ALBUM REVIEWS
For 15 years, BABYMETAL have carved out a unique space in metal, injecting a scarcely seen playfulness and providing blistering instrumentals that give some of the heaviest names a run for their money. But trust the Japanese trio to continue giving everything they have, especially considering the year they’ve had so far. In 2025 alone, they signed with corporate giant Capitol, headlined their first European arena tour and announced their biggest US shows with Black Veil Brides.
Building on that momentum, the band’s fourth album, ‘Metal Forth’, sees them continue to push boundaries and enlist some huge collaborations to take things up a notch. Tom Morello’s work on ‘METALLI!!’ captures a sonic new sound that complements their respective styles, and Bloodywood’s appearance on ‘Kon! Kon!’ introduces an invigorated folk element that makes it more captivating than many of their past releases. The collaboration with Slaughter To Prevail on ‘Song 3’ showcases eruptive riffs and unforgiving growls ablaze, and the two distinctive styles blend seamlessly to reach experimental new heights.
The same can be said of ‘KxAxWxAxIxI’ and the whimsical partnership with Djent heavyweights Polyphia, ‘Sunset Kiss’. In less than three-minutes apiece, SU-METAL, MOAMETAL and MOMOMETAL substitute pure, unbridled heaviness for more substance than usual. Instead of back-to-back intensity, the emphasis shifts towards the flow of the song. Scathing aspects are introduced gradually and eloquently, and the end result is more satisfying than an abundance of metal clichés.
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. The collaboration with Poppy on ‘From Me To U’ struggles to locate a common ground, and instead focuses on creating a whirlwind of heavy metal tropes that lack purpose. The same can be extended to the energy-laden ‘RATATATA’ with Electric Callboy; just because BABYMETAL can join forces with some big names in modern-day metal, that doesn’t mean they always should.
There is no doubt that BABYMETAL are looking to make their biggest statement to date with ‘Metal Forth’, and no one can accuse them of playing it safe. The choice to join forces with so many artists was always a huge risk, and unfortunately, it sometimes ends up dampening the charm that first set them apart from the masses. But in the moments where it does come together, it’s both epic and intriguing as hell. If there is one thing to take from album four, it’s that, even 15 years into their discography, BABYMETAL are not afraid to push boundaries and are still looking to rewrite the rules of metal.
ALBUM REVIEWS
The leather jackets and skinny jeans worn by Noah Dillon and Chandler Ransom Lucy have become something of a signature, and the pair have hovered around the edges of the pop worlds in New York and Los Angeles for quite some time. First highlighted by NME during the Dimes Square resurgence in 2023, The Hellp have gradually stepped away from their earlier indie-sleaze imitation and leaned into something far more thoughtful. Their wild, neon-tinged party vibe has been traded for a more cinematic electronic approach that still holds onto a confident, self-aware attitude.
Dillon and Lucy started releasing music as The Hellp in 2016, with early mixtapes rooted in the chaotic nights and carefree behaviour once associated with NYC’s indie-sleaze staples like LCD Soundsystem and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Over time, though, they’ve earned a steadily growing respect from critics. That rise has come through both their underground gigs, which have included a show at London’s Corsica Studios with Fakemink as support, and through Dillon’s expanding visual work that recently reached Rosalía’s ‘LUX’ album and a pair of music videos for 2hollis.
As ‘Riviera’ approached release, the duo shared: “We knew our next project would need to be a bit more mature… we refuse to become stagnant. ‘Riviera’ is more solemn, restrained and impassioned than anything we’ve done before.” The finished album feels like Dillon and Lucy carefully balancing identity and openness, theatricality and direct emotion.
The lead release, ‘Country Road’, carries a late-night heaviness, the kind of confession you would quietly tell a friend in a club’s smoking area. Its lonely tone is surrounded by glitching electronics and a rising bridge that points to the exhaustion that follows endless nights out. Tracks like ‘New Wave America’ and ‘Cortt’ deepen what the duo mention in their liner notes as a “desperate story of the disparate Americana.” Both pieces broaden the album’s emotional landscape and offer clear-eyed commentary on reluctantly stepping into adulthood.
When ‘Riviera’ shifts into ‘Doppler’, the tone brightens for a moment as hopeful synths lift Dillon’s words about yearning and heartbreak into an emotional peak. And in the final moments of the record, The Hellp land on something instantly familiar to anyone who has drifted away from the club scene. The Kavinsky-like opening of ‘Here I Am’ nods to their early inspirations, while the closing track ‘Live Forever’ arrives with a slow, grounded maturity, built around Dillon repeating the line: “I don’t want to live forever.”
‘Riviera’ holds far less disorder than The Hellp’s earlier releases. This turn inward marks an important risk for a duo once fuelled by the momentum of a downtown New York comeback. By easing off the frenzy, The Hellp have stepped out of the party’s lingering haze and returned with a style that feels more refined and more aware of itself than anything they have created before.
