Metal Galaxy

Metal Galaxy ( Moon Version )Well I was blown away when this came through the door. My first thoughts were that I'd bought the wrong version and it was the LP version because the case is LP size. The artwork and booklet are superb. I'm really happy I bought this version also the extra tracks are brilliant.

Everything fine other than it didn’t come with the top or as a box set.

As someone who fell in love with Babymetal the moment their debut album was released in the UK, I was admittedly a bit worried about this third album. It's usually this point where we truly find out if band like Babymetal are simply a short novelty or a proper group, built to last. With the latest release Metal Galaxy, the band prove once again that they're no novelty and have released another fun solid release.Metal Galaxy, is one of those albums where it doesn't necessarily provide us with anything ground breaking, it instead gives us more of the same with just enough tweaks here and there to provide us with something fresh. The songs on the album all have their different sounds and personalities and it is by far the albums best quality. If you look at the singles, Distortion, Elevator Girl, PA PA YA!! and my personal favourite, Shanti Shanti Shanti, they're all very different from each other. The first two are the traditional Babymetal rockers, showing resemblance to the likes of Dragonforce etc. Then there's PA PA YA!! hits on hip hop a bit and Shanti is a big Indian like affair with a very distinct groove. This is common theme through out the album and you'll hear touches of Spanish music, straight up pop and even some jazz.You could call this album eccentric and you would be very right. It's a bit jumbled in places and I can imagine it might put some people off, those types who only want to hear straight up heavy metal. I can understand where they're coming from too. But as a musician who loves all different styles of music, I love hearing bands branch out like this and it's easily the best thing going on the record.From a technical stand point, Metal Galaxy has been very well produced. It's not too loud and it's not too compressed. There's no sign of audio artifacts from loudness and sounds very nice cranked up. It's about the same level as the previous two albums, which weren't bad by any means. The production is quite nice and really helps smooth out all the quirkiness. The band playing the music sounds as tight as they did on the last two albums and people will get a nice kick out the heavy riffs and delicious guitar solos. Su-Metal as a vocalist has improved considerably since the first album. Her voice on Metal Galaxy sounds a lot more mature and it's great. She has really grown into a fantastic vocalist.As an album, I would say that Metal Galaxy isn't quite as good as its predecessor, Metal Resistance. I personally think that album was a more focused affair but Metal Galaxy still comes out very strong and is well worth purchasing for fans of the band, or for someone who simply wants something different. For a third album by a band that has caused so much controversy, I think they've done a great job of staying the course and I really enjoyed it. Now I just have to wait for the tour. \m/

This is an album of 3 acts.In Act I, introduced with 'FUTURE METAL', we are taken on a musical odyssey, across the titular metal galaxy if you will, with every track having it's own unique sound from around the world. 'Shanti Shanti Shanti' has an Indian vibe for example, 'Oh! MAJINAI' is defiantly Nordic, and 'Night Night Burn!' is seething with Latin sounds. 'Elevator Girl' has English lyrics. This is Babymetal at their most experimental, and for the most part it very much succeeds in what it's trying to do; embrace the worldwide fanbase and apply the Babymetal magic to metal genres you'd never expect to hear them touch. The stand out track here is the RnB-tinged 'Brand New Day', and they would be crazy not to push this as a single release.Act II opens with 'IN THE NAME OF', which will be familiar to anyone who saw them touring during the dark days of 2018. In the middle act, we are bestowed with Babymetal as we've always known them; this isn't to say that they're resting on their laurels and being lazy, because there are some absolutely brilliant songs here that feel like a celebration of their journey from being kids making their first album to adults who have defied the odds and continued to prove that they are worthy of respect from the metal music community. 'Kagerou' was played as a Su-Metal solo song during their 2018 tour to give Moa-Metal and the other dancers a break, and it was a song I dug but wasn't especially thrilled by until I heard it as a studio track for the first time today and it's another highlight of the album.Act III brings the album to a close with a trilogy of songs that is an absolute tearjerker, starting with one of my all-time favorite songs 'Starlight' which is an ode to the passing of loved ones. It then moves into the opera-esque 'Shine', before finally ending with the sublime 'Arkadia'... I wont lie, "For your dream! For your faith! For your love!" and "So now, no more tears! No more pain! No more cry" in the chorus had me bawling my eyes out (I'm a nut for songs that convey empowerment to the listener and encourage then to never falter in their ambition and determination to succeed). This closing act is the band making it understood that they have mastered the craft of Babymetal; they're here to stay, their fanbase is ever-growing despite people STILL dismissing them as a mere gimmick, and their music will continue to spread positivity and joy to anyone willing to listen.It's not perfect, but it is absolutely brilliant. Its mature, its confident, and it's so much fun! Babymetal have done it again, and it was well worth the wait!

The first Babymetal album, dated back to 2014, and an album that you will keep listening to. Yet, this is heavily based on a crossover between J-Pop and Heavy Metal, making it fall into the Nu-Metal category (more or less). If you are not familiar with J-Pop I suggest checking out their official YouTube channel first. For those who like it, the album is full of sonorities familiar to metal fans.