The Aftermath

Today it has been a month since we saw the Sabaton Tour To End All Tours trek roll through Sweden. So what did it mean for the reputation of Babymetal in these parts? Well I have not seen any reviews in print but 15,000 rockers did see Babymetal nail it and a lot of these had no idea of what to expect of them. What I did notice on the night was a good reaction from the crowd, and that is always an important clue. Then you hear things. A friend at work has a daughter that travelled to see Sabaton in Stockholm, but came home a huge fan of Babymetal. Effectively, Babymetal went from being an underground act to being a contender in this country, and it took this tour to do it. All in all, this was a successful tour and a strong package. Kudos to Sabaton for including Babymetal. Metal Hammer has a two page review in the 375 issue from Leeds, and I would expect most Metal media in Europe to cover the tour within the next few weeks. Not so much in Sweden though, as the main publication Sweden Rock Magazine really do not cover live events (except for Sweden Rock Festival). In a sense, the slow rise of Babymetal in these parts has been happening by word of mouth and by social media. In November, as they return for their third ever show in this country, we shall see were things stand. I would say that it is looking good though. 2023 is a year of hard work for them but they are cementing a solid reputation. On a sidenote I have just discovered how insanely good the song “Maya” is live. I hope we get a video for that one. Is has the Babymetal formula of brutality with a strong pop element in full flight. And the presentation live is just fantastic. Pretty sure we will get a video eventually. Maybe ahead of the Stateside trek that is coming up? We shall see. I would say that they are on a roll. The recent visit in Jakarta was an incredible success. Next up, Australia. First proper tour ever, big venues only.

(My shots from Stockholm, outside and inside the venue)

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The Battle Rages On

Well I said I would be back about this once The Tour To End All Tours was done. Sabaton and Babymetal had new videos out on the same day at the beginning of said tour, now the moment of truth has arrived. Do we have a winner? Actually, no. What we have is a standoff, both videos (Sabaton “1916” and Babymetal “The One – The First Take”) has notched up 1,200,000+ hits on YouTube. Respectable, but not remarkable. Of course they both have recent videos with higher numbers. In any case, they are both popular and on the rise. Good to see.

(Shots by Seth Nilsson, Stockholm 2023)

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Sweet

We had snow and cold winds in these parts just a couple of days ago, but thankfully it looks like Summer has arrived. The grass is turning green, the temperature is fairly OK (t-shirt friendly if you are a brave soul) and the birds are singing. All in all, it is starting to feel pretty good. I have catched up with the Babymetal collection (binder 15 has been reached) and work is ongoing with the old Deep Purple Family collection (94 binders and counting). I have hundreds of magazines to go through before everything is finished, but I already did look them over once so I should be able to wrap this up within too long (good hobby on rainy days). The time for outdoor activities has arrived and there is a lot of activity going on down by the cottage in the backyard. The grill project is nearly done, a huge undertaking. I will showcase it when it is done. Within a week or two, the sounds of lawn mowers will be in the air. I really enjoy this period.

(My shots, Babymetal image is from PMC Vol.27 article)

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Momometal Joining Babymetal Highlighted In Metal Hammer 374

Got the new issue of Metal Hammer (374) on import from the UK and the main news that they highlight right off the bat is Momometal joining Babymetal. Some good stuff in this issue, Ozzy, Rob Halford, AC/DC, Evanescence etc. The big chunk of the magazine is wished for/and presented by, Tenacious D. The Sabaton tour will most likely be covered in issue 375. Having said that, I might as well mention that Babymetal are covered in German publication Sonic Seducer right now as well (issue 4 2023), but Metal Hammer is the real deal.

(My shot of said news highlight – image is, as far as I know, official for promotional purposes)

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Magazines From Japan

Got some magazines from Japan with Babymetal covers and loads of content. Over 230 pages in fact. Clock-wise from bottom left: Metal Hammer Vol.13, Hedoban Spinoff 11, Rolling Stone 5 2023, Young Guitar 4 2023, PMC Vol.27. These were all published to coincide with the release of the new album over there. Probably the last batch to feature Babymetal as a duo.

(My shot of said magazines)

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Good Stats

The posts from the Sabaton/Babymetal/Lordi trip to Stockholm is a big draw to the blog right now. Hundreds and hundreds of hits. I assume that some of you are here for the first time. Welcome to Trinkelbonker.

