Metal Forth

Metal Forth
Studio album by
Babymetal
ReleasedAugust 8, 2025 (2025-08-08)
Length35:31
LabelCapitol
ProducerKobametal
Babymetal chronology
Babymetal Returns: The Other One
(2023) 		Metal Forth
(2025)
Singles from Metal Forth
  1. "Metali!!"
    Released: August 18, 2023
  2. "Ratatata"
    Released: May 23, 2024
  3. "From Me to U"
    Released: April 4, 2025
  4. "Song 3"
    Released: May 28, 2025
  5. "Kon! Kon!"
    Released: July 11, 2025
  6. "My Queen"
    Released: August 8, 2025

Metal Forth is the fifth[a] studio album by Japanese heavy metal band Babymetal. Originally scheduled for release on June 13, 2025, it was delayed several times and eventually released on August 8, 2025. It is the first Babymetal album to feature Momoko Okazaki as an official member and the first to be released following the band's signing to Capitol Records. Metal Forth became the first release from a Japanese artist to reach the Top 10 of the Billboard 200.[2]

Background

Metal Forth was announced on April 1, 2025.[3] The title is a play on words, meaning "beyond metal"[4] and referencing the band's view of it as their fourth studio album.[a] It is the first Babymetal album to feature Momoko Okazaki as an official member since she joined the band in 2023 after the departure of Yui Mizuno in 2018, and the first to be released following the band's signing to Capitol Records in early 2025.[5]

The collaborative nature of the album marks a departure from the band's previous albums, with only three of its tracks lacking a guest artist.[6][7] It has been noted for the varied backgrounds of said artists as it features Tom Morello, Polyphia, and Poppy from the United States; Spiritbox from Canada; Electric Callboy from Germany; Bloodywood from India; and Slaughter to Prevail from Russia. The album was produced by the band's creator Kobametal, whilst the opening track was co-written and produced by Jordan Fish of English band Bring Me the Horizon, whose 2020 song "Kingslayer" featured Babymetal.

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic78/100[8]
Review scores
SourceRating
Blabbermouth8/10[9]
Clash7/10[10]
DIY[11]
Dork[12]
Kerrang!4/5[13]
Metal Hammer[14]
Paste8.5/10[15]
NME[16]
Sputnikmusic3.2/5[17]

Metal Forth received a score of 7/10 from Clash reviewer Sam Walker-Smart, who described it as "unrelentingly maximalist as fans could hope for—an audacious whirlwind of global collaborations, high-gloss chaos, and boundless enthusiasm".[10] It was assigned a rating of 8/10 by Blabbermouth, which called it "an audacious delight" and "the snappiest Babymetal release to date".[9] Kerrang! gave it a verdict of 4/5 stars, noting that "there are moments of genius here [...] in forging new bonds and attempting to break new ground, Metal Forth's intentions are noble and the executions occasionally excellent".[13] It was rated 4/5 by Dork, which referred to it as "complex, polished and unshakeable",[12] and DIY described it as "harmonic and balanced".[11] NME gave it 3/5 stars and noted that "while some tracks on Metal Forth showcase the best aspects of each artist, others feel forced, and the end result dilutes the signature sound of the group".[16] Sputnikmusic assigned it a rating of 3.2/5 and said that the album "doesn't feel like a new release, and more importantly, it doesn't sound like a Babymetal album".[17]

Track listing

Metal Forth track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."From Me to U" (featuring Poppy)
3:25
2."Ratatata" (with Electric Callboy)
  • Haniß
  • Kobametal
  • Ratajczak
  • Sallach
  • Schillo
  • Manuel Runner[c]
3:37
3."Song 3" (with Slaughter to Prevail)
  • 333-metal
  • Aleksandr Igorevish
  • Jack Simmons
  • Nikita Korzhov
  • Shikolai
  • Takemetal
  • Tatsuometal
Kobametal3:34
4."Kon! Kon!" (featuring Bloodywood)
Kobametal3:55
5."KxAxWxAxIxI"
  • Daiai
  • Metal Cypher
Kobametal2:36
6."Sunset Kiss" (featuring Polyphia)
  • Megmetal
  • MK-metal
Kobametal3:33
7."My Queen" (featuring Spiritbox)
3:21
8."Algorism"
  • Aalgo-metal
  • Norimetal
Kobametal3:37
9."Metali!!" (メタり！！ Metari!!) (featuring Tom Morello)
  • Metal-Niki
  • Norimetal
  • Ryu-metal
Kobametal3:28
10."White Flame -白炎-"
Kobametal4:25
Total length:35:31

Note

  • ^[c] signifies a co-producer.
  • "From Me to U" is stylized in lower case.
  • "Ratatata" and "Metali!!" are stylized in all caps.

