Babymetal Had Metalheads Moshing and Headbanging at Irving Show: Photos

How would you describe to someone who has never heard of Babymetal and their “kawaii metal” genre?

“They make J-pop mixed with heavy metal.”

“They soundtrack final boss battles in video games.”

“They provide the openings for your favorite animes.”

“They make music where you’re hitting the highest difficulty level on DDR, holding onto the back rail while you're frantically hitting the pads as arrows fly down the screen.”

Honestly, it’s all of these. We got to experience Babymetal again on a hot summer night in Irving. The girl trio of Su-metal, Moametal and Momometal made their second stop on their North American tour on Saturday, June 14, at Toyota Music Factory. Their openers were Black Veil Brides and Bloodywood.

Moments before Babymetal arrived, System of a Down’s “Chop Suey!” had this sweaty crowd singing the lyrics loud, getting their headbangs in early. At 9:15 p.m., the lights went dark and a video played.

“After 15 years, together with fellow Metal Heroes they met during their journey through the Metal Resistance, they will usher in a new era of heavy metal,” the narrator said, in a Star Wars-like way.

“The spirit of heavy metal inherited from metal legends has become metal force and begun a new journey. Metal Forth.”

“Whether this encounter was by coincidence or by fate, there’s no way anyone would know. Only the Fox God knows.”

“Are you ready to headbang?” This got the crowd cheering in unison.

“Now is the time for the Metal Forth with Babymetal!”

It’s an introduction that doesn’t make a lot of sense if you’re coming into Babymetal’s world with no prior knowledge of them, but thankfully, their fans created a guide to get you up to speed. Formed in 2010 as a sub-unit of idol group Sakura Gakuin, Babymetal is a dynamic girl group that redefines what heavy metal looks and sounds like, breaking any notion of the Asian model minorities being good, polite and quiet.

Their first song, “Babymetal Death,” typically opens their concerts, and you’re immediately mesmerized by the fire shooting from the stage and their choreographed movements as they introduce themselves in Japanese. With horns up, twisting their wrists and turning their heads, their Kami band made the gestures enthralling and loud. They looked like they were stretching before strenuous exercise, moving their arms from their chest up and down as people shouted back.

Over the next hour, you’re shoved into the Babymetal thrashing of it all. A constant mosh pit and circle pit was at the center. We got low and jumped. Some people couldn’t handle the concentrated heat in the front area pit and needed to be escorted out. This was not for the faint of heart.

For the metalheads that endured the conditions, the last four songs were absolutely crazy. Before “Song 3,” an anime told a story.

“Once upon a time, there were three sisters who loved the number ‘3’ more than they loved three meals a day,” the narrator said. “Three sisters, one in the third grade of elementary school, one in the third grade of junior high school and one in the third grade of high school. They set off on a friendly journey to Mt. Fuji to see the rising sun.”

The sisters got in some trouble. They got caught in a storm and seemed to have gotten lost. They were shivering from the cold and feeling dizzy. To make matters worse, a ferocious-looking bear suddenly appeared in front of them.

After chanting "Ichi, ni, san,” thunder rumbled and scared the bear away. The number 3 got them out of trouble. The crowd did the same chant as the numbers 3, 2 and 1 flashed on the screen, preparing us for “Song 3.”

Then came time for “Headbangeeeeerrrrr!!!!!!!,” a mid-song break that instructed everyone to throw up their horns and nod their head violently. We certainly joined in.

“RATATATA” and “Gimme Chocolate!!" were intoxicating back-to-back performances that left us hungry for more. It was sugary, sweet bubblegum pop meets the darkness of metal. We want chocolate now.

Their upcoming album, Metal Forth, is dropping on Aug. 8 and features Tom Morello, Poppy, Spiritbox and more. During their encore, they did “From Me to U.” After “Road to Resistance,” the lights went back on to show them holding Babymetal flags and concluded with a huge Babymetal logo in the colors of red, white and blue on the screen. We noticed someone on their friend's shoulders waving the Japanese flag—a cool show of solidarity for both countries.

Babymetal left fans with another big announcement that they’ll be doing an arena show at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles on Nov. 1.

See photos from Saturday’s show: