WHY THE HATE?: Babymetal

Japan's Babymetal are a groundbreaking band that were a metal alternative to the burgeoning J & K-Pop scene that began to rise in the 2010's. With a combination of brutal, djent-style riffs, with anime-style vocals and lyrics, it was a different sound that metalheads hadn't heard at the time. With support from rock and metal acts like Rob Halford, Rob Zombie, Metallica, Rammstein, Deftones, Guns and Roses, Alice Cooper, and even Slayer. Babymetal would also gain support from major pop names like Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga. They would also collaborate with popular metalcore acts Bring Me The Horizon ("Kingslayer") and Electric Callboy ("RATATATA"). Not only in creating the genre Kawaii Metal, Babymetal are originators in metal with their image, sound and performances live all across the world.

Since the band rose to popularity, the metal community has cried fowl of the band. Claiming the band as "industry plants" and not "true metal". With others saying they're just a band put together to push J & K-pop style into metal. Along with the band's own, unique & all-original sound, it also drew criticism for the cliché "not metal enough" counterpoint. That the band is getting more success than bands that toured for decades get, while Babymetal didn't pay their dues like the true metal bands before them. All while Babymetal's level of success came abruptly and overnight some would say. Is it the music? Is it the band's "image"? The winds of change in accepting a new spin on metal? Today, I will try to look at the band's history, the criticism aimed at them, and the impact and legacy this Japanese powerhouse delivers with their music. I will do my research and try to answer the question, Why The Hate?

FIRST TOPIC: The Music  

The band formed in 2010, following the idea of Key Kobayashi (aka Kobametal) who would be known as the producer of what would become the Babymetal. While seeing the band Karen Girl's, he was impressed by Suzuka Nakamoto and he thought she would be the best fit for the his new group as lead singer. Nakamoto (who would adopt the stage name Su-Metal) was joined by Yui "Yumimetal" Mizuno and Moa "MoaMetal" Kikuchi to the group. To add and accentuate Nakamoto's stature and acting as her backing dancers and vocalists. After touring and success with singles within Japan, on the label Toy's Factory, and a brief promo for Metallica's 2013 concert movie Through The Never, the band would release their self-titled debut album. Featuring the band's popular singles in their native country, the song "Gimme Chocolate!!!" would be the song that broke the band in America. With driving drums, electronic effects, heavy down-tuned guitars and catchy, unique vocals into a J-Pop like chorus, it was groundbreaking at the time of release and became a signature and defining sound for the band. Becoming a huge success for the band both in the US as well as internationally. The band would take their success and tour as opening support for Lady Gaga's ArtRave: The Artpop Ball tour in 2014. Babymetal would make it's television debut playing the song on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Two years later, the band would return to the studio to begin work on their second album. In March 2016, Babymetal would release their second album Metal Resistance. Aiming to be a more diverse dive into heavy metal, the album showcases different elements of metal's past. Elements of power metal with symphonic orchestration, 80's hair metal in the guitar, along with groove and nu metal. Even dabbling into extreme metal like black metal on the song "Sis. Anger". The band would still continue to incorporate their recognizable EDM/techno elements and catchy, sing-along choruses as well on many of the songs. The album's lead single "Road to Resistence" would feature DragonForce's Herman Li and Sam Totman. Metal Resistance received positive reviews from fans and critics, showing that the band had fine-tuned their sound even more than the debut, while also incorporating and mixing other genres into their sound exceptionally well. The album would debut at number 39 on the Billboard 200.

The band's next album would be 2019's Metal Galaxy. Though the album would mark the departure of Mizuno from the band, due to an undisclosed illness, that affected her musically and performing live. The album would be the band's first album to feature guest appearances. Ranging from metal vocalists Joakim Brodén of Sabaton ("Oh! Majinai") & Alissa White-Gluz of Arch Enemy ("Distortion"), along with guitarists Tim Henson and Scott LePage of Polyphia ("Brand New Day"). Babymetal would experiment with their brand of kawaii metal by incorporating sounds from other countries. Things that the band learned from extensive touring in support of Metal Resistance. Following the idea that the band wanted to promote cultural diversity throughout the world with their music, as well as promoting and incorporating unique musical instrumentation and rhythms. The album did receive positive reviews, that praised the band's fusing of many cultures and genres into their sound even further than the last two albums.

Babymetal released their most recent album in 2023 with The Other One. The album would still receive positive reviews upon release, but many critics said that the album was more serious and didn't have the same "light-hearted and fun" motif that appeared on previous albums. Many even calling it the band's heaviest record, with many songs pushing towards a modern metal/metalcore reliance. Especially on songs like "Believing" and "Monochrome". The band would play Yokohama Arena in Japan for two days in 2024, with an estimated 30,000 fans over both days.

