Metal Galaxy is the third studio album by Japanese heavy metal band Babymetal. It was first released in Japan on October 8,2019,with an international release following on October 11,2019. The album was released through BMD Fox Records in Japan,in Europe under earMusic,and elsewhere under Babymetal Records. Produced by the band's manager Kobametal,the record is a concept album of an "odyssey to the Metal Galaxy" and contains elements of music from various parts of the world. It is also the first to contain guest performances from other artists,as well as their first release to not feature founding member Yuimetal. Due to Yuimetal's poor health,the band performed with one backup dancer to form a trio alongside Su-metal and Moametal. The band began a world tour in support of the album in September 2019,with support from Avatar and The Hu in the United States and Bring Me the Horizon in Japan.
Metal Galaxy received generally positive reviews from music critics,and managed to peak at number three on the Oricon Weekly Chart with first-week sales of 73,096 units. In the United States,the album debuted at number thirteen on the Billboard 200,becoming the highest-charting Japanese-language album in the chart's history. Five songs from the album were released as digital singles,with "Distortion","Starlight","Elevator Girl","Pa Pa Ya!!" and "BxMxC" charting within the top four on the Billboard World Digital Songs chart. The album has sold 96,735 copies in Japan as of December 2019.
Background and release
On April 1,2019,three years after the worldwide release of the band's second album Metal Resistance,Babymetal announced a third album with a release set for 2019,as well as a series of headlining shows in Japan,Babymetal Awakens:The Sun Also Rises and Babymetal Arises:Beyond the Moon –Legend "M" in the summer.[4] With its title later revealed to be Metal Galaxy,it is the band's first album not to feature original member Yuimetal,who left the band in October 19,2018 due to a medical issue.[5]
Metal Galaxy was released in several editions varying by region. In Japan,the album was released in 16-track 2-disc editions via a standard edition in compact disc and LP formats,a CD limited edition with a DVD of music videos,"Sun" and "Moon" limited editions enclosed in LP-size jackets,[6] and "The One" limited edition with a DVD,exclusively available to members of "The One" official fanclub.[7] The album was also made available earlier in the region,on October 8,2019.[8] Internationally,the album was released in a standard 14-track single-disc edition,a 2-LP edition in black or transparent vinyl,and a download card,in various combinations.[9]
On August 9,2019,the band released the artwork for the Japanese "Sun" and "Moon" editions,along with the track listings for all editions of Metal Galaxy.[10][11] The same day,pre-orders for the album were made available in physical and digital editions.[12]
Composition
The band described the theme of the album as going "on an odyssey to the Metal Galaxy".[13]Su-metal stated that the album is "like a toybox,with a different mixture of songs in there".[14] The vocalist explained that,while Babymetal and Metal Resistance "had cool sounds to the songs",Metal Galaxy has a "new type of kawaii metal",and incorporates the sound of different countries in which the band has toured since the release of Metal Resistance,reflecting the "journey" made in the previous years.[15] Kobametal stated that he wanted to create Babymetal in the image of the cultural diversity found around the world in music,with Metal Galaxy being a "conceit to explore this idea". The opening track "Future Metal" includes robotic narration stating:"This ain't heavy metal,welcome to the world of Babymetal" with a following "electronic flurry","Elevator Girl" has elements of "languid jazz","Shanti Shanti Shanti" is composed of Indian instrumentation,and "Night Night Burn!" contains elements of Latin music. Additionally,the songs "Starlight","Shine",and "Arkadia" were called "a trilogy of lights". The album also features guest musicians,including gruff growls by Sabaton frontman Joakim Brodén on the track "Oh! Majinai",Arch Enemy member Alissa White-Gluz,and Thai rapper F. Hero on "Pa Pa Ya!!",continuing the band's trend of creating unconventional music.[16] Additionally,"Da Da Dance" features B'z guitarist Tak Matsumoto,and "Brand New Day" features Polyphia guitarists Tim Henson and Scott LePage.
