Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello has shared his enthusiastic admiration for the Japanese metal phenomenon Babymetal, calling them “an absolute breath of fresh air” for the genre. In a new interview with Metal Hammer, Morello discussed his recent collaboration with the group on their song “Metali!!,” which is featured on their upcoming fourth album, Metal Forth.
“I love what they have brought to the metal scene,” Morello stated. “It is an absolute breath of fresh air to have a band that has a completely different spin on a genre that often runs on the same cart tracks.”
The collaboration was years in the making. Morello revealed that he was the first to initiate contact, hoping to include the group on one of his own projects. “I’ve been a fan of Babymetal since I first heard them. I reached out to their management when I was making my Atlas Underground album [in 2018]… and at the time they were unavailable, and I was disappointed,” he explained. “Later on, they reached back out to me, asking if I was still interested in collaboration. Of course, I jumped at the chance.”
For his contribution to “Metali!!,” Morello felt his signature style was a natural fit. “I love heavy riffs, and the Babymetal Metali!! song has a collaborative heaviness that I think in many regards fits very well in my riffology catalogue,” he said. “I also shredded some solos on the track.”
Morello also shared an amusing anecdote about filming the music video for the song remotely. The video required him to perform in front of a black screen, leading to a wardrobe mix-up. “I just assumed I couldn’t wear any black, which of course is the standard colour for all rockers to wear most of the time,” he recalled. “So, I ended up in an outfit that looks like I’m on vacation in Cuba or something like that!”
Having met the members of Babymetal backstage at a European festival last year, Morello was struck by the contrast between their offstage and onstage personas. “They could not have been more lovely and demure, and just a delight to talk with and to hang out with. They were very sort of giggly and excited,” he said. “And then they went onstage and they did their dances in their somewhat giggly and excited way, and all these massive riffs came crashing down on a crowd that just went absolutely bananas. Babymetal – thumbs up!”
Tom Morello is one of several high-profile guests on Babymetal‘s upcoming album, Metal Forth, which also features collaborations with artists such as Poppy, Alex Terrible of Slaughter To Prevail, and Courtney LaPlante of Spiritbox.
