Jame-World JPop and JRock site popular in North America and South America had the chance to listen the new BABYMETAL's album Metal Resistance and wrote a very detailed review about each song of the album. Jame-World seem to know very well the concept of BABYMETAL and their previous album and that's makes it very interesting. Below, their full review!
Metal Resistance track by track review by Jame-World
With METAL RESISTANCE, J-pop phenomenon BABYMETAL try to reenact the success of their 2014 debut BABYMETAL. The overall structure, which has already led the band to huge success, remains the same: combining J-pop with heavy metal. Like its predecessor, METAL RESISTANCE is packed with influences from various genres to give BABYMETAL that little edge that separates the trio from other Japanese artists. Can METAL RESISTANCE follow in the footsteps of its well-received predecessor?
METAL RESISTANCE starts with the already well-known Road of Resistance. As a straightforward power metal song, it’s a welcome change from previous BABYMETAL material. You can literally hear the effort that Dragonforce guitarists Sam Totman and Herman Li put in. SU-METAL, MOAMETAL and YUIMETAL also put a lot of energy into their performances, and their chants of "wohow wohow" halfway through help maintain its wild spirit. But even though it bursts with youthful energy, with Road of Resistance, the album misses its chance to have a great opening number. The fact it came out over a year ago means many fans will find it hard to resist the temptation to skip ahead to BABYMETAL’s brand new material.
KARATE would’ve been a better opening track, since it gives a pretty accurate depiction of what to expect from the rest of the album. The intro builds up the tension by fading in slowly, only to explode in a storm of groovy guitar riffs. Some remarkable djent passages give the song an extra modern edge. SU-METAL’s vocals emit a strong, mature vibe throughout. The verse feels a lot like Rondo of Nightmare, while the chorus sounds like something new thanks to SU-METAL’s leveled singing, which has the flow of a rap song.
Awadama Fever kicks off just about right but fades into mediocrity later on. Its strong drum ‘n’ bass beat resembles Catch Me If You Can while the catchy refrain has a similar vibe to Gimme Chocolate!!. The electronic breakdown spices the song up, but can’t save it from feeling just a little incomplete. Perhaps, the composers should’ve focused on fewer key elements for the song, instead of just adding as much as they could and seeing where it led—quantity over quality got mixed up big time on this one.
BABYMETAL haven’t experimented much with alternative music elements, which gives YAVA! a unique flair. Unfortunately, it’s also METAL RESISTANCE’s least memorable song. YUIMETAL and MOAMETAL’s voices are practically inaudible, and none of the instrumentals make much of an impression. Even the trio’s cute background chants can’t salvage it. YAVA! and Awadama Fever both seem like attempts to create new songs in the style of the first album, which succeeded through its broad diversity of influences and unforeseen song structures. While these tracks aren’t complete failures, much of the potential is wasted.
Amore, which SU-METAL performs solo, puts things back on track with its excellent combination of old and new elements. The song starts off slow with SU-METAL's emotional vocals giving it the feel of a ballad. However, soon enough, fast-paced guitar riffs kick in and Amore descends into all-out power metal. It closely resembles older BABYMETAL songs, but small details like the background choir and a short but memorable bass solo and give this song its own charm.
Meta Taro marks a turning point for the record. While the first half of METAL RESISTANCE was reasonably light-hearted and easygoing, things get a lot heavier from here on. This sees the first use of pagan elements in a BABYMETAL song, making it sound like the Viking March. After five hectic songs, Meta Taro takes a different approach with a reduced tempo, but makes up for it with male growls and downtuned guitars. YUIMETAL and MOAMETAL sing the lighter parts of the song while SU-METAL sings the heavier and more atmospheric parts, making for an elegant connection between the first, light half of the album and the second, more brutal and atmospheric half.
The next song, From Dusk Till Dawn, builds up extreme tension from the very beginning, and the overall atmosphere reaches a new climax each time SU-METAL's rare but well-placed chants kick in. However, as the song is largely instrumental, the listener has to fully concentrate on it before being able to appreciate the spine-chilling experience it gives, or risk missing out on it all. Upon a careful listen, this song definitely is the highlight of the whole album and proves BABYMETAL is about more than just the fusion of metal and idol music.
The next two songs are performed by MOAMETAL and YUIMETAL, as the sub-unit BLACK BABYMETAL. GJ!’s exciting intro is followed by BLACK BABYMETAL rapping, just like they did on the first album. which sends the listener back to times of BABYMETAL's first album. In terms of singing, the chorus is a little more subdued, but smartly-placed double bass passages and power chords make for a great contrast to the darker, more atmospheric verses. The climax is a little disappointing though, as it only entails one last repetition of the chorus.
Sis. Anger has a surprise in store for listeners, as it’s possibly the heaviest song BABYMETAL have yet produced. After a comical intro, ‘blastbeats’ and guitar riffs come stampeding in, giving the song a sound similar to Cannibal Corpse, a band which happens to be one of YUIMETAL’s favorites. The well-structured chorus sounds something like a war anthem, and the bridge is almost a sheer wall of noise, with massive power in the low-end range. This song leaves no doubt that BABYMETAL actually deserve to be called a metal band.
Standing in stark contrast to the shock of BLACK BABYMETAL’s Sis. Anger, the next song NO RAIN, NO RAINBOW is BABYMETAL’s first true ballad. Performed solo by SU-METAL, the singer is given the chance to show off her sensitive, feminine side—something her fans will greatly welcome, no doubt. Accompanied for the most part by just a piano, the song climaxes with a pleasantly cheesy guitar solo.
Tales of The Destinies sees BABYMETAL smashing into progressive metal. With much chaos, confusion and a little bit of fusion, the intro is a storm of noise, hectic changes of pace and complicated guitar riffing. The ambient elements and frenzied sound structures attract comparisons to bands like Dream Theater. Fans of SU-METAL have a reason to be pumped, since besides KARATE, this features her best chorus of any other song. Likewise, fans of YUIMETAL and MOAMETAL also have reason to be happy again, since both get to do their fair share of singing here.
THE ONE (English Version) starts with a reasonably slow and epic guitar riff, which creates a great atmosphere right from the start. Accompanied by a piano, SU-METAL starts her first verse with a little twist: it’s completely in English. Though her accent sounds a little heavy in places, all in all, she manages pretty well. The chorus and the final outro are also big on the atmospheric, which contributes greatly to the song’s climatic feel. Fans will love this track, since it’s not only a tear-jerker, but it also brings the story of "THE ONE", which has revolved around BABYMETAL a little longer than eighteen months by now, to a conclusion. However, newcomers unfamiliar with the meaning of "THE ONE" could have problems with the song, as its slow pace and slightly uninspired verses may be a turn-off for some.
Creating a follow-up to a successful debut album is one of the most difficult tasks a musician can have to face. With METAL RESISTANCE, BABYMETAL managed to successfully continue the legacy they created with BABYMETAL. They made improvements exactly where they were needed, crafting an album that offers a much more rounded listening experience, and feels a lot more complete than its predecessor.
METAL RESISTANCE shouldn’t be viewed a standalone product though, but rather as a continuation of BABYMETAL. Even though BABYMETAL got less electronic and a lot heavier with METAL RESISTANCE, BABYMETAL are still one of those bands people will either love or hate. With METAL RESISTANCE, though, their music is now more firmly rooted in the metal genre, but should still please both metalheads and idol fans alike.
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Review courtesy of: Jame-World.
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