DETHKLOK/BABYMETAL – LIVE @ THE AGORA BALLROOM

By Eric Rauert

Dethklok, Babymetal and Jason Richardson play to a sold out audience at the Agora Ballroom.

As a name in metal font flashed to a sold out audience at the Agora, I really couldn’t make out any of the letters and was completely clueless for what lay in store. Turns out Jason Richardson, as he introduced himself, is a solo metal act. A pre-recorded track played drums, backing vocals, and other instruments as he jammed out the metal riffs on his guitar. Unlike other acts I’ve pinged for playing a backing track,

Richardson clearly had mastery over his guitar which was enough to keep me interested the whole set. Songs like “Sparrow” and the genre bending “Upside Down” showcased Richardson’s skills as he took a Captain Morgan pose on the front center riser proudly displaying the fretboard to the crowd. I’m certainly not the biggest metal fan but Richardson had me entranced the whole time.

Jason Richardson Setlist:
Tendinitis
Ishimura
Sparrow
Titan
Retrograde
Upside Down
Hos Down

BABYMETAL was up next as the first coheadliner. Three Japanese woman in black body suits and vinyl accents (known by their stage names of Su-Metal, Moametal, and Momometal) marched in a line onto the stage, shortly followed by the four piece band wearing skeleton masks. They launched into “BABYMETAL DEATH”, which an eager fan after the show told me they only play live. The three dancers choreographed a dance as a very animated metal band played in the background. This was the formula for most of the show (although a fun formula at that): various dances to songs like “Gimme Chocolate” and “BxMxC”. I particularly liked “BxMxC” with the creeping metal riffs contrasting with the electronic rhythm.

They didn’t, as Jason Richardson said during his set, “bend like 27 genres” but elements of electronic, hip hop, J pop, and other genres permeate their music and it keeps things quite fun. Fun was the best way to describe the show, with dancers giving a J pop girl band vibe to songs like “Monochrome” as the backing band absolutely slays in the background.

I didn’t like their faster speed metal songs as much but they did collab with Tom Morello on “メタり！！”, so clearly they have the chops. The band threw in a quick instrumental jam before the combined group launched into their last few songs. Parading BABYMETAL flags onto the stage for the finale “Road of Resistance”, the
BABYMETAL dancers ended the show twirling flags before waving goodbye to the crowd.

BABYMETAL Setlist:
BABYMETAL DEATH
Gimme Chocolate!!
PA PA YA!!
Distortion
BxMxC
Believing
Monochrome
METALI!! (preceded by KAMI Band solos)
Megitsune
Headbangeeeeerrrrr!!!!!
Road of Resistance

The crowd seemed to be eagerly awaiting the next headliner, Dethklok. Some explaining for this band is in order, as their origins are a little odd. Metalocalypse was an Adult Swim cartoon about a fictional metal band named Dethklok. Dethklok of course needed a soundtrack in the show, so a studio band was formed with core members Brendan Small (Vocals/Guitar) and Gene Hoglan (Drums). The band started touring seriously somewhere around 2009 and they recently released a new Metalocalypse movie (with soundtrack) that they are promoting this tour.

I’m not going to run through many of the songs because most were completely nonsensical to me. I have to admit that before the show, I had never watched a Metalocalypse episode, movie, or listened to a Dethklok song, so it is totally my fault I got lost in the experience. Still, I basically treated the animations on the projector screen as visuals that complemented the music and it was certainly a good time. This music is pure parody and completely tongue and cheek as seen on “I Ejaculate Fire” and “Murmaider”. I’m sorry but I can’t describe the animations that accompanied these without being put on some list.

Twice during the show the music was interrupted for concert tips from “Facebones”, a disfigured skeleton who I can only assume is a character on the show. These were hilarious little animations of concert hygiene and how not to be a drunk idiot at a concert. I enjoyed these, as I was standing a little too close to the pit at the time to not appreciate the irony…

My one critique is that the lights were absolute overwhelming. The lighting guy had a bunch of strobes pointed right at the audience and even with the epilepsy warning before the show, the Agora was a little too narrow to really make this work. I felt completely blinded and overwhelmed several times and I’ve seen plenty of bands with massive lighting rigs. The trend right now is to send lights into the crowd anyway, so this is a minor gripe when its going to happen at a handful of shows anyway.

Dethklok Setlist:
Deththeme
Briefcase Full of Guts
Birthday Dethday
Awaken
Bloodlines
The Gears
Hatredcopter
Dethsupport
Duncan Hills Coffee Jingle
Aortic Desecration
I Ejaculate Fire
The Duel
Murmaider
Thunderhorse
Fansong
SOS
Go Into the Water

Overall, I enjoyed the two bands and think they work well together as coheadliners. The bubbly front women of Babymetal were an amazingly fun warmup to an odd but skilled Dethklok show complete with basically an hour and half long movie on in the background. I would be sure to catch Babymetal if you’re looking for your first foray into the metal scene but still want to hear music with variety. As for Dethklok, I liked their music enough to already check out a few episodes of the show, so if you’re open minded and up for a tongue and cheek hour and a half this might just be the show for you too.

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