Kawaii Metal

Art Mirrors Life in Minna no Kodomochan’s Latest Single, “rikaku”

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Minna no Kodomochan’s new single, “rikaku” (meaning “separate”) is significant in a number of ways. Stylistically, it is the most slow and measured of all of their songs, practically a lament. It is also their first solo, with Cinnamon providing both the main and backing vocal tracks. The song’s lyrics, which speak of being alone and confused, are also written by Cinnamon who is currently conducting their nationwide tour on her own while her partner (and Kodomochan’s principal lyricist) Honoka recuperates from injury.

https://twitter.com/kodomocafeid/status/1160023226501586944?s=20

Cinnamon has admitted that the song reflects the uneasiness she feels performing without Honoka.  For her part, Honoka has said that “rikaku” has become her favorite Minna no Kodomochan song. Honoka has previously been responsible for all of Kodomochan’s lyrics except for “Song of 15” on Walls, Cinnamon’s only other songwriting credit.

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Broken By the Scream Drop New MV and Album Release Date in Lead Up to U.S. Debut

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Broken By the Scream will set foot on American soil for the first time in just under three weeks unleashing their kawaii-meets-deathcore stylings on a live crowd at Saboten Con in Phoenix, Arizona.  Because the one thing hype needs is more hype, BBTS also dropped a couple of  bombshells over the weekend:

  • The release date for their second full album, Noisy Night Fever;
  • And the MV for “Aihakimino”, the theme song for the upcoming PS4 game “Onechanbara Origin”.

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Tsurezure Makes Us All Feel Something Different with “ssixth”

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Yukueshirezutsurezure will be dropping their uncharacteristically upbeat single, “ssixth”, this coming Wednesday, July 3rd. To prepare us for this imminent release, these barefoot angels of yami kawaii blessed us with a chilling MV that inspired dueling interpretations around the Homicidols press room. 

In it, Mei Yui Mei and the adorable Kotetsu portray gleeful bullies documenting their torment of a passive Takara. Left battered and restrained, Takara is rescued(?) by  opportunistic predator or compassionate fellow victim Komachi.  This is left a bit ambiguous in the blood spattered end as is their final fate. Continue reading →

BABYMETAL AWAKENS!! Announces 3rd Album Release Date, European Tour and More

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On night one of BABYMETAL AWAKENS – The Sun Also Rises at Yokohama arena, KOBAMETAL woke up and realized he had forgotten to tell anyone when the group’s new album was being released. Shortly following Friday night’s show, he finally announced:

METAL GALAXY, BABYMETAL’s third album, will be released on October 11th 2019. This date coincides with their first-ever U.S arena show at the Forum in Los Angeles.

The 16-track album will come in at least seven flavors:

  • Limited SUN version – (2CD / Analog size jacket) – ¥ 4,500
  • Limited MOON edition – (2CD / Analog size jacket) – ¥ 4,500
  • Limited edition – (2CD + DVD) – ¥ 4,200 
  • Normal edition – (2CD) – ¥ 3,500
  • Analog version – (2Vinyl) – ¥ 5,000
  • THE ONE Limited Edition- (2CD + DVD) – ¥ 9,000 + THE ONE fan club membership
  • A transparent vinyl version has also popped up on the English language store.

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We Review Things: NECRONOMIDOL | scions of the blasted heath

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NECRONOMIDOL release their highly anticipated five-song EP, scions of the blasted heath, this Wednesday, June 16.  It is their first studio recording since the graduation of beloved and iconic idols Hina and Sari, and the addition of new members  back in January.

Necronomidol, scions of the blast heap

This album cover is what they call a “conversation starter”.

Being the first studio offering by the new line-up of Kunogi, Michelle, Rei-chan, Okaki, Himari and her omniscient hair makes this EP one of the most eagerly awaited releases of the year. Team Homicidols were lucky enough to be blessed with a preview copy (all it cost was my soul but I wasn’t using it much anyway).  It’s a diverse set of tracks by fan-favorite songwriters exploring themes of trauma, entropy and conquest alongside the omnipresent influence of Lovecraftian terror. Here’s a sneak peak:

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New Month, New Music from Minna no Kodomochan

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I love this! The first of the month used to just mean handing over my rent check and making sure all the utilities got paid. These days, it also brings a new song from Minna no Kodomochan, one of the most musically adventurous chika idols who just happen to be hitting everything out the park recently.

