Hey Kitkat. I'd agree she is probably one of the best out there. However, Morissette Amon would be another VERY strong contender. If you haven't heard of her before, I'd encourage you to check her out. She doesn't sing metal, but she is still work listening to. Check out anything from the wish bus, and I wanna know what love is MYX Live version. She puts Mariah Carey to shame and many other singers to shame in terms of what she can do vocally. She's also very easy on the eyes too lol
@@jeremyboynowski3784 Thanks for the introduction. I just listened to it now. She is definitely a great singer. The extension from low to high notes was breathtaking. Well, as I have a big prejudice, I still prefer Su's straight singing that doesn't rely on technique😅🤘
@@kitkat6407 no probs there at all. I love both. I think both are awe-inspiring in theor own right. I just like showing people different talent as well. Mori and Su have some things in common. They both won second place in their respective singing contests, they both have very powerful voices, and they both can convey emotion through their music if/when they want. I think Mori doing a collab with Babymetal would be a very interesting and fun collab too!
if they had every sound represented on stage, they would be a broke band, so all of their ambient sounds are on a backing track with the synthesizers, strings, horns, wacky noises, guest features, etc.... But on special occasions, they will have extra people on stage, their whole show is a theater production, which is a far cry from their origins when they were broke and performed in shopping malls with their music on a boombox, but they worked hard to gain a following and with that budget they made everything better and now they are in their 14th year of existence and they can draw a good crowd wherever they go worldwide.
Yes, Japanese Metal is great, although in this case BABYMETAL’s supporting Kami Band were Chris Kelly and C.J. Masciantonio on guitars, Clint Tustin on bass and Anthony Barone on drums. You might have heard of the first three as part of the classic lineup for the band Galactic Empire, and Anthony Barone from his time in Shadow of Intent, among other bands. BTW, the lead singer Su-metal (Suzuka Nakamoto) wrote the lyrics for this song.
I'm a somewhat newer fan of Babymetal (a few months now). That said and for whatever reason I took to their sound immediately. I've been listening for years to metal. And maybe I'm just old enough that when I was introduced to Babymetal having a great metal sound and at the same time not being screamed at constantly. Well it was damn refreshing. I have enjoyed-as mentioned-metal for years. But in all that time I've never had a metal band that left me feeling so damn good and happy after a session. On the other thing-Su, Moa and Momo have all trained from a young age to sing and dance. They are now seasoned pros by any standards. Their music is complex in if nothing else it has so many layers. Sound effects, anything not a guitar, bass or drums, symphonic passages and "choired" vocals all rely on backing tracks. It's not "cheating" it's presenting the most compelling performance possible. In the many, many hours of listening I've done over the last few months one of the many things I've marveled at is the "depth" of BM's music. By the way thoughtful, informed and intelligent reaction. I always enjoy hearing what professionals have to say about Babymetal. Appreciated your thoughts. Oh future reactions Consider the live performances. Babymetal are truly legendary for their live presence and that energy always comes through on a reaction. Here's a song with a guitar solo by a guest artist I think you'll enjoy-short but very, very crunchy sound. Da Da Dance, feat. Tak Matsumoto. ruclips.net/video/SKOR2r0pLjU/видео.html
Great reaction, welcome back to Babymetal. It’s been a while! While I would prefer “100% live”, I do understand the need for backing tracks. Makes no monetary sense to hire a small orchestra for a portion of a song for an entire show. Thus, as long as the primary instruments are live, I won’t complain. On vocals: Lead Su-metal is almost always live. Exceptions are a rare few moments for purposely placed effects, interlude segments or mimed harsh screams. The backing vocals from the other 2 have seen a heavier usage of tracks recently, but are mostly live. I think it was done due to choreography, and to preserve their energy/stamina. These gals go hard for 1hr to 90 mins and they’ve done ~100 shows last year in 9 months lol. In earlier concert BluRays, you can hear them starting to get a little winded at times, and that was back when they were younger, and had a way less intense touring schedule (probably because they were in high school 😂). You should check out Road of Resistance. One of their most epic anthems. Official Live for 2015 or Pia Arena MM for a 2023 rendition (same concert as Divine Attack). 🤘🦊
You being a musician you'd probably enjoy more Babymetal songs that focus on the band. Best examples are Rondo of Nightmare with Mischiefs of God intro Budokan live (original Kami band) and Kagerou live(western Kami band...drummer is soooo good)
Nice reaction. Babymetal might be unique in all the world. And an international treasure. Thank you, Japan. Many folks before you have asked the question how they sing like that and dance. Answer seems to be they just got it like that. Su the lead singer recently said in an effort to get ready for their summer shows she turned off the AC when they were practicing. Moa and Momoko confirmed that she did as they all laughed about it. But that's the kind of dedication to their craft they put in. Also, when you get to watch more of their shows you may come to notice when Moa and now Momoko are singing they are not doing their heaviest choreography. They have learned to tone that down over the years for those parts. Moa in a past interview mentioned they actually had to have a meeting about turning things down a notch. and that was some time ago. when Yui the other original member was still part of the group. Yui left at the start of 2018 for health reasons. For many years now fans have mentioned the great shape they've managed to keep themselves in. They have had a nutritionist that travels with them for some time now. If you ever get to see an interview with them. You'll get to see how much they love food. Since they burn lots of calories while performing. There also was the old joke that Su practiced singing on a tread mill. She knows exactly when to breath. And just about never misses it either. The song phrasing seems almost built around it. Which isn't too surprising since Su has a lot to do with the phrasing of the song lyrics. Which in turn could be the big reason they don't seem to be breathing hard when singing. The places to breath are built into the song. There really is pure genius in the way their songs are crafted, and it has worked for them for over a decade and four albums now. Fans at small venue concerts have mentioned how Su almost does need a mic to be heard. She's got a lot of power in those lungs. Point is for the singing they don't seem to use backing tracks like that. and when they do use them. They let you know. They don't try to hide it. On songs like Karate at the end and some other songs. Enjoy your journey through the foxhole and into the Babymetal galaxy of music.
