Most people that discover Babymetal go “What the Hell is this!?”. That is just a fact. Then you are drawn in and before you know it you are lost in this magical world that only exists in their creation. It is not a band (it is a construction of parts), it is not a J-Pop outfit or a Heavy Metal thing. They called themselves Kawaii Metal (Cute Metal) in the early days, which fitted them well then. But since then they have added so much theater, created so many exceptional stages, inserted so much from the world of Classical music (intense drama and Score like moments of supreme beauty and power) that they are now occupying a world on the music scene that is theirs alone. It can simply not be duplicated. They are certainly insanely entertaining and they will blow your head off with diamond sharp riffs and rhythms that leave most Metal acts in the dust. But inserted in all this madness is that happiness, that unique thing that is a remnant from the Kawaii Metal days and that will probably be part of what they are right to the very end. A Babymetal show is nothing short of a theatrical experience. The bigger the stage, the better they are as they can take it to another level. They were always good and they will be entertaining even in clubs, but give them a big stage and you will get that extra fire and brimstone. They will probably never be a heavy touring act, it will be more exclusive and I think they will move into the big arenas pretty much everywhere given time.
I have struggled with what to say when you try to introduce them to a novice, and I do not think that I am alone in this. How on earth do you explain this in a few words? Well I think I will actually go with the term Theatrical Experience from now on. It takes hours to understand how beautiful all this is. How precious it is. I do know that old rockers like me can love this. I know that Pop fans can like it (hardly noticing that they are slipping into Metal territory here). It is a beast that has a positive message, a positive vibe. People of all ages can be drawn in. It could not have happened 40 years ago. It was a case of having a vision at the right moment (talking about the creator Kobametal now), as these very individuals was right there (both the girls and the musicians). Then they went for broke against impossible odds and they made it! 2018 has not been an easy year for them, but they are fighting on. In their own way.
We will never experience anything like this again.
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trinkelbonker 