The rarest of the new album bundles, the BABYMETAL Metal Resistance The One Limited Edition. See what’s inside.
This set is only available to “THE ONE” members, which is sort of an annual BABYMETAL Membership. You must buy an item and enter a code at the designated website to become a member. You will then be able to buy select membership items from A!SMART — if you’re quick enough and have the cash. More on The One Membership here.
Unboxing
This Limited Edition box set was roughly $100. So, what’s inside?
You will receive a cardboard box with the Metal Resistance The One Limited Edition logo seen at the top of this page. Open it up to find a black case with the same logo in red.
Inside the black case is a foldable case with all the media. It has really interesting art work which I’m glad was added to this set. I was highly disappointed with the art work found in the other Metal Resistance versions.
Unfold this case to find the Metal Resistance CD and a Blu Ray with two live concerts. The middle of the case includes the lyrics to all twelve songs.
The middle of the case can also fold out to reveal some more interesting art work with the BABYMETAL logo. Inside this part of the case is a small piece of white paper with specs on the blu ray. 1080p 24 fps, linear PCM stereo audio, stuff like that.
Album – Metal Resistance
The Metal Resistance CD has twelve songs, two of which are unique to this edition. Also, the seventh song is Syncopation, which is only available on Japanese versions of the album. The international versions replace Syncopation with From Dusk Till Dawn.
Road of Resistance
The first song on the album is called Road of Resistance, and has a run time of 5:20. Every BABYMETAL fan should have heard of this song by now since it was released on the worldwide version of the first album, and was even uploaded to the official BABYMETAL YouTube channel. This song was a collaboration with DragonForce, though it doesn’t say that in the song title (i.e. Feat. DragonForce). If you haven’t heard it, it’s a really great rhythmic metal song. It’s fast paced and has a ton of energy.
The live version sounds a bit different from the studio version — mainly the type of modifier used on the guitars.
KARATE
The second song on the album is called KARATE, and has a run time of 4:25. This is another song that was released on the official BABYMETAL YouTube channel. It even has its own music video. It’s a decent Metal Song with a few pop vocals. I think they had a nice mix in this song. Some of their older songs feel more pop than metal or more metal than pop, but this once is right down the middle.
Awadama Fever
The third song on the album is called Awadama Fever, and has a run time of 4:15. Some fans may have already heard a live version of this at the New Years Fox Festival concert. It seems a bit more pop than metal, but it’s not a bad song. The main complaint I have with it is the sound of the drums. They sound too fake (as in electronic drums) for most of the song. You may be able to find a video of the song online, and it’s mostly the same as the studio version.
YAVA!
The fourth song on the album is called YAVA!, and has a run time of 3:51. This is probably best explained as a mix between KARATE and Awadama Fever. The vocals sound a bit pop-ish, but the music is a decent metal. Nothing too spectacular, but far from bad.
Amore
The fifth song on the album is called Amore, and has a run time of 4:42. This is hands down my favorite song of the album. SU-METAL goes solo in this metal song that sounds a bit like Road of Resistance, or maybe I should say sounds like DragonForce. The music is fast, but the vocals are paced nicely and sound very smooth. It was definitely a surprise hit for me.
Meta Taro
The sixth song on the album is called Meta Taro, and has a run time of 4:09. I had absolutely no idea what to expect when I started this song. At first I thought the song sounded really lame with the intro it had. It was like some sort of electronica with drums that had an echo sound effect. However, after the intro, the song changed into this heavy and dark sounding metal. It was really awesome, though the vocals weren’t all that great over the music.
Syncopation
The seventh song on the album is called Syncopation, and has a run time of 4:08. This song sounds a bit more like rock than metal, but there are a few pockets that have a heavier metal feel with the double bass drums and such. The overall feel of the song is a heavy rock with light feeling vocals, but not pop-sounding. Most of the lighter songs, like Awadama Fever and KARATE, feel a lot more popish with metal. This one is different, and is definitely one of my favorites!
GJ! – ご褒美編 –
The eighth song on the album is a new version of GJ!, and has a run time of 2:58. This is a Black BABYMETAL song, meaning only YUIMETAL and MOAMETAL sing. It pretty much sounds like the original GJ, except there’s an extra sound effect around YUIMETAL and MOAMETAL’s parts. The vocals are a bit light and popish like you would expect, but the music is a heavy type of metal. It sounds almost like the band Disturbed. I usually don’t like Black BABYMETAL songs, but this one wasn’t so bad.
