Maps of Music

Metal Forth (2025)

Where the lyrics of Metal Forth take you, and where it was really made.

The title is a pun: the band counts this album as its fourth studio album, though it is listed as the fifth.

Place unknown

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Announced April 1, 2025
Title is a play on words meaning "beyond metal"; the band views it as their fourth studio album
Okazaki joined in 2023, after Yui Mizuno's departure in 2018
Collaborative album: only three tracks lack a guest artist
Guests from the United States (Tom Morello, Polyphia, Poppy), Canada (Spiritbox), Germany (Electric Callboy), India (Bloodywood), and Russia (Slaughter to Prevail)
Produced by the band's creator Kobametal
Opening track co-written and produced by Jordan Fish of Bring Me the Horizon, whose 2020 song "Kingslayer" featured Babymetal

Babymetal is a Japanese kawaii metal band formed in Tokyo in 2010, fusing heavy metal with idol culture and elaborate choreography.
It began as the heavy music club sub-unit of the idol group Sakura Gakuin; producer Kobametal, of talent agency Amuse Inc., conceived the project.
The band became independent in 2013 after Suzuka Nakamoto graduated from Sakura Gakuin.

Suzuka Nakamoto (Su-metal): lead vocals and dancing, the main vocalist.
Moa Kikuchi (Moametal): backing vocals and dancing.
Momoko Okazaki (Momometal): backing vocals and dancing; officially joined as the third member in April 2023.
Yui Mizuno (Yuimetal) was a member from 2010 until her departure announced in October 2018 due to health issues.
Session musicians known as the Kami Band perform the instrumentation live.

Early on, the band made its debut appearance at a Sakura Gakuin concert in 2010 and released a first single in 2011.
The major-label debut came in January 2013 with "Ijime, Dame, Zettai".
The self-titled debut album (2014) reached the Billboard 200, and the band played the Budokan in 2014 and Tokyo Dome in 2016.
Metal Resistance (2016) was the highest-charting Japanese album in the UK Official Charts history, and the first Japanese album in over 50 years to chart in the US Billboard Top 40.
Metal Galaxy (2019) made the band the first Asian act to top the Billboard Rock Albums chart.
Metal Forth (2025) became the first all-Japanese band release to reach the Billboard 200 top 10.

Billboard 200: debuted at number nine for the week of August 23, 2025
36,000 equivalent album units, of which 33,500 were pure album sales
First top-ten Billboard 200 album by an all-Japanese act
Oricon Combined Weekly Albums: number three for the week of August 18, 2025, with 24,374 units
Oricon Daily: number one on August 8, 2025

Metal Forth was originally set for June 13, 2025, and was pushed back several times before its August 8 release.
The album's title pun ties to the band counting it as their fourth studio album.
Its guest list spans six countries: the United States, Canada, Germany, India, Russia, and the band's home base in Japan.
The UK show at The O2 Arena on May 30, 2025 was the first by Japanese musicians to headline and sell out that venue.
Opening track co-writer Jordan Fish previously featured Babymetal on his 2020 song "Kingslayer".