“(Ra-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta) Now gimme some more.“
BABYMETAL are an odd force in metal these days, one of legacy acts harking back to older days, yet one that seemingly revitalise themselves through the commercial prism they exist in. Their recent years have been a period where listeners were kept on their toes. Given the release of singles for METAL FORTH beginning five months after their 2023 record, THE OTHER ONE, it does perhaps suggest how that album went from both perspectives.
There has been a perturbing sense of clinging to relevancy with this BABYMETAL album, a line-up of features that seems like an Excel spreadsheet sorting by Spotify listeners. The immediate observation is how on earth do you blend a set of features from Poppy, Electric Callboy, Slaughter to Prevail, and Bloodywood as an opening gambit. It is one that is seemingly sensed to draw in listeners of each artist, which does ultimately feel cynical, as none of these tracks thread themselves together in any sense other than having BABYMETAL on them.
Moving through the now Jordan Fish styling of the Poppy sound, the obtuse electronic sound of Electronic Callboy, the dull-edged deathcore of Slaughter to Prevail, and at least the mildly interesting sound of Bollywood, there is nothing coherent at all. A first run through will bring into question how much of this was merely passed off to these featured artists in terms of songwriting. While later on the styling of the chosen features does blend better, the opening stretch feels like a scroll through some TikTokish hell of metal.
Featured artists on METAL FORTH make up seven of the eleven tracks, and while BABYMETAL have never shied away from a feature, it does feel borderline absurd here. “Sunset Kiss” and “My Queen“, which feature Polyphia and Spiritbox, do have a neat blend together. Again, while being “that band’s” sound with BABYMETAL on it, which does make half these tracks feel like the feature is the other way round. There is a modern, sleek styling between these two tracks that flows much nicer than the chaotic shifts before. There is also a Tom Morello feature on “METAL!!“, because why not? This is the feature that blends the most into BABYMETAL‘s traditional sound.
In all of this, some tracks are just BABYMETAL, which deliver with mixed results. It is expected that when BABYMETAL stand alone on tracks, they would showcase something. First attempt “KxAxWxAxIxI” is a meek endeavor that looks to perhaps blend some of the R&B leanings that J-pop and K-pop are touching, yet just feels like a borderline interlude. “Algorism” builds back in the shining BABYMETAL sound and brims with those ever-so slightly corny riffs that do make BABYMETAL a charm to listen to. For those who have made it through the gauntlet of these ten tracks on METAL FORTH so far, “White Flame ー白炎ー” is when BABYMETAL finally show up. A sheer metal track that has solos that will break the fingers of Clone/Guitar Hero players, it has that grandiose manner that BABYMETAL have delivered so well before.
Despite all its forgiving moments, which do essentially depend on which artists you like on the list of features that are present here, there are two tracks of their own that showcase that BABYMETAL can be good on their own merit. It’s difficult not to see METAL FORTH as a cynical record, one that has effectively looked to cash in on name value across the metal scene. There will be immediate flash in the pans on these tracks that will draw in Poppy, Electric Callboy, or Spiritbox fans for a curious listen, yet METAL FORTH sets a foundation that will crumble at any next iteration for BABYMETAL.
3/10
METAL FORTH is out August 8th via Century Media Records.