BABYMETAL will bring their unique metal sounds to St. Paul

Hannah Christy
Staff Writer

Do you like to headbang? Are you a fan of Japanese culture?

If your answer to one of these is “yes,” then why not head over to Myth Live in St. Paul on Saturday at 7 p.m.? BABYMETAL will be performing with special guest Avatar. Even though tickets start at $49 online, each purchase comes with one copy of their new album, “Metal Galaxy”, which drops on Oct. 11 of this year. This will be their third studio release.

The vastly popular Japanese girl group is widely known due to their makeup and unique sound. The band, in fact, consists of three young women and session musicians known as the Kami Band. Oh, and did I mention that they play metal?

BABYMETAL invented (debated sometimes, instead as they simply popularized) the genre known as kawaii metal, or cute metal, which encompasses an odd mixture between J-pop, power metal, speed metal, and general extreme metals.

What sets kawaii metal apart from just Japenese power metal is the cute factor and dirtier, blacker, death-ier instrumentation. You can regularly find breakdown after breakdown chugging along, nonstop double bass drumming for minutes at a time, and sludgy riffs that bring your eardrums straight to a kawaii Hell.

The big kicker is that they grew to widespread popularity when they were just cute, Japanese, girly, and lolita-wearing teenagers. They have played with big named metal musicians such as UK-based Rob Halford (of Judas Priest) when the kawaii metal band made a special guest appearence in the 2016 Alternative Press Music Awards.

Along with their unique combination of metal and J-pop, BABYMETAL also blends a conglomeration of genres like ska, rap, and EDM throughout their musical library.

There’s no way to describe them quite well, so I suggest you check out a fun track like “Karate” and consider coming to the show! I can guarantee that it will be a truly unique concert. So can Rob Halford, as in his words– “I think Babymetal are one of the most unique metal experiences in the world right now.”

Header photo courtesy of the Artist.