It as been a pivotal year for touring tandem Babymetal and Dethklok.
Earlier this year, the duo of Su-metal and Moametal delivered their rebirth of sorts with the arrival of their The Other One studio album. The ambitious 10-track effort was framed as a restoration project depicting Babymetal’s “other” story – one previously veiled from the fans.
The most recent full length marked the next chapter of the band’s evolutionary journey, following their epic 10-year retrospective with 10 BABYMETAL Years – a rollout that included several high profile arena shows and an album that declared that Babymetal would be “sealed” from the world until further notice - ultimately paving the way for a resurfacing of epic proportions.
Just ahead of the launch of their highly-anticipated BabyKlok co-headliner opposite an also, re-emering Dethklok, Babymetal debuted "METAL!!!" - a raucous new track that served as first release of new music since the album, but also introduced Momoko Okazaki, a.k.a. Momometal officially as the third member of the band. The track also featured the Tom Morello to ensure the impact was seismic.
As for Dethklok, 2023 marks a year massive with momentum. The band would make their animated big screen return with the arrival of Metalocalypse: Army of the Doomstar which would include not only an accompanying soundtrack, but also the release of a new Dethklok album in Dethalbum IV - two albums, same year.
Adding to the magnitude of launching such an ambitious slate of creative material was the preceding layoff. Dethklok hadn't toured for over a decade and last released an album in 2013, yet the demand for the band remained as prelevant as ever. That proved evident when the live pairing of Babymetal and Dethklok finally hit the news feed.
Two of the most imaginative units in contemporary metal were joining forces and the spectacle would be something to behold.
The amalgam of the BabyKlok Tour 2023 has been met with resounding celebration with many of the shows on the run hitting capacity. Bearing witness to the ambitious production, both Babymetal and Dethklok offer testament to the growing versatility of heavy music and make a compelling case that outsider art and high art have the potential for important crossover.
Sourcing selections from their discography that spans a decade plus, the cult-like following of both bands were affirmed in their loyalty, watching as each unit executed the kind of true-to-record live sets that can only come from elite tier artists.
With stage production that is second to none, live instrumentation of undeniable expertise and a level of showmanship that merits such unwavering fanaticism - the union of BabyKlok offers a promising metric of all that metal music can be and should strive for.
See the epic images from rock photographer Justin Nuoffer from the Milwaukee, WI. tour stop of the BabyKlok Tour 2023 below. Remaining dates for the tour can be found after the gallery.
BABYMETAL
DETHKLOK
Tickets for remaining dates can be found - HERE
10/01 Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex
10/03 Vancouver, BC – PNE Forum
10/04 Seattle, WA – WaMu Theater
10/07 Sacramento, CA – Aftershock Festival
10/08 Las Vegas, NV – Pearl Theater at Palms Casino Resort
10/10 Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Financial Theater
10/11 Los Angeles, CA – YouTube Theater
