One of the most buzzed about and notable bands to come out of Japan in the last decade(ish), Babymetal have been an act that has eluded this site for one major reason. It felt entirely like a gimmick. The band’s early songs were nothing if not jarring and felt slapdashed together with the intent to be more about making someone go, “What the hell is this, it’s wild” rather than focusing on their actually solid instrumentation and musicianship. There were exceptions of course, and as the band released the successive Metal Resistance and 2019’s Metal Galaxy, more cohesive songwriting began to appear. It’s been four years since said album, and The Other One is a concept album which offers the band an opportunity to really spread their wings beyond the usual. And they really went all-in!
It’s cliched to use the term “maturity” on a release, but it does truly seem to fit The Other One. Completely gone are the jarring change-ups between more extreme territory and kawaii vocals/electronics, and it makes for a stronger and more impactful listen. There’s nothing to remove you from the sound itself, and let’s the listener really dig into what Babymetal has to offer. “Divine Attack – Shingeki” and “Maya” bring some copious moments of shred and groove, coupled with electronics and almost industrial flavoring, to great success. Bolstered by Su-metal and Moametal’s vocals, it makes for a rewarding feeling of blunt heaviness and ear-worming moments that may cause serious confusion as to if you should dance happily or headbang (why not both?). “Metalizm” features pulsating electronics and rhythms intertwined with exotic guitar work, and probably exudes the strongest case for the above conundrum.
That said, the band is doing some major change-ups, despite the underlying musical tone that has carried them for over a decade now. There’s a distinctive shift towards J-pop territory with some tracks, which may be a turn-off for those not expecting it or wanting a mellowing of their distinctive sound. “Time Wave” uses urgent and hooky beats and emphasizes vocals more than anything else over the course of the track – which feels just as suited for the dance floor until the chorus amplifies things into a slightly more metallic direction. Later highlight “Light & Darkness” captures this same feeling, with what is arguably the ‘prettiest’ chorus of the album. You could easily hear the track being championed by non-metal enthusiasts as well as metal ones with it’s combo of astonishing vocal work and moments of melodic heaviness. It has some major crossover potential if the band leverages it properly.
Some will certainly claim The Other One to be a divisive listen, and they aren’t wrong. But Babymetal have been divisive within the community since they released “Gimme Chocolate” to international acclaim, so perhaps it’s nothing new. Regardless, there’s no denying that The Other One is worth a listen, even if you have dismissed the band in the past. It sees the band really elevate their sound into something new – something beautiful at times, while still retaining a youthful fun flavor and overall sense of kawaii that interlocks with a distinctive heaviness that brought them into the public eye in the first place.