METAL GALAXY

BABYMETAL knows something about alternate universes. Since 2010, the Japanese band has carved a unique niche that embraces sugary J-pop and power metal. They are true rock ’n’ roll unicorns, with costumes, choreographed routines, and high-pitched vocals against a masked four-piece band thrashing out double bass drum rolls and squealing solos. Their third album swirls more music genres into the group’s kawaii metal, taking listeners on a wild excursion to infinity and beyond. “Sound-wise, we didn’t want to limit it to just metal but also wanted to explore different genres and widen the range of our music,” SU-METAL (Suzuka Nakamoto) tells Apple Music. “All the songs in the album are different, similar to the multitude of stars in the galaxy. The overall idea is that BABYMETAL is traveling on a spaceship to the metal galaxies.” And what a trip. The beatific “Shanti Shanti Shanti” uses Indian rhythm and melody. “IN THE NAME OF” has chorale movements, while “Oh! MAJINAI” traipses into Scandinavian folk featuring vocals from Sabaton’s burly singer Joakim Brodén. There are also nods to digital hardcore (“Distortion”) and hip-hop (“PA PA YA!!” featuring Thai rapper F.HERO). BABYMETAL remembers to pack flammable ground-and-pound on “Starlight,” “Night Night Burn!” and the ambitious power-metal closer, “Arkadia.” SU-METAL and MOAMETAL (Moa Kikuchi) took Apple Music through METAL GALAXY’s points of interest, track by track.
FUTURE METAL SU-METAL: “This song is the album’s opening track, and only a computer was used instead of instruments. We would love for the listener to imagine himself/herself about to board a spaceship ready to travel the METAL GALAXY.”
DA DA DANCE MOAMETAL: “This dance-metal song is a mixture of future music sounds crossed with Japanese ’90s dance music. The guitar is played by Tak Matsumoto, who is a very famous guitarist from the Japanese band B’z.”
Elevator Girl SU-METAL: “Just like an elevator moving up and down, this song expresses the emotional ups and downs teenagers go through as they mature. Sound-wise, there are elements of jazz as well as a metallic riff and rhythm combined within the song. Because there are two versions (Japanese and English) of the song, we hope that fans enjoy both versions.”
Shanti Shanti Shanti MOAMETAL: “Because this third album portrays an odyssey to the different metal stars, we wanted to also include Asian sound essences into the album, as if the listener has visited this territory while on their journey.”
Oh! MAJINAI SU-METAL: “This song is inspired by Scandinavian folk metal, so we asked Joakim Brodén from Sabaton to appear as a guest vocalist. He and his band Sabaton joined BABYMETAL for BABYMETAL’s Japan shows in fall of 2018.”
Brand New Day MOAMETAL: “Sound-wise, this song was a new approach for BABYMETAL. Polyphia appeared as guest guitarists in the song and we feel that their sound has made the song even better.”
Night Night Burn! SU-METAL: “This song has actually existed for approximately the same period as ‘Megitsune,’ so it’s been around for a long time. Sound-wise, there are elements of Latin music, which has added more energy into the song.”
IN THE NAME OF MOAMETAL: “This song also is an opener, and if ‘FUTURE METAL’ represents the light side, ‘IN THE NAME OF’ represents the dark side. With a tribal sound base and with a heavy rhythm, the song introduces the beginning of the dark side to the listener.”
Distortion SU-METAL: “‘Distortion’ is a song that illustrates a human with a two-faced personality who exists in dystopia. We wanted to find someone whose voice would best represent the opposite of SU-METAL’s character. Arch Enemy’s Alissa White-Gluz was perfect for this role as her vocals/growls are amazing and we are so lucky to have her involved in this song.”
PA PA YA!! MOAMETAL: “‘PA PA YA!!’ has a tropical/Asian sound element because we wanted to create a party-metal song. To add more of an Asian essence, we had Thai rapper F.HERO collaborate with us.”
Kagerou SU-METAL: “This track shows a different aspect of BABYMETAL as the song has both a heavy and midtempo sound. The song and choreography are different than what we’re used to, so we definitely explored a new territory for this song.”
Starlight MOAMETAL: “Elements of djent and a melodious heavy sound are combined in this track. When you hear the track, it’s as if SU-METAL’s powerful vocals shine light on an eternal path.”
Shine MOAMETAL: “The acoustic guitar and the choir in the intro and outro are the highlights of the track. The song portrays life and depicts the ups and downs we all experience through life.”
Arkadia SU-METAL: “This song concludes the album and portrays a new departure. It’s a cross between a fast-paced rhythm with a melodious sound.”