Text by Carolina Kitamura
In the history of heavy metal, scholars point to its various branches, called subgenres, such as glam metal, hair metal, thrash metal, death metal, and symphonic metal (my personal favorite). And what about kawaii metal?
Like other subgenres, it has its own peculiarities and context: a fast, heavy sound with catchy and lively melodies, typical of J-pop. The term, coined by producer Key “Kobametal” Kobayashi, responsible for the group Babymetal , became established in 2014 with the group's debut on the famous video platform, YouTube, with their viral single “Gimme Chocolate!!”.
Although it may seem strange, the phenomenon that has become established in Brazil is extremely familiar to the fans who packed Audio last Monday, the 21st. It may seem surprising to the Knotfest audience, but the truth is that the trio has been successful for years and has a very solid international base full of stories, encounters with renowned bands and artists, collaborations on albums, unreleased tracks, and historic performances. By fulfilling the tireless request of Brazilian fans, the production knew very well what it was doing by putting them on the festival's lineup.
However, would that be enough to fill a house? Is that really all there is to it?
At his solo show, what I witnessed was unprecedented and undeniable. A kilometer-long line could be seen from afar, doubling for blocks, ready for the encounter of their dreams.
Opening of Seven Hours After Violet
The band, consisting of bassist Shavo Odadjian , vocalist Taylor Barber, guitarists Morgoth Beatz and Scarypoolparty , and drummer Josh Johnson , opened the venue to an already excited crowd, performing tracks from their album released this month.
The heavy sound was classic, perfect for introducing a thunderous performance from the girls, you could even call it a boost considering the intensity. Shavo's solo project, from System of a Down, in his own words "favorite thing," brings back his roots: melodic lines mixed with a raspy vocal, tangled guitars, a very well-organized mess.
The interaction with the fans was a warm exchange; Shavo thanked them for the ovations in fluent Portuguese: "Thank you!" followed by a clear "You guys are awesome." Taylor also chimed in: "I love you guys! This is my first time in Brazil! You are incredible!"
Besides the iconic figures from the band SHAV, even though we couldn't see them from where we were, the crowd revealed the presence of familiar faces: the bassist and drummer from Black Pantera, João Gordo, and Lucas Inutilismo . Later, we learned that Lucas Silveira, from Fresno, Edu Falaschi 's daughter was also enjoying the show.
BABYMETAL
Promptly at 9 PM, on the big screen, the presentation, already familiar to everyone with the classic Star Wars , "A long time ago in a heavy metal galaxy far, far away…", introduced the audience to the universe of the fox god.
The entrance of Su-metal , Momometal, and Moametal caused a hysterical outburst; the ground shook, hands raised in the air to film the girls' entrance obscured the view of a person 1.59 meters tall (according to this person speaking to you). It was utter madness!
The track “Babymetal Death” heralded the beginning of the end (of time itself, it sounded like a bang) where each member introduced themselves to the ritualistic sound. Now, a curious plus about this specific track: “the name followed by the word “death” can also be heard as the onorific desu (a particle that adds formality to the sentence)” – adds translator Marjory Rebelo.
This pun is common and seen in other media such as the anime Senki Zesshou Symphogear by the character Kirika Akatsuki, representing the symphonic metal subgenre, where she constantly adds "death" to the end of sentences as an affirmation, in addition to using the number 4 as her symbol, which can also be read as "Shi" (Death).
Then, Pa Pa Ya lifted the crowd off the ground, and the impression was that Audio was about to take off at any moment, and it wasn't even the second song! Countless people were taking off their shirts and waving them in the air. That and a Corinthians game were no different; people dressed in red, black, and white, going crazy for their idol on the "field."
At another point, when they presented “METALI!!” – their first song released with the new lineup and featuring an unprecedented guest appearance by Tom Morello – the crowd brought a genuine smile to Su-metal and Moametal's faces as they joined in on the song's pre-chorus announced by Momometal. It was a thunderous, powerful, unison scream, beautiful to see.
Monochrome also marked the night with a sea of lights at Su's request. Being a more melodic, sentimental track, it was possible to appreciate the leader's sweet vocals amidst the chilling ad-libs.
A phenomenon
Without explanation, the media was astonished by the magnitude of this group. How did they fill a venue? Where were these fans? Why are they so successful?
The answers are simpler than they seem. The group's concept promises a complete experience, without leaning towards any one side, leaving labels aside and focusing on the created universe.
"This ain't heavy metal, welcome to the world of BABYMETAL" – excerpt from the track "FUTURE METAL" from their album GALAXY METAL .
Japanese music has always been seen as something different; Western media effortlessly presents everything as anime music or J-pop. This stems from a lack of familiarity, and I won't blame anyone for that.
There is an extremely active community in Brazil dedicated to the Japanese music market. Its artists are constantly denouncing the lack of individual expression and normativity. The dress codes, formality, work schedules, and standards are exhausting, and the youth are reacting against it. (Hey, we see something similar in other countries, don't we?)
Sharing a common feeling of rebellion or of being "different" (which is by no means an insult), young Brazilians find comfort in the diversity of Japanese artists, the same comfort that consoles different Japanese people who seek to escape a demanding routine full of rules or mass culture. The subject is extensive and I don't want to go into detail here; I emphasize that I don't want to highlight the negative aspects of the culture.
Does this make its content childish? No! On the contrary, it can offer everything from songs with deep and delicate lyrics dealing with heavy subjects to the simplicity of a chorus like "Gimme Chocolate!!" with the aim of entertaining and relieving tension and stress without worrying about its identity.
Babymetal is for dads, moms, CEOs, aunts, grandmas, high school students, college students, kids, workers. It's not just for little ones! We need music to let loose every now and then, who hasn't put on some heavy metal on their headphones on the São Paulo subway during rush hour?
And now that Brazilian fans have proven their strength, we hope the country receives more attention by bringing them to a bigger venue, with more dates, especially since many fans missed out on this unforgettable night.
