Words by Samantha Wolstenholme
As the metal genre has evolved over the decades and embraced diversity in increasing scope, it’s been thrilling to discover the truly unique musical flavours concocted by non-Western bands who infuse folk and cultural elements specific to their home regions. Japanese kawaii metal titans BABYMETAL are now no strangers to Australian stages and a household name the world over, their catalogue of hyperpop bangers, flawless performances and delightful charm, endearing them to a multi-generational audience of metalheads. It hasn’t been long since they were last in Aus – barely over a year, in fact – but they return for this headlining tour with an exciting edge. After a series of celebrated collaborations, BABYMETAL have brought India’s viral folk metal sensation Bloodywood halfway across the world for a tour down under that embraces all things heavy fusion, along with Magnolia Park to round out this genre-bending modern metal palette. Tonight’s concert at Riverstage marks the final show of the tour, and a grand open-air venue seems the perfect choice for the spectacles to come.
As dusk descends upon the green, Floridian rockers Magnolia Park burst on stage to warm up the growing crowd, with an alluring invitation to “Join the Vampires” flickering on the giant screen behind them. The quintet launch into a spirited, potent blend of cybergoth post-hardcore breakdowns that are reminiscent of LANDMVRKS meets Dayseeker, and judging from their first few numbers at least, they seem to be fans of the “bring the riff back, but slower” approach. Noticing the somewhat reticent crowd response so far, guitarist Tristan Torres assumes the role of rabble-rouser, rather unceremoniously barking at us to get up and mosh – “Sydney was better than you”. Sure enough, fight pits and circle pits soon break out, because what Magnolia Park does very well is deliver those ominous kinds of build-ups to the breakdown that when it hits, you have an overwhelming urge to launch your entire body into the eye of chaos. A particular highlight is when Torres marches into the pit and stands regally, almost godlike, as the circle pit suddenly expands fourfold and swirls around him. Sealing the short but sweet set with the outrageously catchy Shallow, it’s an engaging performance from Magnolia Park tonight.
Soon it’s time for New Delhi nu-folk metal sensation Bloodywood to commence their sonic assault, and from the moment dhol maestro Sarthak Pahwa emerges confidently on stage, what follows is nothing short of exhilarating. The arena is now packed out, and everyone shoots up in an instant to thrash around to the high-octane opening banger Gaddaar. The visceral power of the richly immersive Punjabi-infused nu-core breakdowns sends energy levels sky-high, and the fired-up mosh charges enthusiastically into our first wall of death of the night. Vocalist Jayant Bhadula stuns with his incredible skill and vocal versatility as he deftly switches between Punjabi clean singing style and gritty growls, while Raoul Kerr’s commanding rap bolsters the grooves of the rhythm section. Guitarist Karan Katiyar flexes his chops as a multi-instrumentalist when he picks up a flute to serenade us during Aaj. It’s folk metal on steroids, and we’re only two songs in!
As much fun as it is to bop to this music live – and by golly, is it fun — Bloodywood also come to us with several crucial messages. Kerr’s frank and unflinching statement that “sexual assault has no place in our society” announces Dana Dan, which is a roaring battle cry as much as it is an inexorable condemnation of sexual violence. I find it fitting that this is possibly the band’s most brutal track musically as well; infernal rapid screams, relentless double kicks and righteous rage fuels carnage in the pit. Kerr then sets the scene for the hotly awaited collab with tonight’s headliners, remarking that Bekhauf is “about fear, and that fear is a choice, and the choice is yours”. Considering the journey this band has tracked to make it to this point, I agree that they are an authority on conquering your fears, and it’s truly inspiring. The BABYMETAL trio race onstage, glittering in their holographic warrior gowns, and it’s a nice change of pace to see them interrupt their flawless choreography at several intervals to simply vibe with the Bloodywood band members during the rap sections.