Welcome back and great reaction. I think your questions were already answered by several people, so I won't repeat everything. I will just second those who expressed an opinion on Su-metal (lead vocalist) being one of the very best, she is certainly one of the best female vocalists I've ever heard (and quickly became my all time favourite) - even the live DVD recordings like this one don't prepare you for hearing her in person, she is so powerful. I hope you will react to more BABYMETAL (I think you've done 4 or 5 songs now). They will surprise you nearly every time, their catalogue is very diverse with songs in all the different metal genres plus mixing in many other musical styles and genres with the metal, usually when you least expect it.
BABYMETAL definitely uses tracks to help fill out their live sound, including a lot of the backing vocals. However, they don't try to hide it or pretend that they don't. And it can vary dramatically depending on the performance. In general, the mics that the girls are using are hot and they are singing their parts. Sometimes the track is mixed way louder than they are and sometimes you will hardly hear any track at all. They will also add tracks to the live DVD performances in post while the people actually at the concert hear raw vocals. They will use tracks to fill out or harmonize with Su (the lead singer) but she is pretty much always singing live outside of some very specific moments that are usually very telegraphed. The band is always live outside of some of their earlier concerts where they couldn't always afford a live band. You can always tell when the band isn't live because they are wearing skeleton costumes and miming the instruments. The real band is made up of session musicians and they are known as the KAMI BAND. There is an EAST and WEST KAMI band but that's a whole other topic. They're all extremely talented and if you're interested in seeing that for yourself then I recommend checking out Rondo Of Nightmare Live w/Mischiefs of Metal Gods intro (EAST KAMI BAND) and Kagerou w/ KAMI band intro (WEST KAMI BAND).
As a guitarist myself I would recommend Syncopation (live)! Great melodies with a lot of harmony guitars, breakdowns and solos! Also their power metal stuff like Road of Resistance, Arkadia, Amore, Akatsuki and Ijime Dame Zettai (all live as well) will be good picks for you! I like this song but it doesn’t do them justice at all on the guitar side of things haha:)
BabyMetal does use some back-tracking for some effects and production purposes but they dont act like they're singing if they're not. MomoMetal and the previous temporary replacement dancers didn't wear mics because they weren't singing. MomoMetal has since been made a permanent member and wears a mic and sings. The way they are able to sing with that kind of choreography is because of conditioning and training not to mention that two that do the most dancing mostly only do back-up singing.
The backup dancers vocals are usually played from a backing track, especially for big shows recorded for a DVD release like this one. The lead singer sometimes has harmonies of herself on a backing track, or some layering effects, but otherwise sings live and she has cleverly stripped down choreo to manage good live vocals. Of course these DVD releases are retouched in postproduction, but the audience that attended in person heard her raw and she is really good live and while not as perfect as on DVDs the fans attending the shows are always amazed by her live performance.
Good explanation. And if you have good audio equipment and good ears, you can tell from many of their live show recordings on Blu-Ray, whe the backup-singers actually are singing live and when not. One of the shows where they tried to have them live almost all the time were the Budokan shows back in 2014, by the way. The last time I have experienced Suzuka not to sing live was the intro-song ("Headbangeeeeerrrrr!!!!!" Night of 15 version) of their "Legend 1997" show from December 2013. And there it, clearly, was intentional to serve the narrative (transformation af Suzuka from a J-Pop idol to the metal goddess we all know today) of the show.
