Archive for the ‘Babymetal’ Category

London Blitz

Posted: January 17, 2026 in About this blog, Babymetal, Best of Trinkelbonker, Classic Rock, Cool stuff, DVDs & Blu-rays, Hobby, Japanese rock & metal
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I blogged about the new Babymetal Blu-ray “Live At The O2 Arena” yesterday and I also forked out a bit of spare cash on this more expensive LP sized edition. Babymetal always have really cool covers and I will showcase this one in this post. Nice gatefold cover, four page insert with live pictures and general information. Produced by Kobametal. Same tracks as the regular Blu-ray: “Babymetal Death”, “Megitsune”, “Pa Pa Yah!!”, “BxMxC”, “Metali!!”, “Kon! Kon!”, “Sunset Kiss”, “Song 3”, “Headbanger!!”, “Ratatata”, “Gimme Chocolate!!”, “From Me To U” (featuring Poppy in real life and boy is she cool!), “Karate”, “Ijime, Dame, Zettai” and “Road Of Resistance”. Multiple camera drone action for maximum enjoyment (pretty much pioneered by Babymetal), superb show. We also get the outro by Rob Halford, wishing Babymetal good luck on the then upcoming American tour. All in all, there really is no reason why this could not be released outside of Japan. Having said that, all Babymetal live releases are awesome and they really should have been out there. With Babymetal, the optics are just as great as the music.

(My shots of said release, standard variant can be seen in the third image, now go and buy it!)

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Good Times

Posted: January 16, 2026 in Babymetal, Best of Trinkelbonker, Black Sabbath, Classic Rock, Cool stuff, DVDs & Blu-rays, Hobby, Japanese rock & metal, Magazines
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Enjoyed the current Babymetal Blu-ray “Live At O2 Arena” today and it is amazing. No surprise there. Babymetal are just next level, you have them and then you have everything else. I also got the new issue of Metal Hammer (408), the big 2025 extravaganza. Some good stuff, not least Babymetal (new interview), Ozzy, Ghost, Iron Maiden, Metallica and Arch Enemy.

(My shot of the Babymetal feature in said magazine, plus the new Blu-ray)

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The Reaction Videos Are Important

Posted: January 11, 2026 in Babymetal, Best of Trinkelbonker, Classic Rock, Cool stuff, Deep Purple Family, Hobby, Tarja & Nightwish
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In this day and age, the reaction videos on platforms like YouTube is no joke. They pull in millions of views. A song like Rainbow´s “Stargazer” (released on the “Rising” album back in 1976) is finding a brand new audience that is wholly impressed with what they hear. If alternative media has largely taken over the news (I just witnessed a state financed news network say that the current revolution in Iran is largely due to climate change…), the reaction videos by ordinary people is keeping rock alive outside of the realm of the record industry. “Stargazer” was never a hit (outside of the massive impression among fans and musicians) as such, but it is a masterpiece. I would say that it is fast gaining an even bigger reputation right now. And on top of this, the video that everybody is watching as they are listening to this epic track, was made by a fan that used clips from different sources. The record company has wisely let the video do the work it is doing. Rainbow had big hits in the 1980s, but it is “Stargazer” that is catching on in a big way now. Many people are finding it because of Ronnie James Dio, but they all acknowledge the brilliance of Ritchie Blackmore when they hear that solo. Then they find Deep Purple and the “Doing Their Thing” live version of “Child In Time” which is now the big one. Much bigger than “Smoke On The Water”. And they connect the dots. Purple did that 10 years before Iron Maiden. In back catalogue terms, this can not hurt. If I worked at a label, I would identify 50 influential personalities and their channels and I would push classic songs via request. I would buy them that cup of coffee. Also, those reactions are helping younger acts to build careers (Nightwish and Babymetal are the big ones), and they are helping the rock community to stick together over generations. I just love to be a fly on the wall, watching all this unfold.

(Seen on the top image are the following reactors: PhoebeFromTV, The Charismatic Voice, StaceyRPG, AileenSenpai, Aaliyah Chapili, and Elok Hsu, now go and watch them!)

