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Fifteen years since their game-changing debut, BABYMETAL has evolved from curiosity to cornerstone. With METAL FORTH, the most recent album set to release August 8th, the genre defying trio, SU-METAL, MOAMETAL, and MOMOMETAL solidify their legacy while boldly pushing the boundaries of what metal can be. Now signed to Capitol Records, the band’s first global major label release is a sleek, ferocious, and wildly imaginative statement piece that not only flirts with chaos; it orchestrates it.
On paper, METAL FORTH looks like a genre-spanning fever dream. Collaborators include Poppy, Tom Morello, Spiritbox, Slaughter to Prevail, Bloodywood, and Polyphia. In practice, it’s surprisingly cohesive. The result is an album that feels like a festival in motion: disorienting, euphoric, and impossible to pin down.
The album opens up with “from me to u” featuring Poppy, a twisted lullaby drenched in eerie sweetness. Poppy’s ghostlike delivery intertwines with SU-METAL’S melodic command, creating a beautiful duet that’s earned four million YouTube views in just a few weeks. The record really kicks into high gear with “RATATATA”, their explosive collaboration with Electric Callboy, a track that has already racked up millions of streams and serves as the album’s unrelenting adrenaline shot. Its trance pulse and gleeful absurdity set the tone for what’s to come: a mix of controlled chaos wrapped in glitter and fire.
Slaughter to Prevail arrives like a meteor, dragging the album into its heaviest, most guttural depths—yet somehow, BABYMETAL’s melodic DNA remains intact. Courtney LaPlante of Spiritbox lends her ethereal growl to a spiraling, cinematic descent on “My Queen.” Polyphia’s guest spot on “Sunset Kiss” adds a layer of technical precision, offering a glitchy, math-metal interlude that feels like the soundtrack to a cyberpunk battleground.
Despite the large A-list feature list, METAL FORTH never feels like a guest-led project. Instead, it functions more like a curated gallery of BABYMETAL’s global conquests—each track a postcard from a different universe, but all delivered with the same black-and-red stamp of authenticity.
This album is built around the concept of going “beyond metal.” It’s an idea introduced on THE OTHER ONE (2023) and fully realized here on METAL FORTH. The band’s mythology—cemented on FOX DAY earlier this year with the unveiling of their LEGEND MAP—is no longer lore, but living, breathing truth. That same map outlined the massive year ahead: a historic headlining show at London’s O2 Arena, a 12-date UK/EU arena tour with Poppy and Bambie Thug, and a 24-date North American tour featuring Black Veil Brides, Jinjer, and Bloodywood. Tickets are available here.
This album never loses sight of the trio at its heart. SU-METAL remains a commanding presence, her vocals more confident and dynamic than ever. MOAMETAL and MOMOMETAL match her energy with sharp harmonies and explosive delivery. Together, they wield the kind of cohesion you can’t fake—earned through a decade and a half of evolution, experimentation, and pure spectacle.
In the end, METAL FORTH is both a celebration and a challenge. It celebrates 15 years of defying expectations while daring anyone still doubting them to keep up. Are you ready for METAL FORTH?
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