Band of the Year

BABYMETAL

What if I said the most extreme metal band of 2014 is composed of three adolescent Japanese girls? It’s true: BABYMETAL is an upheaval, hot coffee to the face of metal machismo. Although Su-metal, Yuimetal, and Moametal have little creative input and BABYMETAL is a super-corporate, major label enterprise, this is appropriation of metal music, not exploitation, and a work of unprecedented originality. After dropping a series of singles since 2011 — all smash hits in Japan — the band released its first full-length this year and went on a massive world tour, selling out most dates. Dance pop and death metal seem an odd pair, but with strong hooks and just enough kitsch, BABYMETAL pull it off.

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