Babymetal returns with Metal Forth, a collaborative album that pushes their concept to the limit. Featuring guest appearances by Tom Morello, Spiritbox, Bloodywood, Polyphia, Poppy, and Slaughter to Prevail, this record is chaotic by design, explosive in execution, and more experimental than anything they’ve done before.
Sonically, the album works like a treasure trove. There are songs bordering on melodic deathcore, others flirt with hyperpop, EDM, or traditional j-metal. Tracks like "RATATATA" with Electric Callboy combine rave euphoria with wild breakdowns, while "Sunset Kiss" with Polyphia enters more atmospheric and instrumental territory. There's no clear aesthetic line, and this chaos seems intentional.
Personally, I feel it's one of Babymetal's most daring albums yet. Not all of their experiments work, but when they do, they shine brightly. "METALI!!" with Tom Morello is direct and effective; "Song 3" with Slaughter to Prevail is pure rhythmic brutality. Each song is a collaboration that breathes on its own.
But there's one detail that seems undeniable to me: Babymetal loses some of its prominence among so many big names. On several tracks, they seem more like guests than hosts. At times, their style is drowned out by the identity of the featured artists, and this makes the album feel more like an anthology than a unified artistic statement.
Still, the moments where Babymetal returns to their core are memorable. “Algorhythm,” “KxAxWxAxIxI,” and “White Flame – 白炎 –” are tracks where they return to their creative core with power and personality. “White Flame,” in particular, is one of the album’s best tracks: dark, elegant, and precise. There are no guests here, and they aren’t missed.
Metal Forth isn't an easy album to digest. It's confusing, overstuffed, and at the same time visually rich, daring, and unafraid of reinventing itself. It may not be their best album, but it's their most expansive and disruptive yet. It's Babymetal pushing themselves to the limit, even if that means blurring their boundaries a bit in the process.
