Babymetal is the debut studio album by Japanese heavy metal idol group Babymetal. It was first released on February 26, 2014, in Japan through BMD Fox Records, and was re-released on May 29, 2015 (2015-05-29), in Europe through earMusic, and June 16, 2015 (2015-06-16), in the United States through RED Associated Labels (RAL) and Sony Music Entertainment. Music from the album dates back to the origins of the band in 2010, and incorporates tracks from their earliest released singles, back when the band was a sub-unit of the Japanese idol group Sakura Gakuin.

Babymetal received generally positive reviews from music critics. The album managed to peak at number four on the Oricon Weekly Chart, and has since been certified gold with over 100,000 copies sold in Japan. In the United States, the album debuted at number 187 on the Billboard 200—a rarity for Japanese acts in the country—and managed to top the World Albums chart. Two singles from Babymetal, "Ijime, Dame, Zettai" and "Megitsune", gained domestic success, charting within the top ten in Japan. "Gimme Chocolate!!" became an international success, with its music video garnering attention overseas and becoming the group's most viewed music video on YouTube.

Prior to the album's release, Babymetal performed as a sub-unit for the Japanese idol group Sakura Gakuin from 2010 to 2013,^[2] and music that would be included surfaced as early as October 30, 2010, when the members of the band recorded their vocals for their first song "Doki Doki ☆ Morning".^[3] From 2011 to 2013, the band released five singles inside and outside Sakura Gakuin, with the most successful single, "Ijime, Dame, Zettai" peaking at number six on the Oricon Weekly Singles chart.^[4]

From late 2012 to early 2013, Babymetal took part in a series of headlining shows, performing new songs in each performance.^[5] The band then embarked on their first tour, the Babymetal Death Match Tour 2013: May Revolution, in May 2013,^[6] and later performed two more headlining shows that year, each performed near the members' birthdays.^[7][8] At the end of the latter show, Legend "1997", the band announced a pair of shows to occur at Nippon Budokan, as well as an album slated for release on February 26, 2014, with a standard edition and a limited edition bundled with a DVD.^[9]

Musically, the album follows Babymetal's fusion of J-pop and heavy metal (referred to as kawaii metal),^[1][10] at times incorporating elements of bubblegum pop, hip hop, drum and bass, and dubstep.^[1] The opening track "Babymetal Death" is an instrumental speed metal track, with frequent shouts of "Death!",^[11] while "Gimme Chocolate!!" features "thrashing, grating guitars" that alternate with "speed-sung, quirky lyrics".^[12] Songs like "Megitsune" and "Iine!" are notable for their sudden genre shifts, while the Su-metal solo "Rondo of Nightmare" is described as a powerful cacophony.^[13] The Black Babymetal song "Song 4" incorporates elements of reggae,^[14] while "Catch Me If You Can" contains elements of "digi-rock" (digital rock) and industrial metal.^[15] "Ijime, Dame, Zettai" begins with a mellow intro transitioning to speed metal.^[16]

Lyrically, the songs of the album are in Japanese, and focus on issues for young girls, like acceptance and standing up for one's self.^[17] "Megitsune" is about women who hide their emotions like a kitsune (fox), which serves as the band's signature hand gesture.^[18] "Gimme Chocolate!" talks about girls who like to eat chocolate, while dealing with the worry of weight gain,^[19] while "Iine!" emphazises the band's desire "to establish a fun, aggressive, new genre in music".^[20] "Doki Doki ☆ Morning" and "Uki Uki ★ Midnight" are described as two sides of a day, and as such describe the contrasting times of a girl's life.^[21] "Catch Me If You Can" has a more comical theme of hide and seek with concepts of Japanese namahage.^[15] "Headbangeeeeerrrrr!!!!!" tells the story of a girl's first experience at a concert,^[21] while "Ijime, Dame, Zettai" is an anti-bullying theme.^[22]

According to Nakamoto, the meanings behind lyrics of the songs did not immediately become recognized by the members of the band, but this would later be mitigated after performing the tracks live in concert.^[21] After the album gained international attention, Nakamoto has mentioned how a girl from the United Kingdom sent a letter about how "Ijime, Dame, Zettai" helped her deal with school bullies, and further said,

"Despite the fact that we sing in Japanese, so many people around the world have reached out to us and that encourages us to keep doing what we are doing right now. We are definitely happy that we've been able to help our fans in any way we can."^[23]

On January 25, 2014, the title was confirmed, and the track listing revealed three new songs and ten found on the band's previous singles.^[24] On February 4, 2014, the artwork was revealed for both editions, and a promotional video featuring five songs from the album was posted on YouTube,^[25] along with a teaser for a live music clip of "Gimme Chocolate!!".^[26] To commemorate the release day of the album, Tower Records Shinjuku sold "Festival of 25" merchandise, with the store ultimately selling over 1,000 copies.^[27] The album was also released in a special limited edition titled Babymetal Apocalypse Limited Edition, exclusively for members of the group's "Babymetal Apocalypse Web" fansite, and in a CD format with alternate versions of two of the songs.^[28]

On July 26, 2014, the band re-released the limited edition version with a special cover to commemorate the band's 2014 world tour.^[29] In mid-2015, the album was re-released worldwide under different record labels with two bonus tracks: the new song "Road of Resistance" and a live performance of "Gimme Chocolate!!" from O2 Academy Brixton.^[30][31] When asked about the re-release, Nakamoto explained,

"Obviously, we don't come to America often. It's very difficult, you know, schedule-wise and everything. With this album finally being physically available here, I feel that, hopefully, the album will be the medium that keeps the fans close to us. They will finally be able to hold it in their hands. Even though we're so far away, this album's going to connect us with fans again and we just want to keep that relationship going."^[32]

Notes

A. ^{^} "Kitsune of Metal God" refers to a god figure frequently mentioned in band materials and interviews (often as "Kitsune-sama" or the "Fox God").^[64] Official credits under this name are registered to Kobametal.^[65]

B. ^{^} Nakametal is written as ナカメタル in the credits of "Doki Doki ☆ Morning" and "Headbangeeeeerrrrr!!!!!".

• "Babymetal Death" and "Catch Me If You Can" (Japanese edition only) are stylized as "BABYMETAL DEATH" and "Catch me if you can", respectively.
• "Song 4" lists its credits for lyrics and music as Black Babymetal, the stage name for the duo of Yuimetal and Moametal without Su-metal.
• Herman Li and Sam Totman appear on "Road of Resistance", and are featured artists on the United Kingdom digital release.
• Commentary audio tracks are included for music videos on the Japanese limited edition DVD.
• "Gimme Chocolate!!" (World Tour 2015 edition) includes highlights of the Babymetal World Tour 2015.

Credits adapted from Babymetal album liner notes, Sakura Gakuin 2010 Nendo: Message album liner notes, "Babymetal / Kiba of Akiba" single cover notes, "Headbangeeeeerrrrr!!!!!" single liner notes, "Ijime, Dame, Zettai" standard and limited "I" single liner notes, "Megitsune" standard and limited "Tsu" single liner notes, Metal Resistance liner notes,^[66] and Google Play.

Recording and management

• Recorded at S.O.L.I.D. Sound Lab, Heartbeat Recording Studio, MukuStudio, Sound Arts Studio, Wacken Open Studio, and ABS Recording
• Mixed at S.O.L.I.D. Sound Lab, Heartbeat Recording Studio, Art Pop Entertainment, Hama Shobo Studio (濱書房スタジオ), and King Sekiguchidai Studio
• Mastered at Form the Master and Parasight Mastering

Personnel

Production