A few years ago, 2019, BABYMETAL attended the Glastonbury festival. The audio guys from BBC did a total mess, failed to mix in backtracks and harmonies, but they managed to deliver an outstanding performance and quite interesting too, you can be sure that everyone on stage actually sings, the lead singer SU-METAL is able to dance while belting notes like there's no tomorrow, the side dancer MOAMETAL sounds pretty loud and clear on stage (it's complicated, but at the time the other dancer was not part of the group but a substitute, so no microphone). A huge fan of them edited an outstanding video of the event showing all that went on stage that day, she goes by the nick Omajination, the title is "BABYMETAL Moments at Glastonbury". But yeah, they use effects and some parts are on backtracks, most notably MOA's rap on Da Da Dance! and MOMO's kabuki part in Metali! growl included for ... reasons 🙄, since she can growl pretty well, it's her voice indeed. BABYMETAL began as part of an Idol group, they evolved (quickly) from lipsync with backtracks, to live singing with a legit band of musicians, from a venue with few hundreds, to tens of thousands. 🤘🦊⚡️
_The time has come. Stand up!_ 🦊🤘🐎 It seems you already got your answer in a lot of comments about the backing track affair. This was the 1st single out of five released in October 2022, part of the new album "The Other One" released later in March 2023 and is totally a banger. SuMetal got the lyrics credits on this and all of us are proud and happy she reached one of her dreams. She totally rocks!❤️ Here's some official info: Divine Attack - Shingeki (CAVALRY) _The time has come._ _Trascending many barriers and creating many legends, where will BABYMETAL head next? The power and dynamism of the song depicts a cavalry preparing for their future battle._ "Divine Attack - Shingeki" got some drum&bass combined with the heavy riffs of metal sound. They're giving us a new lore and a metalverse with 10 different worlds and songs that are connected in this concept album. We can say that this song carry the spirit and message of songs like Road Of Resistance but this is more like a call to arms and fight for your future. This footage was taken from BabyMetal Begins - The Other One Clear Night, PIA Arena MM, Yokohama in April 2nd, the Black Night took place in April 1st and you can see that clip in MAYA official live MV. This was the first night with MomoMetal as the new official member, the night prior to this they're wearing the old battle dress from Metal Galaxy era while in this you can see them with the new iridiscent costume. MomoMetal (Momoko Okazaki) was one of the three avengers (or backup dancers part of the lore) since 2019. We all proud of MomoMetal being finally part of this group. The backing band you saw are called the Kami Band, they were send by the Fox God to help the girls with the metal sound, they only play live and aren't official members, during early era they used to have a Japanese set of musicians but prior to this when they started to perform live they got a fake band called "baby-bones" (you'll see them in the Gimme Chocolate MV and many more live performance before 2013 mainly), later in 2019 they incorporate a new set of western musicians when doing live tour and they were part of this concert and clip you just saw as well the whole World Tour 2023, we called them Western Kami Band. There is an official visualizer with the album studio sound released the same day in October and you can see only the two of them back then, these new shows on DVD/BD they're promoting are part of this historical event when MomoMetal was crowned as the third official member. Next suggestion to enjoy a brand new collab: - F.Hero x Bodyslam x BabyMetal - Leave It All Behind official MV Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this and see you next time.🦊🤘🔥
Anyone who has been to a BabyMetal concert like me and stood in the front row to watch and listen to their singing and performance will no longer have these doubts🦊 Thanks for your great reaction.
Understood about the backup singers (many like you cannot believe that with all of the choreography involved that they can actually be singing). I am not here to say yea or nay. I have followed these young ladies and their Kami's for years and have seen pretty much all of their LIVE performances and I will say that they are very talented vocalists in their own right (especially Moa Kikuchi). What you may need to understand is that most of the backup up vocals are not long in duration but instead are short bursts of melodies that chime in with Suzuka's absolutely amazing lead vocals which requires a different approach and stamina (and she has it!) If you would take the time to watch (for yourself if you wish not a reaction) Catch Me If You Can at Budokan (one of their early LIVE performances) I think that your question will be answered. To see just how talented Suzuka is LIVE watch Karate at 2016 Download Festival in the UK where 60,000+ British metal heads sing along with the girls. This should give clarity. Both song/peformances 15 minutes of your time - total) Good luck.
Great stuff! Babymetal has used backing tracks over the years (mostly just for harmonies and echoes) but all that really matters to me in that regard is if the band is open about that (which Babymetal is). The lead singer (Su-Metal) is phenomenal live. As long as they’re not trying to sneak it past their fans I’m all for doing whatever to provide the best experience possible.
Moa, one of the two dancers, was asked once how she managed to dance so hard and not get winded. Moa replied "Practice, practice, and more practice. It's not talent, or skill, it's hard work and effort." No one works harder than Babymetal. That being said, the two dancers are sometimes live vocals, and sometimes tracks. I saw them in 2019, in Portland it was tracks, the following night in Seattle it was live. I saw them in 2023 and I swear it was live. Su the main singer has live vocals. If you go to a show, you can tell, and she misses a note or two a night as you would expect. There was one show in Moscow where Su had backing tracks, but she was visibly ill that night (she would kneel down, and fall over for example). Su is notoriously bad at lip synching. She keeps pulling the mic away from her mouth. She just can't keep concentration to sell it. Been that way since she was young . When Babymetal started out before they could afford a band, they played with tracks. But since the latter part of 2013, it's been live.
