Your favorite artists other than BABYMETAL?

I'm feeling sentimental at the moment and I just wanted to talk about one of my favorite artists that inadvertently led me to BABYMETAL. I've always had a pretty eclectic taste when it comes to music (and art in general). There was definitely a time when I was a lot more closed-minded than I am now though. I owe a lot, including my willingness to give BABYMETAL a shot, to a band called AFI. They don't have much in common with BABYMETAL on the surface but there is an ethos or a mentality that this band ingrained in me throughout my formative years that I will forever be grateful for. To give a short history lesson on the band, they started out as teenagers making punk music and they have continually evolved and broadened their sound to this day. I'm not exaggerating when I say that their catalogue of music is nearly as varied as BABYMETAL's albeit in more subtle ways. They have a vast range on influences including The Misfits, The Cure, and Depeche Mode.

One thing that they do have in common with BABYMETAL is that they've had to deal with their fair share of criticism from less than accepting fans of a particular genre of music. Metal elitists may have them beat but hardcore punk fans are not far behind. Every time that AFI has released a new record, they come out in droves to profess how the band isn't "punk" anymore, that they shouldn't call themselves AFI anymore, Etc. etc. The thing is that the music they were making was influenced by all of these great bands that I mentioned earlier. And I was turned onto those bands because of AFI. So this mentality that a band should never evolve or try new things has never resonated with me in the slightest. It's precisely because they were always pushing into new territory that I have always kept an open mind regarding music. And that includes being open to what BABYMETAL was doing when I encountered them over the years.

Now, that same attitude has only increased tenfold after diving into BABYMETAL. I have discovered more new music in the past year than I have in my entire life because of BABYMETAL. Directly, or indirectly. Hanabie, BIBI, Rose, Atarashii Gakko!, Bring Me The Horizon, Electric Callboy, Bloodywood, Bodyslam, etc. etc. I'm constantly looking for new things and I just wanted to share my love for the band that put me on the path that led me to BABYMETAL and all of these other great artists as a result.

I'd love to hear about your favorite artists outside of BABYMETAL as well, whether they are connected or not.