10 Best Debut Rock Music Albums Of The 2010s
8. Babymetal - Babymetal
It takes a lot to invent and popularise an entirely new genre of music, so hats go off to the weird and wonderful living fever dream that are Babymetal.
Formed in 2010 in Japan, Babymetal set out with the goal of fusing traditional heavy metal with the idol music that was extremely popular in several Asian countries.
A group of three young women, the band sing in the traditional cutesy style of idol music, but with a notable twist. The music they're singing over is hard as nails.
Crunching power chords and double kick drum fills (layered with highly-produced synth lines) serve as quite the contrast to the singer's sugary sweet vocals.
It really shouldn't work, but it really does.
Babymetal are just a whole heap of fun. Not only is the very concept of them bonkers beyond belief, but the music is actually really enjoyable! You don't even need to understand Japanese to get something out of it.
Considering that their success in Western markets pre-dated the rise of K-Pop by several years, maybe we all need to put a little bit more respect on the name Babymetal.