After listening to all four of the band's albums, does Babymetal deserve the hate? I know the vocals are definitely something that will be hit or miss for some fans, or an "acquired taste" some would say, but I don't think they deserve the hate. I was one of those skeptical fans because of the vocals. I'm not a fan of the "anime little girl" voice, but with the band's music, I did dig the songs and the band did grow on me as the albums and music progressed. Musically, they do mix other genres of metal, pop and rock well, especially on the band's debut. With elements of metalcore, djent, hard rock, and modern metal, Babymetal are really doing something cool with their music. For that reason, I don't think they deserve the hate.

SECOND TOPIC: The Criticism

Since the band's formation and popularity grew over time, the band drew criticism and ire from the metal community. That the band is just a "J-Pop girl group with breakdowns". Many claiming the sound is too electronic, over-produced, and the guitars and breakdowns are only on their songs "just enough" to be called metal. In my research, many of these points of contention were brought upon by the infamous "metal gatekeepers". Who are notorious for being stringent and aren't willing to accept bands that are different and/or new and prefer the classics over a change in the scene. Which as I work more of these Why The Hate? features, it makes me wonder if I should do one on "Metal Gatekeeping"? (Let me know in the comments if I should). Anyway, their arguments stem from the band's hybrid of a techno, J-Pop, EDM, metal fusion just don't go together and that they aren't "true metal" (another topic I should do for this series is the "True Metal" argument). I am sick of the true metal argument, not just in this series, but every band that becomes popular. Metal HAS to evolve in order to stay alive. It fuels creativity, influences, and pushes the genre into new directions. Babymetal has been doing that since their debut. Yes, they aren't "your Dad's metal", sounding like Sabbath or Priest or Metallica, but it is still metal to me and to many fans of the band, both famous and non-famous. Which even the band addressed their sound in an interview with Billboard, where Su-Metal would say:

"people who don’t agree with what Babymetal do, but you know, they’re in a position where they’re happy doing what they do. Suimetal says the other thing is it’s good that they have this type of feedback, people who don’t agree to what they do, because she understands the fact that metal is metal, there’s like the purists out there who believe metal should be a certain way. But that is also good feedback for them, good input for them to also take into consideration in what they do as Babymetal. At the same time she feels it’s important for them to [stay] true to themselves because they always want to be the only one doing what they do. They enjoy what they do, they know there are people out there who enjoy what they do, and the fact that there are people out there who enjoy what they do, that’s enough for them..

Another gripe the metal community has towards them is that they didn't pay their dues like the legendary acts before them. They weren't playing small clubs/bars, riding in a van and earning the respect of their fellow metal peers. That the band is just manufactured and skyrocketed to the top without truly earning it. With critics of the band citing the band as "industry plants" and that the women "don't even listen to metal". Yes, the band's formation was a little different than the typical formation of a lot of bands we love, and even the band admitted that they were hesitant, even afraid to perform metal. But, their producer Kobametal helped educate and teach the band about the genre, kind of like that one friend or older brother that got you into metal yourselves. The women became fans of the genre and took that criticism towards their music to make it better. So yes, they didn't start in the traditional sense, but the group paid their dues in their native country as well as touring in America, and the rest of the world to help gain popularity. Another argument I don't agree with from the metal gatekeepers.

Babymetal is a band that I think, at the end of the day, will never truly be accepted into the metal community. There will always be detractors against the band's sound, image, performance and vocals. With a unique sound all original and breathing new life into the metal world, it was divisive and still is to this day. Like I mentioned earlier in this piece, I heard "Gimme Chocolate!!!" and to be honest, I just didn't get it. I didn't get the appeal, the presentation, the vocal performance. And I brushed the band off and moved on, not giving the band a second chance. With this series, I wanted to give them a fair shake and listen to their music, making sure to have an open-mind and judge fairly in my thoughts. As I progressed through their discography, I started to see the hype behind this band. I felt the catchiness and poppy bounce of some of their songs. Yes, it's different compared to the normal death metal music I listen to, but their music is just something imaginative and creative. Complex in the instrumentation, finding a way to mix so many different types and styles of music into a song, making their genre more challenging and appreciative to make those genres work with the unique direction the band tries to go with. I would say I became a fan of the band since doing this piece, and I think for the metal community, all I ask is to just give one of their albums a full-listen. Go into it with an open-mind, don't try to compare it to what you normally listen to, and really give the band a shot. If you don't like it, that's ok, just don't make fun of or ruin someone else's enjoyment of them. Metalheads should never discourage anyone from metal, regardless of the genre or band. With gatekeeping, and the lack of acceptance in genres and change in the musical landscape, we are truly killing the genre we are fostering to keep alive. Babymetal might not be everyone's cup of tea or taste in metal, but they are promoting metal. Bringing in new fans, even younger fans, through their music. Creating something innovative and original with adding pop into their version of metal. Inspiring other musicians to sing, growl or pick up an instrument. Sing in their native tongues and be confident. Taking criticism from the critics and fans, and applying it to future albums. They are fostering and growing metal in their own way, and for that alone, they don't deserve any hate.

Do you think Babymetal deserve the hate? Tell us yes or no in our comments section on our social media. I'm Justin, Your Friendly Neighborhood Metalhead, and this has been another edition of Why The Hate?