REVIEW: BABYMETAL - METAL FORTH

4/5

New Metal 

About a year ago, I was meant to see BABYMETAL live at the Tokyo Garden Theatre in support of American rock act Incubus. But I missed their set (deep bow). I'll level with you, I was on a date. And when lunch turns into more conversation, it's not exactly like you can be like, "well, this is great and all, but I really got to catch my train before I miss seeing three other Japanese girls. They're kawaii, you know." Well, needless to say, a calendar and change later, I regret not doing just that. And not just because here I sit typing away in a shoebox of an apartment, built for one minus one, as single as the last dollar bill in your wallet, firmly in the social media friend zone with said could have been. But also because of hearing 'from me to you'. The opening track of the Tokyo band's fifth album, 'Metal Forth', featuring Poppy. "I've had enough from your mouth/You can shove it/'Cause you know you don't stand a chance." These are the lyrics, not what I would say to my now friend. The one who never stood a chance, was me.

I missed the train (in more ways than one) when Su-metal, Moametal and Yuimetal (now replaced by Momometal) arrived on the scene a decade and a half ago, supporting the legendary likes of the Red Hot Chili Peppers on tour across the world and back home in the UK before their self-tilted debut in 2014). If I knew more of the metal 'Resistance' and 'Galaxy' than I would have certainly showed up on time for their show (I'll let it go now, I promise). Especially as I'm getting more into Japanese music after my Scandal-ous start, with everyone from the amazing Aimyon to the legendary Sakanaction. Now the heavy metal outfit's, with even better costumes in concert, first album since 'The Other One' (that's the name, I'm not being a lazy writer) in 2023, features a who's who of the rocking industry. Poppy, Electric Callboy ('RATATATA'), Slaughter To Prevail ('Song 3', take that, Blur!), Bloodywood ('Kon! Kon!'), Polyphia (the beautiful 'Sunset Kiss'), Spiritbox ('My Queen') and the Nightwatchmen Tom Morello of the great Rage Against The Machine on 'メタり！！(METALI!!)'. Not that these superstars themselves need any help.

Shining like the diamond encrusted cover of this legacy logo album artwork, looking like the now Instagram famous glass escalator entrance to the Tokyu Plaza mall in Harajuku (which has the best Starbucks with a view, a train away from the world's biggest, may I add?!) The red lantern of 'METAL!' introduces Morello perfectly ("踊る阿保に見える阿保/同じ阿保なら踊れでしかし/ここで踊らにゃいつ踊る/メタり！メタり！") before he rages and rips on the guitar like he did with The Boss, when Springsteen had 'High Hopes' after their 'Magic Tour Highlights' reawakening of 'The Ghost Of Tom Joad'. There are so many 'KxAxWxAxIxI' anthems from the Japanese kawaii metal band, that could go spiky toe-to-toe with all the maidens and their iron, burning bright until the 'White Flame -白炎-' reduces everything else to ash. This somewhat long delayed album, produced by Kobametal on their new Capitol Records home, is well worth the wait. Rocking for just over a half-hour, like The Black Keys return with 'No Rain, No Flowers', also out this New Music Friday.

All the collabos are singles, save the best of the set, 'Sunset Kiss' (not yet, anyway). But the real collaboration is with new member Momoko Okazaki for this "beyond metal" album that pops in all sort of genre places. The US, Canada, Germany, India and Russia all come into play, as does the UK as Bring Me The Horizon's Jordan Fish produces alongside Kobametal, following Babymetal's appearance on the band's song 'Kingslayer'. Suzuka Nakamoto, Moa Kikuchi and Okazaki don't normally feature many guest appearances, but this is no departure for the band. However, as soon as you hear their signature sound and the social media algorithm ready rhythms of 'Algorism', you'll realize nobody is quite like them. Singing, "Don't break it now, don’t turn away/Don't break it now, don't leave me now/Don’t break it now, don't turn away/Don't break it now, no pain, no gain, no pain, no gain", in a brutal and beautiful breakdown. Going forth with what's actually their fourth album (they don't count the 'Other' concept one as mainline), Baby still has the mettle. I might have not been (here I go again), but this big-three stays ready to rock. TIM DAVID HARVEY.

