Band:	Babymetal
Album:	Metal Galaxy
Style:	J-Pop, Melodic death metal
Release date:	October 11, 2019
A review by:	ScreamingSteelUS

01. Future Metal
02. Da Da Dance [feat. Tak Matsumoto]
03. Elevator Girl [English version]
04. Shanti Shanti Shanti
05. Oh! Majinai [feat. Joakim Brodén]
06. Brand New Day [feat. Tim Henson and Scott LePage]
07. Night Night Burn!
08. In The Name Of
09. Distortion [feat. Alissa White-Gluz]
10. Pa Pa Ya!! [feat. F. Hero]
11. Kagerou
12. Starlight
13. Shine
14. Arkadia

Just when you thought it was safe to come back to Metal Storm...

Babymetal has of late met with adversity cruelly unbecoming its buoyant novelty. Last year brought the sudden passing of guitarist Mikio Fujioka, who had participated in Babymetal's instrumental anchorage since its solidification as the Kami Band in 2013. Months later, vocalist Yui Mizuno (alias Yuimetal) retired from the band due to unspecified health concerns, which, if you know anything about business in Japan, suggests an awful lot of overwork. Now, these circumstances, while unfortunate, are theoretically unrelated to the success or failure of a new album, compartmentalized as this project is - but the vivacity of Metal Galaxy is nonetheless reassuring, as it suggests that somebody behind the scenes is still invested in Babymetal. The show goes on.

The first thing to notice about Metal Galaxy is the impressive roster of guest musicians, which should turn some heads in the metal world: Arch Enemy vocalist Alissa White-Gluz, Polyphia guitarists Tim Henson and Scott LePage, and the man who necessitated this whole review, Sabaton's Joakim Brodén (more on that later). B'z guitarist and Japanese superstar Tak Matsumoto lends his guitar skills to "Da Da Dance," and Thai rapper F. Hero also provides guest vocals on "Pa Pa Ya!" (which I assume is about their least favorite fruit). It's a diverse array that telegraphs the variety of styles conquered on Metal Galaxy and also underscores just how much of a phenomenon Babymetal has become; the band's immense crossover appeal likely means that each of those guests will earn a lot of new fans unfamiliar with their work.

Second is how... different Metal Galaxy sounds. When Babymetal's first single was released eight years ago, Su-metal and Moametal were 13 and 12 years old, respectively, borrowed from a children's idol group to make a cutesy combo of metal and bubblegum. Now they are adults, with stronger voices and more refined technique, as Su-metal demonstrates by tackling some Indian-inspired vocal lines in "Shanti Shanti Shanti." Moreover, the role of the backing vocals has been diminished, possibly to cover the lack of Yuimetal, leaving Su-metal to take control more thoroughly than before, and they sound more like harmonies than hype. All of this is most welcome: with the maturation of the members' voices, their years of experience singing in this niche style, and the band's overall shift away from juvenile pop to a broadly melodic metal sound, Babymetal sounds livelier and more legitimate than ever. I'll state this plainly: I hate listening to children sing. Previous Babymetal albums are usually a rare exception, but that first album especially does not escape unscathed (nothing personal). Having adults sing this material, aside from pushing the band further and further into full-on anime OP territory, makes it a lot more palatable for me (and probably for many skeptics as well). This album is not as carefree and silly; not that it's all that serious, either, but, as I said, Babymetal increasingly falls on the side of simple ultramelodic pop/power metal.

The band's songwriters (some old, some new) continue to enjoy a great amount of freedom. Like Metal Resistance before it, Metal Galaxy dives in and out of various styles as it pleases, not so much bringing metal to J-pop anymore as bringing J-pop to metal. The opening pair of tracks borrows trance-style synths from Blood Stain Child for some very danceable numbers (and I wouldn't be surprised if they head in this direction more frequently from here on). It also seems that they heard Whispered taking the piss and came right back with "Oh! Majinai," their own version of "Ievan Polkka" with blackjack and hookers Joakim Brodén, who sings like a gravel pit filled with punji stakes. That's definitely the guest spot of the year for me (although Matsumoto's glittering scales on "Da Da Dance" are incredible). "Brand New Day" smoothly adjusts the groove to accommodate its mathematical guests, picking up where last album's "Tales Of The Destinies" left off, and the result is easily one of Babymetal's strongest exhibitions of style to date. I'm not sure I could pick a single favorite, but all of the above are in contention, and that subcontinental shuffle on "Shanti Shanti Shanti" makes a pretty strong case as well.

Despite a strong first half, the album loses its energy as it continues. "In The Name Of" has some cool ideas, but they burn out a bit too quickly, and it's not clear how exactly it functions as a Babymetal song; the six-minute "Shine" does the album no favors in terms of pacing. After the exciting single "Pa Pa Ya!", the album begins a downward slide that takes it to a rather forgettable end. These albums always wind up sounding like mere collections of songs as opposed to cohesive albums (which is what happens when you have an entire team of writers behind you), so it comes down to a question of how good each individual song is. Just about every song on Metal Resistance is a winner for me, hence the high rating, but I return to maybe half the songs on Babymetal with any regularity; I sense the same may be in store for Metal Galaxy.

Still, for the most part, Metal Galaxy is yet another collection of fun, upbeat singles that, for its flaws, will likely find itself among my favorite albums of the year. It also sparks some intrigue about what the future of Babymetal might sound like... but that, obviously, will be the topic of the next review.