Yeah the dancer voices are on backing track usually, there has been some occasions they've been live, but they usually backtrack them. I imagine they are afraid of all the breathing on the harmonizing vocals with all the jumping and dancing going around. Divine Attack was the first single from their latest and 4th album from 2023. Babymetal is very experimental and for this album (The Other One, 2023) they were trying music on the cutting edge of modern metal, stuff that sounds like Peryphery, Polyphia, etc. Their first album from 2014 was pretty different in tone, they were 14/16 at that time and the album has the intent to feel like little girls playing to do Heavy Metal. There is a lot of influence in that album of the classics of japanese HM: Seikima II, X Japan, etc. That's where Gimme Chocolate comes from, that seems you are familiar with already. In 2016 they released their second record, they were already growing up (16/18), and it pretends to be a more inspired in international Heavy Metal classics record. The flagship track from that album is Road of Resistance, I think you should check that song.
My impression is that the backing vocals have varied over the years and sometimes from show to show, for whatever reason. Sometimes they are full backing track, sometimes they are obviously live, and I believe most of the time it’s a combination of both. I‘m not a big fan of backing tracks myself, but once you have stood right in front of them for more than an hour during a show and witnessed their cardio first hand, you really can’t blame them for it.
Momo and Moa almost didn't sing in the 2023-2024 tour. Their mics were often turned off. They had to use Su's mic to speak to the audience (Australia being the exception) In many fancams they didn't even seem to care about pretending to sing, like in Monochrome Moa didn't give a f for the most part lol
speaking of Babymetal , here's some news that may interest you ..... Babymetal is headlining their own festival at the end of May, called FoxFest -- but that's not the part that's important ... the important part is that it was just announced that our band ASTERISM will be the guest band backing the act Metalverse (that's a Babymetal spin-off act) Anyways, it's a big break for ASTERISM, and thought it might interest you. but back to the reaction .... i can tell you're probably a bit "old school" when it comes to the idea of backing tracks (i certainly sympathize). that being said , when it comes to their "official live" videos, there is a lot of post-production , making the performance seem more tracked that it really is (though some tracks are certainly used) .... this is an act that is first-and-foremost focused on the audience experience. and given the "pop" background, there's less stigma to it than with a traditional rock band. personally, i'm kinda "in the middle" when it comes to tracks. as long as the heavy lifting is done organically, i don't mind if some supplemental stuff is tracked (e.g., as opposed to having to hire extra session players or something). but also, i think my level of tolerance is going to shift based on the particular band in question.
BABYMETALは2023年に世界ツアーで97公演してますが、全てライブで歌ってます。殆どミスもなく ロブ・ハルフォードとコラボした時も一緒に歌ってます。 ruclips.net/video/KG_fqkyJ-wo/видео.htmlsi=RPTnb9N-_l9LRs1h BABYMETAL is on a world tour in 2023 with 97 shows, all sung live. With hardly any mistakes. They even sang together when they collaborated with Rob Halford. ruclips.net/video/KG_fqkyJ-wo/видео.htmlsi=RPTnb9N-_l9LRs1h
If you had douts on them singing live or not, you can check them more, like me. I had douts on their live singing since they're rooted with Japanese idol culture, and that culture rarely produced any monster vocalist, so I listened more. Rondo of Nightmares was the song I am sure they were performing live. Akatsuki made me fall in love with this band. Anyhow, if you put on a good set of headphone, you still can find them human evidences here and there.😉
Great reaction and honest opinion. I saw BM live in September in NYC and it was a very stripped down show but still a great show! I'm going to them next week for Sick New World fest!
The dancers don't usually sing and their mics are turned off most of the time (this has been proven for years, specially in 2023. They don't even try to hide it anymore). It's a pre recorded track. The main singer, Su, live. Zero doubts. Everything she sings sounds different each time. She also messes up sometimes. She interacts with the audiences and so on
![F.HERO x BODYSLAM x BABYMETAL - LEAVE IT ALL BEHIND [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/7rdc-QV6P6s/mqdefault.jpg)
Moa,Momo are each great singers. And I am convinced that Su is one of the best singers in the world.
Hey Kitkat. I'd agree she is probably one of the best out there. However, Morissette Amon would be another VERY strong contender. If you haven't heard of her before, I'd encourage you to check her out. She doesn't sing metal, but she is still work listening to. Check out anything from the wish bus, and I wanna know what love is MYX Live version. She puts Mariah Carey to shame and many other singers to shame in terms of what she can do vocally. She's also very easy on the eyes too lol
@@jeremyboynowski3784 Thanks for the introduction. I just listened to it now. She is definitely a great singer. The extension from low to high notes was breathtaking.