According to Kobametal,songwriting for Metal Galaxy began when he gathered songwriters together to discuss the kind of music in desire of exploration. Musical styles included Cuban rhythms,South American tribal music,and Scandinavian metal. "Night Night Burn!" is said to have started six years prior,at the same time as the production for the song "Megitsune".[16]
On April 1, 2019, Babymetal announced a series of headlining shows,[17] Babymetal Awakens: The Sun Also Rises and Babymetal Arises: Beyond the Moon – Legend "M", with the latter shows taking place around Moametal's twentieth birthday, as a counterpart to Su-metal's Legend S: Baptism XX.[18] The first set of shows, Babymetal Awakens, was performed at Yokohama Arena and with a dancer taking Yuimetal's place.[19] Immediately after the second show, the band travelled to the United Kingdom to perform at Glastonbury Festival 2019 on June 30, 2019. Three support dancers—Kano Fujihira, Riho Sayashi, and Momoko Okazaki—officially termed the Avengers, took turns filling Yuimetal's role in the original trio formation.[20] Titled as Metal Resistance Episode VIII, the era of Babymetal features a theme that the Avengers are said to be summoned by the Fox God.[16]
Tour dates for the yet unnamed Metal Galaxy World Tour were first announced on May 10, 2019, with dates ranging from September 4, 2019 to March 1, 2020.[21] A headlining show at The Forum in Los Angeles set to coincide with the release of Metal Galaxy.[22]
On June 28, 2019, following the release of the single "Pa Pa Ya!!" and the band's subsequent performances at Yokohama Arena on June 28 and 29,[23] Babymetal revealed the title of the record to be Metal Galaxy.[24] The Metal Galaxy World Tour began in the United States on September 4, 2019,[23] and was scheduled to conclude in Taiwan on April 3, 2020.[25] The band's performance at The Forum near Los Angeles on October 11, 2019, coincided with the worldwide release date of Metal Galaxy.[6] On October 13, 2019, Babymetal announced another leg of the tour to take place in Asia.[26] On December 4, 2019, Babymetal announced another European leg of the tour, including an appearance at Download Festival in the United Kingdom.[27]
The first single released from the album, "Distortion" was released as a digital single on May 8, 2018, just short of the band's fourth world tour, the Babymetal World Tour 2018. A music video released the same day did not feature any of the band members of Babymetal, but rather the Chosen Seven of the era.[38] The song charted at number two on the Billboard World Digital Singles chart.[39] The song later had a limited-edition LP release on November 23, 2018.[40] The album version features Alissa White-Gluz of the band Arch Enemy.
"Starlight" was released digitally as the second single from the album on October 19, 2018,[41] prior to the Japanese leg of the Babymetal World Tour 2018, and coinciding with Yuimetal's official departure from the band. A music video was released on the same day.[42] The song managed to peak at number two on the Billboard World Digital Singles chart.[43]
The third single, "Elevator Girl", was released digitally on May 10, 2019, along with the band's announcement of the Metal Galaxy World Tour.[44][45][46] The song reached number four on the Billboard World Digital Singles chart.[47] A music video for an English-language version of the song was released on August 16, 2019.[48]
"Pa Pa Ya!!" was released as the fourth single from the album on June 28, 2019, just before the first show Babymetal Awakens: The Sun Also Rises.[18] A live performance of the song was released as a music video on July 1, 2019.[49][50]
On September 27, 2019, Babymetal released a music video for the song "Shanti Shanti Shanti" on YouTube, having been released digitally as a promotional single for the album the same day (based on time zone).[51]
On October 9, 2020, Babymetal uploaded a music video for "BxMxC" to YouTube, released the song worldwide as a digital single,[52] and announced a December 9, 2020 release for Japanese limited-edition vinyl coupled with a live performance of the track at the show "Legend – Metal Galaxy".[53]
Metal Galaxy received generally positive reviews from music critics, with most praising the instrumentation and diversity of the music. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 69, which indicates "generally favorable reviews", based on ten reviews.[2]
Andrew Trendell of NME called the album a "wild ride that, through its sheer energy, is somehow infectiously accessible",[58] while Classic Rock called the album "Wonderfully schizophrenic and shamelessly populist".[2] A review by Kerrang! noted that "everything fizzes and bursts and explodes with neon delight" with a sound that's unique, yet familiar.[2] Dean Van Nguyen of The Guardian considered the record "the kawaii metalMy Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" and an opus of the genre, and commented that the "pop vocals and traditional metal yelps creates a good-versus-evil battle that resembles dueling kaiju".[3] Jason Pettigrew of Alternative Press called Metal Galaxy "striking in its abject weirdness", highlighting "In The Name Of" as "the best metallae-ton jam you've ever heard ".[61]AllMusic writer James Christopher Monger made note how the album "tweaks the recipe just enough to feel fresh while maintaining the meticulous attention to detail and decibels", and that the opening track "Future Metal" presents the "idea of globe-trotting" throughout the album.[54]
