BABYMETAL

"It's like Heavy Metal got J-Pop pregnant and hung around long enough to help raise the kids..."

BABYMETAL is a Japanese metal vocal and dance group formed in 2009, consisting of Suzuka Nakamoto as "Su-metal", Yui Mizuno as "Yuimetal", and Moa Kikuchi as "Moametal", along with a backing group who provide the girls with a solid, skillfully-performed metal foundation while playing in Kabuki garb or skeleton costumes. The group's core style is a deliberate fusion of that metal foundation and the idol genre, heavily leavened with other musical elements ranging from Trance to Synth Pop to Dubstep to Reggae to J-pop at its most manic. The band defines its style as a new genre called "kawaii metal". Former Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman has described the band as sounding "like Meshuggah with J-pop on top."

Originally a subunit of girl-group Sakura Gakuin, BABYMETAL was created around Suzuku Nakamoto, but was spun off into a separate band in 2013 when Nakamoto graduated from junior high and had to "graduate" from Sakura Gakuin as well. They released their eponymous debut album in February 2014, although they have been circulating tracks since 2010. Their formal debut as a group was at the August 2012 Summer Sonic, one of Japan's largest rock festivals; with an average age of 12 at the time, BABYMETAL was the youngest act to ever perform there. During their appearance at the 2013 Summer Sonic a year later, members of Metallica reportedly came to see them perform. In Spring 2014 they gave two concerts at Budokan, making them the youngest female act to ever do so.

In Summer of 2014 they embarked on a world tour, making their debut appearance in the United Kingdom at the Sonisphere Festival 2014. They performed on the main Apollo stage alongside bands such as Deftones, Carcass and Iron Maiden. They played Heavy Montréal 2014 in Canada on August 9 alongside the likes of Metallica, Slayer, and teenage metal band Unlocking the Truth, and also performed at Summer Sonic 2014 in Japan on the Mountain Stage with bands such as Avenged Sevenfold and Megadeth. BABYMETAL was also the opening act to five of Lady Gaga's concerts in her "ArtRave: The Artpop Ball" 2014 tour in August along the western United States.

Discography:
Singles:
 * Doki Doki Morning (April 2011)
 * Ijime, Dame, Zettai (July 2011)
 * Head Bangya!! (July 2012)
 * Megitsune (June 2013)
 * Gimme chocolate!! (February 2014)

CDs:
 * BABYMETAL (February 2014)


 * Death Metal
 * Heavy Metal
 * Hime Cut: Suzuku Nakamoto has a hime cut in the video for "Megitsune", but it's hard to tell if it's really her hair or a wig.
 * Idol Singer
 * Japanese Pop Music
 * Joshikousei: Sumetal wears a sailor suit-style uniform in the video for "Head Bangya!!".
 * Kabuki: One of the visual styles of the backing band, most clearly seen in the video for "Megitsune".
 * Kawaii
 * Speed Metal
 * Symphonic Metal