Well, as I have a big prejudice, I still prefer Su's straight singing that doesn't rely on technique😅🤘
@@kitkat6407 no probs there at all. I love both. I think both are awe-inspiring in theor own right. I just like showing people different talent as well. Mori and Su have some things in common. They both won second place in their respective singing contests, they both have very powerful voices, and they both can convey emotion through their music if/when they want. I think Mori doing a collab with Babymetal would be a very interesting and fun collab too!
@@jeremyboynowski3784 That would be cool!🤘😆💙
if they had every sound represented on stage, they would be a broke band, so all of their ambient sounds are on a backing track with the synthesizers, strings, horns, wacky noises, guest features, etc.... But on special occasions, they will have extra people on stage, their whole show is a theater production, which is a far cry from their origins when they were broke and performed in shopping malls with their music on a boombox, but they worked hard to gain a following and with that budget they made everything better and now they are in their 14th year of existence and they can draw a good crowd wherever they go worldwide.
Yes, Japanese Metal is great, although in this case BABYMETAL’s supporting Kami Band were Chris Kelly and C.J. Masciantonio on guitars, Clint Tustin on bass and Anthony Barone on drums.
You might have heard of the first three as part of the classic lineup for the band Galactic Empire, and Anthony Barone from his time in Shadow of Intent, among other bands.
BTW, the lead singer Su-metal (Suzuka Nakamoto) wrote the lyrics for this song.
I'm a somewhat newer fan of Babymetal (a few months now). That said and for whatever reason I took to their sound immediately. I've been listening for years to metal. And maybe I'm just old enough that when I was introduced to Babymetal having a great metal sound and at the same time not being screamed at constantly. Well it was damn refreshing. I have enjoyed-as mentioned-metal for years. But in all that time I've never had a metal band that left me feeling so damn good and happy after a session. On the other thing-Su, Moa and Momo have all trained from a young age to sing and dance. They are now seasoned pros by any standards. Their music is complex in if nothing else it has so many layers. Sound effects, anything not a guitar, bass or drums, symphonic passages and "choired" vocals all rely on backing tracks. It's not "cheating" it's presenting the most compelling performance possible. In the many, many hours of listening I've done over the last few months one of the many things I've marveled at is the "depth" of BM's music. By the way thoughtful, informed and intelligent reaction. I always enjoy hearing what professionals have to say about Babymetal. Appreciated your thoughts. Oh future reactions Consider the live performances. Babymetal are truly legendary for their live presence and that energy always comes through on a reaction. Here's a song with a guitar solo by a guest artist I think you'll enjoy-short but very, very crunchy sound. Da Da Dance, feat. Tak Matsumoto. ruclips.net/video/SKOR2r0pLjU/видео.html
Great reaction, welcome back to Babymetal. It’s been a while!
While I would prefer “100% live”, I do understand the need for backing tracks. Makes no monetary sense to hire a small orchestra for a portion of a song for an entire show. Thus, as long as the primary instruments are live, I won’t complain.
On vocals: Lead Su-metal is almost always live. Exceptions are a rare few moments for purposely placed effects, interlude segments or mimed harsh screams.
The backing vocals from the other 2 have seen a heavier usage of tracks recently, but are mostly live.
I think it was done due to choreography, and to preserve their energy/stamina. These gals go hard for 1hr to 90 mins and they’ve done ~100 shows last year in 9 months lol.
In earlier concert BluRays, you can hear them starting to get a little winded at times, and that was back when they were younger, and had a way less intense touring schedule (probably because they were in high school 😂).
You should check out Road of Resistance. One of their most epic anthems. Official Live for 2015 or Pia Arena MM for a 2023 rendition (same concert as Divine Attack).
🤘🦊
You being a musician you'd probably enjoy more Babymetal songs that focus on the band. Best examples are Rondo of Nightmare with Mischiefs of God intro Budokan live (original Kami band) and Kagerou live(western Kami band...drummer is soooo good)
Nice reaction. Babymetal might be unique in all the world. And an international treasure. Thank you, Japan. Many folks before you have asked the question how they sing like that and dance. Answer seems to be they just got it like that. Su the lead singer recently said in an effort to get ready for their summer shows she turned off the AC when they were practicing. Moa and Momoko confirmed that she did as they all laughed about it. But that's the kind of dedication to their craft they put in. Also, when you get to watch more of their shows you may come to notice when Moa and now Momoko are singing they are not doing their heaviest choreography. They have learned to tone that down over the years for those parts. Moa in a past interview mentioned they actually had to have a meeting about turning things down a notch. and that was some time ago. when Yui the other original member was still part of the group. Yui left at the start of 2018 for health reasons. For many years now fans have mentioned the great shape they've managed to keep themselves in. They have had a nutritionist that travels with them for some time now. If you ever get to see an interview with them. You'll get to see how much they love food. Since they burn lots of calories while performing. There also was the old joke that Su practiced singing on a tread mill. She knows exactly when to breath. And just about never misses it either. The song phrasing seems almost built around it. Which isn't too surprising since Su has a lot to do with the phrasing of the song lyrics. Which in turn could be the big reason they don't seem to be breathing hard when singing. The places to breath are built into the song. There really is pure genius in the way their songs are crafted, and it has worked for them for over a decade and four albums now. Fans at small venue concerts have mentioned how Su almost does need a mic to be heard. She's got a lot of power in those lungs. Point is for the singing they don't seem to use backing tracks like that. and when they do use them. They let you know. They don't try to hide it. On songs like Karate at the end and some other songs. Enjoy your journey through the foxhole and into the Babymetal galaxy of music.
