Rob Zombie’s Epic Defense of Babymetal Resurfaces

Rob Zombie previously served up an epic defense of Japanese metal band Babymetal, and his comments have recently resurfaced. Back in 2016, the heavy metal frontman shared a photo with Babymetal, while holding up a flag bearing their band logo. Zombie referred to the girls as his “new pals,” and did not take kindly to trolls who showed up in the comments to criticizes them. After one user called Babymetal “a shameful embarrassment,” Zombie hit back by saying, “Hey they are nice kids out on the road touring. What are you doing besides being a grumpy old f—?”

Someone else dismissed the band as nothing but “J-Pop,” but Zombie wasn’t having it. “These three girls had more energy [than] 90 percent of the bands we play with,” he replied. Finally, one person said Babymetal is “awful” and “lame,” and told Zombie that he should be ashamed of himself. The singer responded, “They roll harder than you.” The band eventually thanked Zombie, writing in a comment, “Thank you Rob! The Spirit of HEAVY METAL traversed across the World, rose above language barriers, went beyond generations, and created countless legends. See you again at Northern Invasion!”

Babymetal was formed in 2010, fronted by Su-metal (real name Suzuka Nakamoto), Moametal (Moa Kikuchi ), and now-former member Yuimetal (Yui Mizuno). They are backed by a band of musicians who serve up heavy, fast metal while the girls sing, scream, and dance about the stage. Babymetal is widely considered to be a kawaii metal band, which is a blend of J-Pop and metal, and they are also known for pioneering this sound.

While it is true they blend a lot of pop elements in many of their songs, it would be an unfair generalization to say that this is all they do. Musically speaking, there simply is no valid argument that Babymetal isn’t 100 percent a metal band. There are songs like “Sis. Anger” that feature incredibly heavy riffs, and others, like “Syncopation,” that focus more on speed, reminiscent of Dragonforce or Blind Guardian.

The majority of the criticism that Babymetal faces stems more from the band’s vocals and dance choreography than anything, which is ridiculous when you consider that deep, growling or screaming vocals have never been a pre-requisite for metal. Some of the most iconic and well-respected metal bands, like Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, have featured singers with higher (tenor) ranges. As for the choreographed dancing, well, metal is all about going against the grain and being unapologetically original and authentic. You’d be hard-pressed to find anything that meets that criteria better than a group of young people absolutely nailing a synchronized dance to face-melting guitar riffs.