Sam Walker-Smart of Clash Music noted that while the album won't likely draw in listeners who don't look past the band's gimmick, "it's ridiculously fun in places, and it's clear that the musicians have a real love and understanding of the genre."[1] Michael Pementel from Consequence of Sound called the record the band's "heaviest and most exhilarating work to date", despite some songs not being super "metal", and stated that the "hyper instrumentation that explores various musical styles throughout the world" expands the band's catchiness.[55] Sarah Shodipe of The Line of Best Fit praised the opening track "Future Metal" for bringing "grandiose, soaring moments", but criticized "Oh! Majinai" for being "not as organic as it could".[57] Grayson Haver Currin of Pitchfork called the record "an exultant, near-absolute mess", and, aside from the highlights of "Kagerou" and "Shine", an "embarrassing gimmickry".[59]
Metal Galaxy debuted at number three on the Oricon Weekly Chart for the week of October 21, 2019, with 73,096 physical copies,[65] as well as 5,700 digital copies.[66] In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number nineteen on the UK Albums Chart, becoming Babymetal's second top-twenty album on the chart.[67] In the United States, Metal Galaxy debuted at number thirteen on the Billboard 200,[68] becoming the highest-charting Japanese-language album in the chart's history. In October 2019, the band became the first Asian act to reach the peak of Billboard Top Rock Albums Chart.[69] The album has sold 96,735 copies in Japan as of December 2019.[70]
↑ The concert of October 13, 2019 in Sacramento, United States is a part of Aftershock Festival.[28]
1 2 The concerts of December 17 and 17, 2019 in Tokyo, Japan at Zepp DiverCity are billed as Apocrypha: Another Galaxy. These shows are exclusive to members of the band's official fanclub The One, and do not appear as a main tour date.[29]
↑ The concert of December 28, 2019 in Tokyo, Japan at the Earth Stage is part of Countdown Japan.[30]
1 2 The concerts of January 25 and 26, 2020 in Chiba, Japan at Makuhari Messe are billed as Legend "Metal Galaxy".[31]
↑ The concert of November 21, 2019 in Hong Kong was scheduled to be a part of Clockenflap.[25]
Babymetal is a Japanese kawaii metal band consisting of Suzuka Nakamoto as "Su-metal", Moa Kikuchi as "Moametal" and Momoko Okazaki as "Momometal". The band is produced by Kobametal from the Amuse talent agency. Their vocals are backed by heavy metal instrumentation, performed by a group of session musicians known as the "Kami Band" at performances.
"Megitsune" is the second major label single by the Japanese kawaii metal band Babymetal. It was released in Japan on June 19, 2013 as the fifth single from the album Babymetal. It is also the first single released independently from the idol group Sakura Gakuin.
Babymetal is the debut studio album by Japanese heavy metal idol group Babymetal. It was first released on February 26, 2014, in Japan through BMD Fox Records, and was re-released on May 29, 2015, in Europe through earMusic, and June 16, 2015, in the United States through RED Associated Labels (RAL) and Sony Music Entertainment. Music from the album dates back to the origins of the band in 2010, and incorporates tracks from their earliest released singles, back when the band was a sub-unit of the Japanese idol group Sakura Gakuin.
Live: Legend I, D, Z Apocalypse is the first video album by Japanese heavy metal band Babymetal. The album contains live footage of three shows, entitled Legend "I", Legend "D", and Legend "Z", respectively (spelling out the initials of "Ijime, Dame, Zettai"), performed in Tokyo from late 2012 to early 2013. The album was released for general sale in Blu-ray format on November 20, 2013.
Live: Legend 1999 & 1997 Apocalypse is the second live video release by the Japanese heavy metal band Babymetal. The album contains live footage of two shows, entitled Legend "1999" and Legend "1997", performed in Japan in 2013. It was released in 2-disc DVD and Blu-ray formats on October 29, 2014.
Japanese kawaii metal group Babymetal has released four studio albums, twelve live albums, one compilation album, ten video albums, one EP, thirteen singles, and eighteen music videos. Additionally, the group has released music and footage exclusively for the band's defunct fanclub Babymetal Apocalypse and current fanclub The One. As such, these are not included in the main count and are listed separately.
Live at Budokan: Red Night & Black Night Apocalypse is the third live video release by the Japanese heavy metal band Babymetal. It contains two concerts performed at Nippon Budokan shortly after the release of the band's eponymous debut album, and was released on January 7, 2015 in a standard edition and a limited-edition box set exclusively for "The One" fanclub members.