Welcome back and great reaction. I think your questions were already answered by several people, so I won't repeat everything. I will just second those who expressed an opinion on Su-metal (lead vocalist) being one of the very best, she is certainly one of the best female vocalists I've ever heard (and quickly became my all time favourite) - even the live DVD recordings like this one don't prepare you for hearing her in person, she is so powerful.
I hope you will react to more BABYMETAL (I think you've done 4 or 5 songs now). They will surprise you nearly every time, their catalogue is very diverse with songs in all the different metal genres plus mixing in many other musical styles and genres with the metal, usually when you least expect it.
BABYMETAL definitely uses tracks to help fill out their live sound, including a lot of the backing vocals. However, they don't try to hide it or pretend that they don't. And it can vary dramatically depending on the performance. In general, the mics that the girls are using are hot and they are singing their parts. Sometimes the track is mixed way louder than they are and sometimes you will hardly hear any track at all. They will also add tracks to the live DVD performances in post while the people actually at the concert hear raw vocals. They will use tracks to fill out or harmonize with Su (the lead singer) but she is pretty much always singing live outside of some very specific moments that are usually very telegraphed.
The band is always live outside of some of their earlier concerts where they couldn't always afford a live band. You can always tell when the band isn't live because they are wearing skeleton costumes and miming the instruments. The real band is made up of session musicians and they are known as the KAMI BAND. There is an EAST and WEST KAMI band but that's a whole other topic. They're all extremely talented and if you're interested in seeing that for yourself then I recommend checking out Rondo Of Nightmare Live w/Mischiefs of Metal Gods intro (EAST KAMI BAND) and Kagerou w/ KAMI band intro (WEST KAMI BAND).
As a guitarist myself I would recommend Syncopation (live)! Great melodies with a lot of harmony guitars, breakdowns and solos! Also their power metal stuff like Road of Resistance, Arkadia, Amore, Akatsuki and Ijime Dame Zettai (all live as well) will be good picks for you!
I like this song but it doesn’t do them justice at all on the guitar side of things haha:)
BabyMetal does use some back-tracking for some effects and production purposes but they dont act like they're singing if they're not. MomoMetal and the previous temporary replacement dancers didn't wear mics because they weren't singing. MomoMetal has since been made a permanent member and wears a mic and sings. The way they are able to sing with that kind of choreography is because of conditioning and training not to mention that two that do the most dancing mostly only do back-up singing.
i remember reading somewhere that a normal day of practice involves singing while running on a treadmill ... so that's a thing.
The backup dancers vocals are usually played from a backing track, especially for big shows recorded for a DVD release like this one. The lead singer sometimes has harmonies of herself on a backing track, or some layering effects, but otherwise sings live and she has cleverly stripped down choreo to manage good live vocals. Of course these DVD releases are retouched in postproduction, but the audience that attended in person heard her raw and she is really good live and while not as perfect as on DVDs the fans attending the shows are always amazed by her live performance.
Good explanation. And if you have good audio equipment and good ears, you can tell from many of their live show recordings on Blu-Ray, whe the backup-singers actually are singing live and when not. One of the shows where they tried to have them live almost all the time were the Budokan shows back in 2014, by the way.
The last time I have experienced Suzuka not to sing live was the intro-song ("Headbangeeeeerrrrr!!!!!" Night of 15 version) of their "Legend 1997" show from December 2013. And there it, clearly, was intentional to serve the narrative (transformation af Suzuka from a J-Pop idol to the metal goddess we all know today) of the show.
Yes indeed, the 2014 Budokan shows are 98% live 😅, with the (in)famous YUI's incident as a solid proof.
🤘🦊⚡️
A few years ago, 2019, BABYMETAL attended the Glastonbury festival.
The audio guys from BBC did a total mess, failed to mix in backtracks and harmonies, but they managed to deliver an outstanding performance and quite interesting too, you can be sure that everyone on stage actually sings, the lead singer SU-METAL is able to dance while belting notes like there's no tomorrow, the side dancer MOAMETAL sounds pretty loud and clear on stage (it's complicated, but at the time the other dancer was not part of the group but a substitute, so no microphone).