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[18]

Babymetal

Additional musicians

Technical

  • Ted Jensen – mastering
  • Zakk Cervini – mixing (1, 7), engineering (7)
  • Daniel Haniß – mixing (2)
  • Egor Krotov – mixing (3)
  • Karan Katiyar – mixing (4)
  • Tsubasa Ishibashi – mixing (5)
  • Megmetal – mixing (6, 8, 9)
  • Tue Madsen – mixing (10)
  • Watametal – engineering
  • Drew Fulk – engineering, additional mixing (7)
  • Julian Gargiulo – engineering, additional mixing (7)
  • Josh Gilbert – engineering (7)

Charts

Chart performance for Metal Forth
Chart (2025) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[19] 31
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[20] 7
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[21] 35
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[22] 6
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[23] 29
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[24] 47
French Albums (SNEP)[25] 79
French Rock & Metal Albums (SNEP)[26] 5
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[27] 7
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[28] 3
Japanese Combined Albums (Oricon)[29] 3
Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[30] 15
Japanese Rock Albums (Oricon)[31] 1
Scottish Albums (OCC)[32] 6
Spanish Albums (Promusicae)[33] 85
Swedish Physical Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[34] 9
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[35] 10
UK Albums (OCC)[36] 17
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[37] 2
US Billboard 200[38] 9
US Top Rock & Alternative Albums (Billboard)[39] 2
US World Albums (Billboard)[40] 1

Notes

  1. ^ a b The band considers Metal Forth to be their fourth album, with The Other One (2023) viewed as a standalone "concept album".[1]

References

  1. ^ "The fourth original album "Metal Forth" will be released worldwide on Friday, June 13th!". Babymetal (in Japanese). April 1, 2025.
  2. ^ Schaffner, Lauryn (August 19, 2025). "Babymetal Just Became the First-Ever Band to Reach This Specific Chart Achievement". Loudwire. Retrieved August 19, 2025.
  3. ^ "BABYMETAL Push Boundaries with Explosive New Album METAL FORTH". Indie Sound. August 8, 2025.
  4. ^ "Babymetal Announces New Album 'Metal Forth'". Blabbermouth. March 31, 2025. Retrieved April 1, 2025.
  5. ^ Jenke, Tyler (April 1, 2025). "Babymetal Recruit Spiritbox and Poppy for New Album, 'Metal Forth'". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 1, 2025. Retrieved April 1, 2025.
  6. ^ Wilson-Taylor, James (March 31, 2025). "Babymetal Announce New Album 'Metal Forth'". Rock Sound. Retrieved April 1, 2025.
  7. ^ Garner, Emily (May 28, 2025). "Babymetal drop new single, push back Metal Forth release date to August". Kerrang!. Retrieved May 28, 2025.
  8. ^ "Reviews for METAL FORTH by BABYMETAL". Metacritic. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
  9. ^ a b Lawson, Dom (August 5, 2025). "Metal Forth". Blabbermouth. Archived from the original on August 10, 2025. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
  10. ^ a b Walker-Smart, Sam (August 7, 2025). "BABYMETAL – METAL FORTH". Clash. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
  11. ^ a b Ambrosio, Isabella (August 6, 2025). "BABYMETAL – Metal Forth". DIY. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
  12. ^ a b McClure, Kelsey (August 7, 2025). "BABYMETAL – METAL FORTH". Dork. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
  13. ^ a b Hickie, James (August 6, 2025). "Album review: BABYMETAL – METAL FORTH". Kerrang!. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
  14. ^ Alderslade, Merlin (July 31, 2025). ""What heavy music could become if it let go of outmoded notions of authenticity and genre loyalty." Babymetal's new album Metal Forth reaffirms their status as one of metal's most unique and exciting bands". Metal Hammer. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
  15. ^ Crump, Andy (August 12, 2025). "BABYMETAL Are the Intergalactic Mayors of Metal Music". Paste. Retrieved August 19, 2025.
  16. ^ a b Dunworth, Liberty (August 5, 2025). "BABYMETAL – Metal Forth review: a solid, star-studded attempt to broaden their horizons". NME. Archived from the original on August 6, 2025. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
  17. ^ a b Trey (August 4, 2025). "Review: BABYMETAL – Metal Forth". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
  18. ^ "Metal Forth / Babymetal / Credits". Tidal. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  19. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. August 18, 2025. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  20. ^ "Ö3 Austria Top40: Longplay-Charts". Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved August 19, 2025.
  21. ^ "Ultratop.be – Babymetal – Metal Forth" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 17, 2025.
  22. ^ "Ultratop.be – Babymetal – Metal Forth" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 17, 2025.
  23. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Babymetal – Metal Forth" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  24. ^ "Babymetal: Metal Forth" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved August 17, 2025.
  25. ^ "Top Albums (Semaine du 15 Aout 2025)". SNEP. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
  26. ^ "Top 100 Rock & Metal Albums de la semaine 33, 2025" [Top 100 Rock & Metal Albums of Week 33, 2025] (in French). Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
  27. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Babymetal – Metal Forth" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  28. ^ "Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2025-08-18" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  29. ^ "Weekly Combined Album Ranking" (in Japanese). Oricon. August 18, 2025. Archived from the original on August 14, 2025. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  30. ^ "Hot Albums". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). August 13, 2025. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  31. ^ "Weekly Rock Album Ranking" (in Japanese). Oricon. August 18, 2025. Archived from the original on August 13, 2025. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  32. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
  33. ^ "Top 100 Álbumes 33 2025". Productores_de_Música_de_España. Retrieved August 19, 2025.
  34. ^ "Veckolista Album Fysiskt, vecka 33". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  35. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Babymetal – Metal Forth". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 17, 2025.
  36. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
  37. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
  38. ^ "Babymetal Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
  39. ^ "Babymetal Chart History: Top Rock & Alternative Albums". Billboard. Retrieved August 19, 2025.
  40. ^ "Babymetal Chart History (World Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 19, 2025.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.