Live in London: Babymetal World Tour 2014 is the fourth live video album by Japanese band Babymetal, released in Japan on May 20, 2015 through BMD Fox Records and Toy's Factory, and in Europe on October 30, 2015 through earMusic. It contains two concerts that the band gave in London as part of its first world tour, Babymetal World Tour 2014, taking place on July 7, 2014 at The Forum, and on November 8, 2014 at the O2 Academy Brixton.
The Babymetal World Tour 2014 was the first worldwide concert tour by Japanese band Babymetal. Supporting their eponymous debut album, the tour ran from 23 June 2014 to 20 December 2014, taking place in Japan, the United States, Canada, and several countries in Europe.
Metal Resistance is the second studio album by Japanese heavy metal band Babymetal. It was first released on March 29, 2016, in Japan through BMD Fox Records, and on April 1, 2016, worldwide through earMusic, RED Associated Labels (RAL), and Sony Music Entertainment. Most work for the album began in 2014, shortly after the release of the band's debut album Babymetal. The members of the band describe the album as more diverse in heavy metal, with the recurring theme acquired while on tour.
Live at Wembley: Babymetal World Tour 2016 Kicks Off at The SSE Arena, Wembley is the second live album and fifth video album by Japanese heavy metal band Babymetal. The album contains footage from the Babymetal World Tour 2016: Legend Metal Resistance and was released on November 23, 2016 in Japan by BMD Fox Records and Toy's Factory, and on December 9, 2016 in the United Kingdom by earMusic. The album features the live performance at Wembley Arena on April 2, 2016, kicking off the band's world tour.
"Distortion" is a song by Japanese heavy metal band Babymetal. First released as a digital single on May 8, 2018, to promote the band's Babymetal World Tour 2018, the song later had a physical 12-inch release on Record Store Day on November 23, 2018, by BMD Fox Records, earMusic, and Babymetal Records.
Legend S: Baptism XX is the seventh live video album by Japanese heavy metal band Babymetal, released in Japan on August 1, 2018, through BMD Fox Records and Toy's Factory. It contains footage from the shows of the same name at Hiroshima Green Arena in December 2017.
"Starlight" is a song by Japanese heavy metal band Babymetal. It was first released as a digital single on October 19, 2018.
"Elevator Girl" is a song by Japanese heavy metal band Babymetal. It was first released as a digital single on May 10, 2019 worldwide by Babymetal Records, and the third single released for the band's third album Metal Galaxy. An English version of the song had a release on August 16, 2019, sent to active rock radio with a music video.
"Pa Pa Ya!!" is a song by Japanese heavy metal band Babymetal featuring Thai rapper F. Hero. It was first released as a digital single on June 28, 2019.
"BxMxC" is a song by Japanese heavy metal band Babymetal. First released as part of the Japan Complete edition of Metal Galaxy in 2019, the song made its international release as a digital single on October 9, 2020.
Live at the Forum is the eighth video album by Japanese heavy metal band Babymetal first released in video formats on May 13, 2020. The album contains live footage from the band's headlining show from the Metal Galaxy World Tour, at The Forum on October 11, 2019, coinciding with the worldwide release of the band's third album Metal Galaxy.
Legend – Metal Galaxy is the ninth live video album by Japanese heavy metal band Babymetal. The video contains footage from a pair of performances at Makuhari Messe in January 2020 as part of the Metal Galaxy World Tour, and was released on September 9, 2020 in Japan by BMD Fox Records and Toy's Factory. A pair of live albums were also released the same day, being available through streaming platforms and digital download internationally.
↑ BABYMETAL、YUIMETAL脱退やアベンジャーズを語る「新しい風が吹いている」 - めるも[Babymetal Talks Yuimetal's Departure and the Avengers "A New Wind is Blowing"]. Merumo (in Japanese). September 21, 2019. Archived from the original on October 17, 2020. Retrieved October 22, 2019. Each of the three Avengers—former Morning Musume member Riho Sayashi, current Sakura Gakuin member Kano Fujihira, and former Sakura Gakuin member Momoko Okazaki—act as support dancers at Babymetal live shows. [アベンジャーズは元モーニング娘。の鞘師里保、さくら学院の現役メンバー藤平華乃、さくら学院の元メンバー岡崎百々子の3人がそれぞれにBABYMETALのライブでサポートダンサーを務めている。]
↑ Metal Galaxy (The One limited edition) (CD liner notes). Babymetal. Babymetal Records. 2019.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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