Review Summary: GA GA GOOD ALBUM!!
Welcome to the review, let’s begin. The album starts safely with Babymetal’s typical chunky riffs and bouncy rhythm in the opening track (Metal Kingdom). A couple things are different about this track compared to previous albums. The extra vocalists are barely used, growls are not used at all, and Babymetal’s classic bi-polar intensity is nowhere to be found. Unfortunately, this trend continues: the trend of stifling much that make Babymetal creative and compelling. When they dip into their genre-defying, zany energy it produces the best tracks on the album, as expected. Indeed, Metalizm was one of the only tracks in which Babymetal didn’t sound like they were on autopilot. Half the album is derivative of their previous singles down to the whoah-ohs from the backup vocalists. The growls are erased though, so that’s interesting news.
Babymetal have great riffs, it can’t be denied. Most of the impact in tracks launches forth from the rocket booster guitar work. The riffs brought to mind superior instrumental djent, and I was impressed. Speaking of accolades, the lead singer sounds great as usual, and the times when auto-tune isn’t abused she sounds even better. It’s no surprise that she has such a prominent role in tracks, and I enjoyed her singing. Last on my praise list: the bright, arena filling melodies I know and love are back, as well as poppy, electronic bits. The electronic portions smoothly fit in despite heavy riffs thanks to their pop motif.
Now for the bad. This is a Babymetal album, but not a memorable one. Everything in this album has been done before, and with miles more personality. The songs are also not as extra catchy as previous albums, and the lack of personality doesn’t help. Standouts come down to which tracks have better riffs. The choruses are fine but often not as spicy as previous albums. Overall, it’s a safe, polished album that cuts extra bloat and prefers melodies over everything. You can forget about their cheesy, non-serious style — it is nearly a thing of the past. Songs like Doki Doki Morning and Line! are what originally had me interested in Babymetal. Songs like Gimme Chocolate and Megitsune showed an interesting band further in their career. Something was always weird about the band in a good way, yet that cheesiness is nearly erased for this new album. Some will like that and some won’t. I personally would’ve loved to see a little more silliness come from them, but c’est la vie, their serious tone has created a beast of an album. On the other hand, The Other One never reaches the level of fun of other albums.
Despite my reservations, The Other One is another solid Babymetal album added to their excellent discography. Their pop metal is as fun as always, with pleasant melodies and singing. At this point in their discography it’s a given that their music would be less unique, but that isn’t stopping Babymetal’s energy. If you enjoy Babymetal, there’s no reason to dislike this album. I will gladly accept more of the same if it sounds this good. Ultimately, Babymetal have given me exactly what I expect of them, minus some of their quirks. I left feeling like I nonetheless fully engaged in the Babymetal experience. The anthemic tunes are as inspiring as always and played well on all fronts. They may be capitalizing on nostalgia, but it’s working. The tunes give all the vibes, and no doubt will sound amazing live. Chalk it up to another victory for the girls.
