It is predictable, and it's not like there are Sigh-like avantgarde melodies in BABYMETAL. Like you said, Dragonforce meets mainstream pop/reggae. Not really a risk taken.

 

 

 

 

 

With the exception of not liking pop singers fronting a metal band, none of your complaints have anything to do with the merits of the compositions and are criticizing: image, how metal "should" be, how metal "shouldn't" be, and the same excuse about "sell outs" and "fabricatiing" that is only brought up as a means to try and discredit a band. It's fine not to like them because they're fronted by young pop singers; but stop trying to draw it into some greater argument that revolves around "Metal Purity" when Metal thrives off of marketability and gimmicks in the first place (in addition to the "oh so serious" bands).

 

 

 

 

Also, in regards to: "Every little idiot nowadays is able to write catchy melodies. Especially in pop genre, which it basically is"

 

If you can, I would like you to write a Pop composition that follows all of the conventions of a pop song that has a "catchy" verse, chorus, and bridge. Afterwards, post it here so we can assess how good of a composition it is.

[Youko_o 51]

Would you care to elaborate this statement, and what exactly you mean by it?

You mean the white metal part right? I have some vision issues (I should get glasses lol), but If I'm right you quoted it and made it bold.

 

What I mean is that I think metal should not spread religion. It should break chains that bound people, and not create more. Some days ago I was thinking it's kinda paradoxal/hypocrite my way of thinking, cause this way I'm taking away freedom from people who want to spread religion through metal at the same time I want to give freedom to people through metal. Well, whatever, I still stand against religion spreading.

[bonsaijodelfisch 328]

BABYMETAL is a fabricated pop group supported by heavy guitars...besides the fact that none of them had any idea of metal when they started out.

Point beeing? i fail to see it

 

How difficult is it to do this kind of thing if the only thing you have to do yourself is hitting the right tone?

as mentioned earlier, if you're statement would be true this would also apply to every single goddamn bandmember existing except for the songwriters themselves. this would also apply to the whole frickin concept of classical music.

 

(...)METAL, (...)METAL and (...)METAL, really???

how is cheesy clichee shit cool with every other metal-thing and fantasy-movies etc. but not with this? i understand not liking cheesy stuff, but hell no to double standards

 

If this is what VK is trying to do since 2007, then I'm damn glad letting it go

I'm no expert on identifying VK, but i'm pretty sure this is not

 

At least to me there's more to music than pure catchiness and famewhoring. And BABYMETAL really kill the idea of metal

don't worry, nobody does and should care about anyones definition of what genre xy should be

 

 

Every little idiot nowadays is able to write catchy melodies. Especially in pop genre, which it basically is.

that statement has never been true, and it certainly hasn't changed "nowadays"

Also: basically everything relentless said

[Bear 1817]

I'm not overly fond of preaching metal bands myself, but I can't really say that I care as long as the music is good. However, I just got the impresson that you considered religious metal bands (Trouble, Mortification, Horde, Crimson Moonlight, Antestor, to mention a few "white metal" bands with something great in their discography) as lesser metal bands, and that they're not "real" metal because of their lyrical themes, which is something I strongly disagree with.

 

Unless I misunderstood what you meant, then I apologize.

[Youko_o 51]

I'm just saying their concept does not fit metal. For me metal should break chains and free minds, I think I already said it. If they sound great, then great. I already listened to some white metal/metalcore bands and liked what I heard, but because of what they talk about I didn't dig them. I care about it because I think the world would be better without religion and am what some people may call a metalhead (I don't really see me as a true metalhead, but whatever).

 

I think we shouldn't talk more about this here, it's becoming off topic. If you want to ask me something else, feel free to do it but not on this topic, since it's about BABYMETAL and not white metal bands and some dude who is against it all XD

[DogManX 179]

With the exception of not liking pop singers fronting a metal band, none of your complaints have anything to do with the merits of the compositions and are criticizing: image, how metal "should" be, how metal "shouldn't" be, and the same excuse about "sell outs" and "fabricatiing" that is only brought up as a means to try and discredit a band. It's fine not to like them because they're fronted by young pop singers; but stop trying to draw it into some greater argument that revolves around "Metal Purity" when Metal thrives off of marketability and gimmicks in the first place (in addition to the "oh so serious" bands).

 

Well, I don't see why it should in the first place. There's nothing to complain about the composition parts themselves, they're fine. However you should try not to assert or compare things in a way that comes off even more ridiculous. I stated very clearly that TO ME there is more in music than famewhoring and pure instrumentals made to attract people (in addition to the fact that I find dependent, inside-out controlled artists to be an insult to metal). That was supposed to be what I was getting at in my comment, nothing else. And if you go to the point of comparing pop idol machinery to ANY other metal artist management in any way (okay, VK may be pretty close in many cases), then we really don't have anything to talk about, bud. Because this is rrrridiculous case closed

 

To your wish: Nope. Thanks.

 

PS: But I got a good song text already: "Baby I wanna be with you uh uh Huuuuh Baby I give it all to you uh uh Yaaaayyy" repeat that with overtuned vocoders for ~3 minutes, put it in repetitive synthies and voilah there's your new pop sensation.

 

Ok but back to topic.. sry for all you pop fans btw.

[relentless 254]

However you should try not to assert or compare things in a way that comes off even more ridiculous.

 

 

Please, explain.