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What I Would Love To See In 2026

Posted: January 8, 2026 in Babymetal, Best of Trinkelbonker, Classic Rock, Cool stuff, DVDs & Blu-rays, Japanese rock & metal, My photographs
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Things are happening in Babymetal land. The feedback for the new version of “Headbanger!!” is very positive. For starters, it is nice to see just them in a video again, and not yet another collaboration thing. Also, to see them acknowledge their history and to make it in such an iconic way is really nice. They do spectacular videos and this just happens to be an all time classic rocker that goes way back in their history. A reminder of how good they were right out of the gate. I would like to see them release a full blown album in 2026 with retakes on old stuff. Why not? Some of the songs they performed live in the early days did not even end up on an album. And why not stick a Karen Girl´s song in there, just to show a bit of history (and Babymetal has performed “Over The Future” live in the early days at least once). A 15th Anniversary release would be a nice addition in time for the 2026 World Tour and it would highlight a journey that is still very much ongoing. New fans are coming in all the time and it is always a good idea to keep things moving. Imagine a 15th Anniversary album with a bonus DVD/Blu-ray with classic live takes from their career. How could that not be a great idea. And I really like the cover of the “Headbanger!!” single, that would (or a similar variant) certainly work just fine for a compilation of sorts. Well, we shall see.

(My live shot, “Headbanger!! cover inserted)

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Got To Love The Philippines

Posted: January 7, 2026 in About this blog, Babymetal, Best of Trinkelbonker, Classic Rock, Hobby, Japanese rock & metal
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250% increase in visits to the blog yesterday. Granted, I posted some pretty good posts yesterday but I can also see that the blog is catching on in the Philippines in a big way. On a weekly basis, the Philippines is always a presence. Bigger than Japan, bigger than America. If I had to guess why then I would say that the coverage of the Japanese music scene is probably the reason to why this is happening. And who is massive in the Philippines? Well that would be Babymetal. In any case, I really appreciate you guys and I want you to know that I see you.

(My shot of Babymetal)

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Point Taken

Posted: January 6, 2026 in Babymetal, Best of Trinkelbonker, Classic Rock, Cool stuff, Hobby, J-Pop, Japanese rock & metal
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I was watching an interview with Marty Friedman that was conducted by Rick Beato on his YouTube channel a while back and they were talking about him living in Japan now and how they do things over there. In this conversation Marty mentioned an Idol group called Dempagumi.inc and based on that I decided to check them out. It did not take me long (just a couple of videos really) to note that this group had an awful lot of talent, great tunes and a strong image (very cool album covers etc). I did miss the boat though as they had existed between 2008 and 2025. They pretty much came up at the same time as Babymetal (played at the Budokan for the first time in 2014 etc, they also shared the same record label in Toy´s Factory). Seen above is the cover of the 2023 release “One Nation Under The Dempa” (pretty great cover if you ask me) and if you listen to the title track (which you can on different platforms) you will notice a part that Babymetal added to their hit with Electric Callboy for the song “Ratatata”. I mean, it hits you hard. I think I may have heard that Babymetal added something to it that they know is popular in Japan, and it just might be this “Oooh Oooh” thing. If you check it out you will also hear how good this Idol group was. I have ordered a CD and a live DVD so within a few weeks I will be able to dive into all this a little deeper. In the meantime, when guys like Marty Friedman talks, you may want to pay attention.

(CD cover is from official platforms, my background shot)

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Hagane Rising

Posted: January 6, 2026 in Babymetal, Best of Trinkelbonker, Classic Rock, Cool stuff, Hagane (band), Japanese rock & metal, Lovebites
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2025 was a good year for Hagane, and it certainly felt that way for the fast growing fan base. Loads of new videos, a brand new studio album and line-up. The surprise cover (and video) of the Rainbow classic “Kill The King” (that had ex-Rainbow member Bob Daisley give them a positive nod) and the promise of more to come (first trip to Europe etc) has added to the excitement. Fans of classic rock should have no problems at all to get into this band, even though some of the old crowd are not quite used to female Japanese bands due to the lack of coverage of this exciting scene in our media. I do feel however that there is an underground rumbling going on, that something is in the air. Yesterday, I wrote on the blog that UK label JPU Records has signed First Contact (another band from Japan) to the label, and I have to say that I kind of half expect that somebody picks up Hagane very soon as well. Here they are pumping out great stuff that attracts quite a bit of attention on YouTube and they love the classic melodic hard rock of the 1970s and 1980s, it is like nothing has happened since. Well, count me in. The fact that they deliver music of such a high level (total professionals all of them), with such strong melodies and hooks (not to mention crazy good soloing), bodes well. I really think that the time for Babymetal has come to take some Japanese acts with them on the road, kind of nursing what is going on in Japan right now. Can you imagine Hagane and Lovebites (to just mention two) opening for Babymetal in a town near you? Think about the press that this could generate. The new Prime minister of Japan, former heavy rock drummer Sanae Takaichi has stated that she would like to support the Japanese music industry so that it can grow on an international level. Well, here we are then. Opportunity knocks, all the pieces are in place. Now is the time to act. And that goes for everybody in this business. Japan is where the action is. Lets go.

