Artist : BABYMETAL
Album : Metal Resistance (2016 Sony)
Tracks : 12
Artist website : www.babymetal.com
OVERVIEW :
BACKGROUND
Metal Resistance is the second studio album by Japanese metal idol group BABYMETAL. I have been a fan ever since hearing Gimme Chocolate!!.
This group has a really unique sound that bridges many metal genres and some j-pop. There really is no one else like them. I bet RJD would have gotten a kick out of this group. (RIP DIO) Anyway, back to BABYMETAL.
The group is fronted by three girls and the rest of the band is made up of incredible musicians who are like ghosts in the background. The musicians wear masks like Slipknot, but not as extreme. It’s neat. Anytime a band does this, they have to own it and not look like copy cats because there have been so many acts that try to the the mask/face paint thing and fail to make it their own.
OVERVIEW OF METAL RESISTANCE
This is a fantastic album! It will likely end up in my top 12 for 2016 list. We’ll have to see if it can hang on since there are so many great releases this year. We probably had the “Out of Japan” edition for review, but I am not certain.
What I liked about Metal Resistance is that there is something for every type of metal fan in this album. From the super heavy modern stuff to power metal stylings that would certainly make Dio smile.
HIGHLIGHTS :
Awadama Fever
GJ!
No Rain, No Rainbow
Tales of the Destinies
FIRST IMPRESSIONS – PLAY BY PLAY:
Track 1 – Road to Resistance
I like the energy in this power metal track. It is fast and the melodies are great! I love that there are so many long notes in the melody to contrast the speed at which everything else is moving in this song.
Track 2 – Karate
This track is definitely from the realm of modern metal. Heavy as (blank)! Cool track.
Track 3 – Awadama Fever
This has that J-pop thing fused with Babymetal’s brand of metal. This is what sets them apart from everyone else. I love it! Also the fact that they use pop chord voicings in this and step away from the fully metal thing is awesome. This song is so catchy!
Track 4 – YAVA!
Neat song. I love what happens around the 2 minute mark in the breakdown. Fantastic use of contrast! This whole song is like j-pop meets power metal.
Track 5 – Amore
Pretty melody! This has a very DragonForce like thing happening. What I found really interesting was the consecutive ii-V’s in the section just before the chorus. I’m not sure if it is a pre-chorus or if it is part of the verse since I don’t speak Japanese. Anyway, those ii-V’s are more prevalent in jazz and not in metal. It was neat to hear them in this context.
Track 6 – Meta Taro
Ok, sorry, I burst out laughing when this track started since it reminds me of a christmas song. But that feeling is quickly set aside as the track takes on a kind of “medieval” like sound. I would not consider this track a favorite. Not at first listen. This will likely be the track I skip. It is almost anthem like in places and almost like a children’s song in places. Strange track, but good on them for trying something different.
Track 7 – From Dusk Till Dawn
This one is an “instrumental” song. I put instrumental in quotes since most of the track does not have vocals. Nice ambient track, but filler in terms of the album.
Track 8 – GJ!
Best riff on the album so far! I’m absolutely hooked! This is kind of Rage Against the Machine (without the clear hip hop elements) meets Babymetal meets power metal. Fantastic!
Track 9 – Sis. Anger
This has the fury and energy of a Slipknot track without Corey. Cool track.
Track 10 – No Rain, No Rainbow
I was wondering when we were going to get a ballad and I was betting by the title that this would be that song. This is a beautiful power ballad. I LOVE BALLADS! Yes, I do. This one is well penned and arranged. If I had three thumbs, they would all be giving a thumbs up. Alas, I’ll have to settle for giving this a two thumbs up!
Great solos! I love these solos! So melodic and easy to sing along to. This might just be my favorite track on the whole album. With two more tracks to go, it will be tough to best this one for me.
Track 11 – Tales of the Destinies
Fantastic intro! The intro is like a post-Portnoy Dream Theater thing. Right after the intro it goes through so many styles in such quick succession that it isn’t entirely coherent if you’re not already used to BABYMETAL’s quick style changes. The track on the whole is in the power metal realm in my opinion.
The solo section is definitely Dream Theater inspired. The first solo sounds a lot like something that Jordan Rudess does. The guitar solo that follows has so many John Petrucci elements. This all leads to a place that is a lot like the mid section in Dream Theater’s “Dark Eternal Night”. I love that song from DT and their middle section in that track is some of the most amazing music ever written. Very epic. But back to this review, I love the piano outro. Cool track over all.
Track 12 – THE ONE
Epic intro. Very cool arpeggios. English! English! Oh, a song that I can understand. Cool! This is a nice song. The melody is very strong. I could imagine Freddie Mercury singing this if he were still alive.
Editor’s note: I had a 30 minute lunch break after finishing this review and the melody from the end of the last song is still stuck in my head. These songs are catchy!