Nu Delhi follows this, and the grooves hit so hard I think I may have pulled a muscle — unsurprisingly, this belter inspires another wall of death. The mosh is mincemeat at this point as the sheer power of the riffs escalates the mayhem. Bhadula also makes a statement about the impact of colonialism in their home country, striking us with his gravitas, before the band launches once again into a cyber death rave. And once again, as much as I am digging the defiant grooves, anthemic choruses and punishing breakdowns, it’s the meaning behind them that I’m really taking away from Bloodywood’s set tonight — this is a band that ignites hope that a better world might indeed be possible.
Nu Delhi follows this, and the grooves hit so hard I think I may have pulled a muscle — unsurprisingly, this belter inspires another wall of death. The mosh is mincemeat at this point as the sheer power of the riffs escalates the mayhem. Bhadula also makes a statement about the impact of colonialism in their home country, striking us with his gravitas, before the band launches once again into a cyber death rave. And once again, as much as I am digging the defiant grooves, anthemic choruses and punishing breakdowns, it’s the meaning behind them that I’m really taking away from Bloodywood’s set tonight — this is a band that ignites hope that a better world might indeed be possible.
After the unmistakable cinematic intro, in which we are warped into what I’d describe as a kaleidoscope dimension, BABYMETAL begin their customary demonic procession on stage to BABYMETAL DEATH, followed by megahit from me to u, which is a clear favourite of the crowd, as plumes of pyro explode to enhance the theatricality. The trio’s choreography is perfectly in sync with the music video backdrop, enhancing the spectacle of it all, though I must admit I had hoped that Su-metal might cover Poppy’s harsh vocal parts in this track. We know she has the capability, after all. Regardless, her pristine soprano and the choreography are impressive to behold. Doki Doki Morning, the first of tonight’s BABYMETAL deep cuts, is a ray of sunshine, followed by an almost absurd fairytale-style narration break to introduce Song 3, the band’s collaboration with the inimitable Alex Terrible, in striking contrast to the preceding track. The KAMI Band’s technical precision is on display here, with thunderous kicks and blistering shreds fuelling the cacophony, and the visual of Alex Terrible blown up on a giant screen, yelling at us from on high, is actually pretty terrifying.
After Su-metal delivers some smooth rap bars in KxAxWxAxIxI, it’s the return of the live collab – Bhadula and Kerr join the trio on stage for Kon! Kon!, and we’ve reached another peak of the night. There’s just so much effervescence and vitality in these united forces – Bloodywood’s powerful nu-metal grit is the cheese to BABYMETAL’s hyperpop macaroni. We’re then treated to a succession of phenomenal solos from the KAMI Band, which is aptly followed by METALI!! featuring Tom Morello’s famed solo. The glorious prog continues in Sunset Kiss, thanks to Polyphia’s input on this track, and this gives way to the slick, sumptuous drama of Monochrome. I love how they always choose this particular track to request the crowd phone light raise, but it’s even more effective tonight in this open air setting – our phone lights creating a starry night to mirror the one above. After this reflective moment, it’s straight back into rave mode for certified booty shaker RATATATA. I’m so grateful to bands like BABYMETAL (and Electric Callboy, for that matter) for normalising tossing shapes in the mosh.
In a bonkers move during PA PA YA, the pocket rocket powerhouse frontwomen brandish their own merch towels and kangaroo tail in sync. Gimme Chocolate is another welcome deep cut that has everyone across the arena doing their very best to sing along, likely with varying amounts of success. This is ostensibly the end of the set, and they leave us hanging for a surprisingly long time before returning for an encore of the peppy Headbangeeeeerrrrr!!!!! and Road of Resistance with a final wall of death to wrap up the night.
On the surface, a night of fusion metal piloted by the power duo of BABYMETAL x Bloodywood is a vibrant, joyful sensory extravaganza that will have you moving and grooving until your entire body aches. But that’s not all this lineup has left us with. In this increasingly uncertain world, as heavy music lovers gather in the thousands and absorb messages of peace together, tonight was also a much-needed reminder that music has the power to unite, heal and galvanise action across cultures, nations and seas.
Thanks to Dallas Does PR
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