A huge fan of them edited an outstanding video of the event showing all that went on stage that day, she goes by the nick Omajination, the title is "BABYMETAL Moments at Glastonbury".
But yeah, they use effects and some parts are on backtracks, most notably MOA's rap on Da Da Dance! and MOMO's kabuki part in Metali! growl included for ... reasons 🙄, since she can growl pretty well, it's her voice indeed.
BABYMETAL began as part of an Idol group, they evolved (quickly) from lipsync with backtracks, to live singing with a legit band of musicians, from a venue with few hundreds, to tens of thousands.
🤘🦊⚡️
_The time has come. Stand up!_ 🦊🤘🐎
It seems you already got your answer in a lot of comments about the backing track affair.
This was the 1st single out of five released in October 2022, part of the new album "The Other One" released later in March 2023 and is totally a banger. SuMetal got the lyrics credits on this and all of us are proud and happy she reached one of her dreams. She totally rocks!❤️
Here's some official info:
Divine Attack - Shingeki (CAVALRY)
_The time has come._
_Trascending many barriers and creating many legends, where will BABYMETAL head next? The power and dynamism of the song depicts a cavalry preparing for their future battle._
"Divine Attack - Shingeki" got some drum&bass combined with the heavy riffs of metal sound.
They're giving us a new lore and a metalverse with 10 different worlds and songs that are connected in this concept album.
We can say that this song carry the spirit and message of songs like Road Of Resistance but this is more like a call to arms and fight for your future.
This footage was taken from BabyMetal Begins - The Other One Clear Night, PIA Arena MM, Yokohama in April 2nd, the Black Night took place in April 1st and you can see that clip in MAYA official live MV. This was the first night with MomoMetal as the new official member, the night prior to this they're wearing the old battle dress from Metal Galaxy era while in this you can see them with the new iridiscent costume. MomoMetal (Momoko Okazaki) was one of the three avengers (or backup dancers part of the lore) since 2019. We all proud of MomoMetal being finally part of this group.
The backing band you saw are called the Kami Band, they were send by the Fox God to help the girls with the metal sound, they only play live and aren't official members, during early era they used to have a Japanese set of musicians but prior to this when they started to perform live they got a fake band called "baby-bones" (you'll see them in the Gimme Chocolate MV and many more live performance before 2013 mainly), later in 2019 they incorporate a new set of western musicians when doing live tour and they were part of this concert and clip you just saw as well the whole World Tour 2023, we called them Western Kami Band.
There is an official visualizer with the album studio sound released the same day in October and you can see only the two of them back then, these new shows on DVD/BD they're promoting are part of this historical event when MomoMetal was crowned as the third official member.
Next suggestion to enjoy a brand new collab:
- F.Hero x Bodyslam x BabyMetal - Leave It All Behind official MV
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this and see you next time.🦊🤘🔥
Babymetal is Divine 🔥🦊🔥
Anyone who has been to a BabyMetal concert like me and stood in the front row to watch and listen to their singing and performance will no longer have these doubts🦊 Thanks for your great reaction.
Understood about the backup singers (many like you cannot believe that with all of the choreography involved that they can actually be singing).
I am not here to say yea or nay. I have followed these young ladies and their Kami's for years and have seen pretty much all of their LIVE performances and I will say that they are very talented vocalists in their own right (especially Moa Kikuchi).
What you may need to understand is that most of the backup up vocals are not long in duration but instead are short bursts of melodies that chime in with Suzuka's absolutely amazing lead vocals which requires a different approach and stamina (and she has it!)
If you would take the time to watch (for yourself if you wish not a reaction) Catch Me If You Can at Budokan (one of their early LIVE performances)
I think that your question will be answered.
To see just how talented Suzuka is LIVE watch Karate at 2016 Download Festival in the UK where 60,000+ British metal heads sing along with the girls.
This should give clarity. Both song/peformances 15 minutes of your time - total)
Good luck.
In your playlist section I was unable to locate a Babymetal playlist even though you have reacted to at least 4. Just a FYI.
👍👍Welcome back to the foxhole. The voice of an angel😇. Good reaction. 🦊🦊🦊 🖖❤
Great stuff! Babymetal has used backing tracks over the years (mostly just for harmonies and echoes) but all that really matters to me in that regard is if the band is open about that (which Babymetal is). The lead singer (Su-Metal) is phenomenal live. As long as they’re not trying to sneak it past their fans I’m all for doing whatever to provide the best experience possible.
Oooh final comment we learned that an old band called the eagles mimed one of their live shows probably worse than sing to a backing track
Moa, one of the two dancers, was asked once how she managed to dance so hard and not get winded. Moa replied "Practice, practice, and more practice. It's not talent, or skill, it's hard work and effort." No one works harder than Babymetal. That being said, the two dancers are sometimes live vocals, and sometimes tracks. I saw them in 2019, in Portland it was tracks, the following night in Seattle it was live. I saw them in 2023 and I swear it was live.
