Babymetal formed in Tokyo in 2010 and more or less invented kawaii metal, fusing J-pop hooks with serious heavy metal firepower. Su-metal, Moametal, and Momometal front the current trio; Metal Resistance (2016) or the 2014 self-titled debut is the place to start, and Japanese Toy's Factory pressings are the collector's prize. Browse Babymetal vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
Babymetal formed in Tokyo in 2010 as a subunit of the Japanese idol group Sakura Gakuin. The original trio consisted of Suzuka Nakamoto (Su-metal) as lead vocalist, with Yui Mizuno (Yuimetal) and Moa Kikuchi (Moametal) as scream-and-dance support. Yui Mizuno departed in 2018 and the group continued as a duo. In 2023, Momoko Okazaki (Momometal) joined as the third member. The band's instrumental work has been performed by a rotating cast of session musicians known as the Kami Band.
Babymetal's signature kawaii metal sound combines heavy metal, melodic death metal, power metal, and J-pop, with arrangements pairing technical metal instrumentation with J-pop melodic structures and choreographed dance performance. Their concept was originated by producer Kobametal (Key Kobayashi).
Babymetal vinyl pressings appear in multiple Japanese and international editions, often with bonus tracks or alternate cover artwork by region. Japanese pressings on Toy's Factory are particularly sought after.
Listeners new to Babymetal typically start with Metal Resistance (2016) or the self-titled debut (2014).