You can get the song from other outlets here: https://t.co/MCpbeZzVOH

“Soliloquies” is Kodomochan’s attempt at a light, breezy summer song with acoustic guitar strumming and popcorn keyboards.  Of course, it is Kodomochan and quickly evolves into frenetic dissonance, but it never loses any of its warm charm. Continue reading →

Minna no Kodomochan Launch Five Months of New Music with “wall”

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Kodomochan, fresh off of their back-to-back Corenement championships, has released the first deliverable of their recently successful crowdfunding campaign. As promised, from now until September, Everyone’s Children will bless us with a new song each and every month.  

May’s entry is the minimalistically titled continuation on the group’s core theme: “wall”

“What potent blood hath modest May.” ― Ralph W. Emerson

The doom metal pacing is is a perfect set-up that drives right into a synth-pop transition to… more metal. It’s like Iron Maiden invited Flock of Seagulls over to jam (think “I Ran” meets “Run to the Hills”).  Like many Kodomochan songs, it contains a glorious aural revelation that is worth staying around for before devolving into a reckless and manic finish including one last metal drop. Continue reading →

BABYMETAL Announce U.S. and U.K. Headline Shows, “Elevator Girl” Release Date

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The Fox God has spoken!! In the past 24 hours we have received (official) word of major U.S. and U.K. shows plus the release of BABYMETAL’s first new music of 2019.

BABYMETAL will be playing their first headlining U.S. arena show at The Forum in Los Angeles this coming October. The kitsune faithful were given all of 24 hours to prepare their wallets for VIP pre-sale tickets which are available this morning at 10:00 am PDT.

If simply being present wasn’t enough of a draw for you, every online ticket purchase for the L.A. Forum appearance comes with a CD copy of BABYMETAL’s forthcoming 2019 album which still doesn’t have an exact release date. This method of driving album sales is probably something they picked up while touring with the Red Hot Chili Peppers and/or Metallica who often do they same thing. It seemed a bit tricksy to me until I remembered the twelve copies of BiSH’s PAiNT it BLACK I had to buy to get checki tickets (worth it!)

BABYMETAL have played the L.A. Forum once before over the summer of 2017 while opening for Korn and Stone Sour. While this October performance will mark their first time headlining an arena show in the United States, they have headlined an arena outside of Japan once before. That was, of course, 2016’s record-setting appearance at Wembley arena in the U.K. to launch their last album, Metal Resistance.

Speaking of the U.K., they will be getting their own show this June:

Tickets go on sale tomorrow.

BABYMETAL also officially announced the worldwide digital release of the single, “Elevator Girl” on May 10th. 

The song debuted almost exactly a year ago on the U.S. leg of their 2018 World Tour. It is an upbeat prog-rock meets groove metal tune (think Toto meets Five Finger Death Punch) with ample English in the lyrics for folks to sing along to. 

This will be the first new music from the group since the criminally underrated “Starlight” was released last October.

LADYBABY Love You, but Have to Destroy You

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I promise that I will never look away again.

On Team Homicidols, we’ve been distracted a lot lately by art house groups and hi-concept math-punk units or idols that make you stare at your shoes and weep.  But now that we gazed so hard at ・・・・・・・・・ that they vanished back into the ether from whence they came, it might be best to sink back into basics for a little while. Like a nice, simple “you got chocolate in my peanut butter” blend of J-pop and Metal.

I wonder what LADYBABY has been up to?

DAAAAaaaaaammnnn…

Screaming, growling, rapping, clean choruses and djenty guitars: that’s some back-to-fundamentals kawaii nu-metal right there, and a perfect illustration of how Team LADYBABY have stayed relevant though all of the unit’s formations and turmoil.  They get the basics right and they do it incredibly well.  There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, especially when the output is this ferocious and enjoyable.

I have a feeling that this MV will earn stock-image status for any future profiles of alternative idol.  It’s practically iconic.

This new release has especially got to excite everyone heading to Monster of Dolls next month in Italy as this track is going to be an absolute banger live.

BABYMETAL Announces Release of New Album TBD, 2019

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BABYMETAL used Fox Day 2019 to launch a new era of ambiguity, announcing that they will finally release their long-awaited new album at some point this year.

In addition to the new album, BABYMETAL revealed some major upcoming shows.  Late June will mark SU-METAL and MOAMETAL’s return to Yokohama Arena for the Apocrypha of the Fox God’s first Hemingway reference:   BABYMETAL Awakens – The Sun Also Rises. Continue reading →