Playlist Picks: 'KxAxWxAxIxI', 'メタり！！(METALI!!) (Feat. Tom Morello)', 'White Flame -白炎-'

Spin This: BABYMETAL - 'The Other One'

REVIEW: THE BLACK KEYS - NO RAIN, NO FLOWERS

4/5

Songs In The Keys Of Life

Sinatra has a sound that is so signature you could just let his whole playlist play for hours, days maybe, and it would blend so seamlessly and beautifully together. Getting richer, like wine, as it ages. That's just the great American songbook for you. Like rock and roll. And now that one of our generation greats, The Black Keys, have hit more than a dozen albums, you can say the same for these Ohio bandsmen and kids from Akron. They've never left it that long between albums, since their 'Big Come Up' in 2002 (one year before their fellow Akron native, LeBron James, own dynamic debut). Maybe a calendar, or a couple. Only really since their big-three of 'Brothers' (2010), 'El Camino' (2011) and 2014's 'Turn Blue'. But four years after that, it's been an onslaught, like an 'Everlasting Love'. 'Let's Rock' (2019), 'Delta Kream' (2021), 'Dropout Boogie' (2022), all getting us through COVID, before last year's bowler-rama of the 'Ohio Players'.

Now just a calendar and change after that Big Lebowski with the likes of Beck, Black Keys are back. 'No Rain, No Flowers' waters their thirteenth album that is luck for us this New Music Friday. Yet, you would have forgiven the iconic duo of Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney if they perhaps wanted to take a brief break. Like the greatest rollers of this rock generation could. "We got f####d. I'll let you all know how so it doesn't happen to you," Carney claimed in a now deleted tweet after the Keys fired their management last year. Now, this Warner Record recorded in Nashville's Easy Eye Sound studio marks changes in more ways than one. Marking their first collaboration with hit song maker Rick Nowels (he's not far off a century of classics on the Billboard 100), multi-instrumentalist Daniel Tashian and super-producer Scott Storch, who was so hip-hop in the early 2000s he once cut the roof off of a Rolls-Royce to make it a drop-top. All for the beautiful bloom of these flowers, we need, like the deserts need the rain.

Rain and flowers will give you a North American fall tour from these brothers in arms, straight out of their dire straits. Feeling refreshed for a half-hour record of all-power, there are plenty of singles to get the crowd ready before the classic comes into play. The opening title-track. The second track and first single, 'The Night Before'. The beautiful 'Babygirl'. The moving 'Man On A Mission', for a pair on a rejuvenated one. And the outstanding 'On Repeat', that will be exactly that, like the Spotify shuffling of this band's definitive discography as a perfect playlist, with no need for edit, it's so epic. But like their last few records, the Keys finish strong like the late, great Mister Cee (Scott will know what we're talking about). The King James, D-Wade and Chris Bosh like big-three of the introspective 'All My Life', the atmospheric 'A Little Too High' and the gleam of a new 'Neon Moon' ("When you’re at the crossroads/And you don’t know where to turn/And everything is backwards/From all the bridges that you burned/Don’t let yourself get down too long/‘Cause a change is coming soon/You can always find your way back home/By the light of the neon moon") really takes you home.

Black and white like a Black Rebel Motorcycle Club album artwork confirms this as a classic for a band that reach back to their raw roots. The leather clad and bare chested figure on the front almost looks like Brian Fallon from fellow legendary luminaries, The Gaslight Anthem, as a teardrop tattoo hangs from his eye like the loose cigarette from his lips. Whereas a red rose, the only colour on the cover, wrapped with the notion of 'No Rain, No Flowers' hits his sternum like a thorn. There's no more in Auerbach or Carney's side, however, as The Keys play once again like Sam for the record. On 'Down To Nothing', Auerbach still searches for hope in this love and life, singing, "Behind the clouds/Beyond the stars/Above the crowds/In some lonely bar/I’ll meet you there." All until his muse will 'Kiss It' better. It's the kind of haunted heart that will 'Make You Mine' like, "I’ve been alone/So f#####g long/I’ve cried the tears of a clown/I need a break from my mistakes/But that’s the price of starting over/How many times is one time too many?" A yearly yearn that burns. Just like Black's everlasting light. The reign is still here. So give them their flowers. TIM DAVID HARVEY.

Playlist Picks: 'Babygirl', 'All My Life', 'Neon Moon'.

Spin This: The Black Keys - 'Ohio Players'.