Su the main singer has live vocals. If you go to a show, you can tell, and she misses a note or two a night as you would expect. There was one show in Moscow where Su had backing tracks, but she was visibly ill that night (she would kneel down, and fall over for example). Su is notoriously bad at lip synching. She keeps pulling the mic away from her mouth. She just can't keep concentration to sell it. Been that way since she was young . When Babymetal started out before they could afford a band, they played with tracks. But since the latter part of 2013, it's been live.
Yeah the dancer voices are on backing track usually, there has been some occasions they've been live, but they usually backtrack them. I imagine they are afraid of all the breathing on the harmonizing vocals with all the jumping and dancing going around.
Divine Attack was the first single from their latest and 4th album from 2023. Babymetal is very experimental and for this album (The Other One, 2023) they were trying music on the cutting edge of modern metal, stuff that sounds like Peryphery, Polyphia, etc.
Their first album from 2014 was pretty different in tone, they were 14/16 at that time and the album has the intent to feel like little girls playing to do Heavy Metal. There is a lot of influence in that album of the classics of japanese HM: Seikima II, X Japan, etc. That's where Gimme Chocolate comes from, that seems you are familiar with already.
In 2016 they released their second record, they were already growing up (16/18), and it pretends to be a more inspired in international Heavy Metal classics record. The flagship track from that album is Road of Resistance, I think you should check that song.
Yes Loudness!
Check out their early songs, several of them are with Moa and Yui (at the time), Su gets a rest. Look for Black Babymetal.
My impression is that the backing vocals have varied over the years and sometimes from show to show, for whatever reason. Sometimes they are full backing track, sometimes they are obviously live, and I believe most of the time it’s a combination of both. I‘m not a big fan of backing tracks myself, but once you have stood right in front of them for more than an hour during a show and witnessed their cardio first hand, you really can’t blame them for it.
Momo and Moa almost didn't sing in the 2023-2024 tour. Their mics were often turned off. They had to use Su's mic to speak to the audience (Australia being the exception)
In many fancams they didn't even seem to care about pretending to sing, like in Monochrome Moa didn't give a f for the most part lol
speaking of Babymetal , here's some news that may interest you .....
Babymetal is headlining their own festival at the end of May, called FoxFest -- but that's not the part that's important ... the important part is that it was just announced that our band ASTERISM will be the guest band backing the act Metalverse (that's a Babymetal spin-off act)
Anyways, it's a big break for ASTERISM, and thought it might interest you.
but back to the reaction .... i can tell you're probably a bit "old school" when it comes to the idea of backing tracks (i certainly sympathize). that being said , when it comes to their "official live" videos, there is a lot of post-production , making the performance seem more tracked that it really is (though some tracks are certainly used) .... this is an act that is first-and-foremost focused on the audience experience. and given the "pop" background, there's less stigma to it than with a traditional rock band.
personally, i'm kinda "in the middle" when it comes to tracks. as long as the heavy lifting is done organically, i don't mind if some supplemental stuff is tracked (e.g., as opposed to having to hire extra session players or something). but also, i think my level of tolerance is going to shift based on the particular band in question.
Baby this metal is Divine!
BABYMETALは2023年に世界ツアーで97公演してますが、全てライブで歌ってます。殆どミスもなく
ロブ・ハルフォードとコラボした時も一緒に歌ってます。
ruclips.net/video/KG_fqkyJ-wo/видео.htmlsi=RPTnb9N-_l9LRs1h
BABYMETAL is on a world tour in 2023 with 97 shows, all sung live. With hardly any mistakes.
They even sang together when they collaborated with Rob Halford.
ruclips.net/video/KG_fqkyJ-wo/видео.htmlsi=RPTnb9N-_l9LRs1h
🙃😁Rob Halford🤘
@@Grington300
Yes🤭w
If you had douts on them singing live or not, you can check them more, like me.
I had douts on their live singing since they're rooted with Japanese idol culture, and that culture rarely produced any monster vocalist, so I listened more. Rondo of Nightmares was the song I am sure they were performing live. Akatsuki made me fall in love with this band.
Anyhow, if you put on a good set of headphone, you still can find them human evidences here and there.😉
Great reaction and honest opinion. I saw BM live in September in NYC and it was a very stripped down show but still a great show! I'm going to them next week for Sick New World fest!
id love for you to watch some of their older stuff!
Btw have you done within temptation videos ?
The dancers don't usually sing and their mics are turned off most of the time (this has been proven for years, specially in 2023. They don't even try to hide it anymore). It's a pre recorded track.
The main singer, Su, live. Zero doubts. Everything she sings sounds different each time. She also messes up sometimes. She interacts with the audiences and so on
Please check babymetal rondo of nightmare with mischief of gods intro if u want to see the band