Sis. Anger
The ninth song on the album is called Sis. Anger, and has a run time of 3:49. This is another Black BABYMETAL song. The music is a nice type of heavy metal that speeds up and slows down a few times throughout the song. The vocals are not as pop-sounding as GJ!, though. The slower parts sound a bit like Meta Taro, but the faster parts were more death metal.
No Rain, No Rainbow
The tenth song on the album is called No Rain, No Rainbow, and has a run time of 4:54. This song has been played a number of times at live concerts over the years. It’s a beautiful metal ballad and my absolute favorite BABYMETAL song, so I was very excited to hear it would be on Metal Resistance. Unfortunately, I was let down a bit once I heard it.
Everything seems toned down quite a bit compared to the live version. The instruments have a really quieter and even softer role behind SU-METAL. They almost completely removed the symbols from the intro, which may not be a biggie to some. But the big punch that usually comes from the guitars when the music picks up is more like a slightly strong breath. There is a little hope with the beautiful rhythm of the guitars near the halfway point. It sounds just like the live version, though a bit softer. The drums are significantly softer and in the background.
When it comes to the vocals, SU-METAL doesn’t really belt out the notes like she does in the live concerts. I know the live and studio versions often differ with bands and singers, but I was hoping she would really sing her heart out. Furthermore, they give SU-METAL this backup vocal sound during select parts of the song, which I didn’t care for. That sound makes it seem overly produced.
If you want to hear the live version now, search for it on Daily Motion or some other video platform. However, you may be a bit disappointed when you hear the studio version.
Tales of the Destinies
The eleventh song on the album is called Tales of the Destinies, and has a run time of 5:37. This is without a doubt the craziest BABYMETAL song to date. It speeds up, slows down, and goes all over. You won’t be able to keep up the first time you hear it. It’s almost like a crazy vocaloid song. Some sections of the song are sped up versions of the intro to the next song.
THE ONE (Unfinished ver.)
The twelfth song on the album is called THE ONE (Unfinished ver.), and has a run time of 3:39. It is sort of an acoustic version of THE ONE. It is shorter, has piano, and has string instruments. The lyrics are only in English, and SU-METAL sings them beautifully. The rest of the songs amp you up, but this song really mellows you out.
Blu Ray – APOCRYPHA
The included Blu Ray contains two live concerts, each one lasting about an hour long. These concerts were called APOCRYPHA – The Black Mass and APOCRYPHA – The Red Mass. Tickets to the concerts were only available for members of THE ONE back in April of 2015. Black Mass was for men only, and Red Mass was for women only.
Since the shows were only for members within Japan, the concert took place in a small venue, similar to the concerts from Legends IDZ. They were held at Tsutaya O-East.
The quality of the video was spectacular. It seems like the best video quality of a BABYMETAL Blu Ray thus far. However, for some reason they shot it in theatrical wide screen. There are large bars at the top and bottom of the screen throughout both concerts. It wasn’t a huge problem for me, but some may not like having bars on the top and bottom of the screen for a live concert performance.
Black Mass
The following songs were played at Black Mass. They were all the same as the previous concerts, except Rondo of Nightmare didn’t have the Kami Band intro like it usually does.
- Road of Resistance
- Uki Uki Midnight ウ・キ・ウ・キ★ミッドナイト
- Awadama Fever あわだまフィーバー
- Catch me if you can
- Rondo of Nightmare 悪夢の輪舞曲
- Onedari Daisakusen おねだり大作戦
- Megitsune メギツネ
- Iine いいね！
- Headbanger! ヘドバンギャー！！
- Ijime, Dame, Zettai イジメ、ダメ、ゼッタイ
Red Mass
The following songs were played at Red Mass.
- Megitsune メギツネ
- Doki Doki Morning ド・キ・ド・キ☆モーニング
- Iine いいね！
- Akatsuki 紅月-アカツキ-
- Song 4. 4の歌
- Catch me if you can
- Headbanger! ヘドバンギャー！！
- Ijime, Dame, Zettai イジメ、ダメ、ゼッタイ
- Gimme Chocolate! ギミチョコ！！
- Road of Resistance
The songs were mostly the same, and the girls did an alright job. The dance moves were solid, but SU-METAL didn’t seem to sing with as much enthusiasm as some of the bigger concerts before and after this particular show. Maybe it was because the venue was so small, or maybe it was because they have been playing the same songs for so many years now. I’m not sure.
But that’s all there is to the BABYMETAL Metal Resistance The One Limited Edition set. I also reviewed the CD/DVD Limited Edition set if you want to see that, and I’m still waiting for a mystery box from Go Merch. Keep an eye on my website and YouTube channel for that review!