(My shot of souvenir from said trip)

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Sabaton Rocked The Globe

First time that I have seen Sabaton and they did not disappoint. They have fought long and hard for this triumph to happen, to be able to sell out the biggest indoors venue in the country, The Globe (also called Avicii Arena, but I will never call it that). I have seen Deep Purple in this place in 1991 and in 2000, and also Whitesnake in 1990, so it is familiar to me. But those days are long gone. There is a new breed of bands out there now and Sabaton is one of the most unique of them. I have some Sabaton albums and DVDs so it is not like I am going to be surprised, but they have established a very powerful formula that will probably last for decades. On this night they prove once more that it works. From the opening blast of “Ghost Division” to the final encore of “To Hell And Back”, they entertain their legions of fans yet again. Tonight they speak Swedish, and a couple of songs are performed in Swedish as well, “Carolus Rex” and “A Lifetime Of War” (with very touching lyrics it guarantees a great reception). The new cover version of Motörhead´s “1916” is performed and they are making it their own. “Red Baron” sees a WW 1 aircraft/keyboard rolled onto the stage. There is a lot of theatrics going on and it will look great on DVD if we get that. The show was certainly filmed. Also, kudos to Sabaton for including Lordi and (especially) Babymetal to the party. Some said it would not work. Well, it bloody well did! Job well done.

(Shot by Seth Nilsson – see several related blog posts posted today as well)

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Babymetal Rocked The Globe

At precisely 20:00 on Friday the 28th of April, Babymetal assaulted the eardrums of 15,000 rock fans at the Globe Arena in Stockholm. They are warming up for Sabaton that is headlining the evening, one of 24 massive shows all across Europe dubbed The Tour To End All Tours. It is no secret that Babymetal knows how to kickstart proceedings with a bang, and “Babymetal Death” is the right song to surprise the hell out of the rockers that has not yet discovered them. I heard a guy next to me dismiss them right before they went on, by the end of this song his head was bopping and I could tell that he was converted. “Megitsune”, another classic song from the first album, won more hearts over and from the third song “Pa Pa Ya!” and onwards, it was just one mother of a Victory lap. “Metal Kingdom” and “Monochrome” from the last album “The Other One” kept the interest going and the audience was well into it by the time they reached to “Gimme Chocolate!”. The response to this was massive and they could do no wrong with the final song (no time for encores this time around) “Road Of Resistance”. Su-metal had that crowd in her hands, I would say from her asking the audience to pick out their phones and to turn on the light (in “Monochrome”) and onwards, they adored her every move. Moametal and new Babymetal member Momometal are key to the success as well, and Babymetal is just so right as a trio. The dance moves and the energy is unbelievable. I think that some people may have heard that Babymetal is all about dancing, and I would say that this is not what your general Metal fan is interested in. But once you have experienced a Babymetal show, there is no going back. It was obvious to me that the hardcore Sabaton fans took Babymetal to their hearts. Maybe not all of them, but my guess would be 90% of them. For Babymetal this was a very important show in Sweden as their reputation is basically growing by word of mouth. By November, when they are back in Stockholm for their second headlining show ever in these parts, they will do it on their own terms. The one thing that I felt was missing was that Lordi and Babymetal had no access to big screens. The Globe is a pretty big place and if you are far away you will not see that much detail. Having said that, I would say that Babymetal went down a storm and it was good to see. Kudos also to the (Western) Kami Band that is backing them up on this trek. They are just monster players, all of them. That is also a key part of what Babymetal is all about. But hey, the formula works. Babymetal did their job and when they left the stage at 20:41, Sabaton had their work cut out for them. Pretty brave to have Babymetal opening for you, but some of the biggest names in rock has (Metallica, Guns N´Roses and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, to name a few, and now these brave men from Falun, Sweden). Cred to Sabaton for inviting Babymetal to the party. And a party it was.

(Shot taken at the Globe by Seth Nilsson – this is just one of several related blog posts on this blog today)

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The Other One (Transparent & Bronze Editions)

Found a copy of the Transparent Vinyl of the new Babymetal album “The Other One” at Sound Pollution in Stockholm on the Sabaton/Babymetal/Lordi trip. As I got home, I got the Bronze version. These will now sit nicely with the White & Gold Editions that I already have. Babymetal & Sabaton concert reviews coming up later today on the blog. I am on a roll here…

(My shots of said Vinyls and from the Babymetal performance at the Globe Arena – many thanks Kalle for your help in getting me the Bronze version)

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Essential Record Stores (Bengans)

Good all round record shop in Stockholm with a good stock of music for all tastes. Bengans Record Store is one of my favourite shops and if you want stuff (like Babymetal DVDs) from Japan, you can contact them and they will help you out. They have an online shop. Address: Drottninggatan 20. Found a lot of great LPs in there on the Sabaton trip.

(My shot of said store)

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