(Top image is a screenshot from the recent live video of the song “Brave”, which is bloody amazing! / My background shot)

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15 Years Of Headbanging Celebrated

Posted: January 5, 2026 in Babymetal, Best of Trinkelbonker, Classic Rock, Cool stuff, Japanese rock & metal
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Babymetal dropped a new video out of the blue today, a new version of the 2012 classic “Headbanger!!” that will now see official release as a Limited Edition single. The original video has notched up 35,000,000+ views on YouTube (this one may well do even better, it is really well put together). The single, as well as other merchandise, will be sold at the bands first ever pop up store in Tokyo this week, as well as on the night of the upcoming gig at the 37,000 capacity “Babymetal – Legend Forth” concerts at Saitama Super Arena on January 10 and 11. Love the cover. For more detailed information, visit the official home page. My guess is that we will get a DVD out of these gigs as well.

(My background shot, CD cover is from official platforms, the images are screenshots from said video)

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Top 10 Albums Of 2025

Posted: January 3, 2026 in Babymetal, Best of Trinkelbonker, Classic Rock, Cool stuff, Deep Purple Family, Hagane (band), Hobby, Japanese rock & metal, Kanade Sato (drummer), Lovebites, Music (general), Top 10 lists
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It is always a bit tricky to pick just 10 albums but I will give it a shot. Here is my Top 10 list for 2025 (listed in no particular order, they are all excellent).

THE WARNING – “Live From Auditorio Nacional CDMX” (Mexico)

HAGANE – “Top Of The World” (Japan)

VISIONS OF ATLANTIS – “Armada Live Over Europe” (Austria)

LOVEBITES – “No More Tragedy” (Japan)

BABYMETAL – “Metal Forth” (Japan)

MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP – “Don´t Sell Your Soul” (EU)

GLENN HUGHES – “Chosen” (UK/US)

STEVE MORSE BAND – Triangulation” (US)

KANADE SATO – “Kanademore – One Second Into The Future” (Japan)

SALLY – “Burn It” (Japan)

(Covers are from official platforms, my background shot)

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TOP 10 LISTS ON TRINKELBONKER: 10 UNDERRATED ROCK ALBUMS (March 20 2025), TOP 10 GUITAR MOMENTS (March 10 2025), TOP 10 1975 ROCK ALBUMS (February 12 2025), 10 AMAZING ROCK SONGS FROM SWEDEN (January 31 2025), 10 AMAZING ROCK SONGS FROM JAPAN (January 23 2025), TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2024 (January 1 2025), 10 MASTERCLASS ROCK & METAL DVDs (August 31 2024), TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2023 (December 31 2023), TOP 10 BABYMETAL PREDICTIONS FOR THE 2020s (November 30 2023), 10 AWESOME GLENN HUGHES MOMENTS (August 17 2023), 10 AWESOME DAVID COVERDALE MOMENTS (August 15 2023), 10 AWESOME SONGS OF THE 2020s PART 4 (August 15 2023), 10 AWESOME GILLAN SONGS 1978-1982 (July 29 2023), 10 AWESOME BLACK SABBATH SONGS 1980-1995 (July 28 2023), 10 AWESOME SONGS OF THE 2020s PART 3 (July 27 2023), 10 BRUTAL BABYMETAL SONGS (July 26 2023), 10 AWESOME SOLOS BY JON LORD (July 24 2023), 10 AWESOME SONGS OF THE 2020s PART 2 (July 23 2023), 10 AWESOME SONGS OF THE 2020s PART 1 (July 20, 2023)

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Babymetal Voted Metal Band Of The Year

Posted: January 3, 2026 in Babymetal, Best of Trinkelbonker, Classic Rock, Japanese rock & metal
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The votes are in for the annual Stateside Metal Awards and Babymetal has been voted Metal Band of the year, followed by Sleep Token, Arch Enemy, Linkin Park and Iron Maiden.

(My background shot, inserted Metal Awards image is from official platforms)

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