"Distortion" is a song by Japanese heavy metal band

Babymetal (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese kawaii metal band consisting of Suzuka Nakamoto as "Su-metal" and Moa Kikuchi as "Moametal". The band is produced by Kobametal from the Amuse talent agency. Their vocals are backed by heavy metal instrume ...

. First released as a digital single on May 8, 2018, to promote the band's

Babymetal World Tour 2018 Japanese band Babymetal has embarked on five headlining tours, in addition to performing at various other one-off shows, award ceremonies, and television shows. Babymetal originated as a sub-unit of the Japanese idol group Sakura Gakuin in 2010, ...

, the song later had a physical 12-inch release on

Record Store Day Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...

on November 23, 2018, by BMD Fox Records, earMusic, and Babymetal Records.

Background and release

On February 27, 2018, Babymetal announced the

. On April 1, 2018, Babymetal uploaded a teaser for Metal Resistance Episode VII, titled "The Revelation" , which hinted the presence of a dark side composed of "seven metal spirits". The spirits mentioned were seen in the music video for "Distortion" uploaded on May 7, 2018, representing the Apocrypha of Babymetal, and the song was distributed to the

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, and other music distribution services the following day. It was the band's first release since the death of Kami Band guitarist Mikio Fujioka on January 5, 2018. On September 28, 2018, Babymetal announced a 12-inch vinyl single that would be released worldwide on

on November 23, 2018. The single included a live performance of the song at

Download Festival Download Festival is a British-created rock festival created by Terrance Gough, held annually at the Donington Park motorsport circuit in Leicestershire, England (since 2003); in Paris, France (since 2016); at Parramatta Park, Sydney (since 201 ...

as a B-side, and a Japanese limited edition included a jacket cover different from that released in other regions. Moametal favors the beginning of the song for "lifting erup", as well as the interlude for providing a

call and response Call and response is a form of interaction between a speaker and an audience in which the speaker's statements ("calls") are punctuated by responses from the listeners. This form is also used in music, where it falls under the general category of ...

with the audience. The song was re-released as part of the band's album ''

Metal Galaxy ''Metal Galaxy'' is the third studio album by Japanese heavy metal band Babymetal. It was first released in Japan on October 8, 2019, with an international release following on October 11, 2019. The album was released through BMD Fox Records in J ...

'' with additional vocals from

Arch Enemy Arch Enemy is a Swedish melodic death metal band, originally a supergroup from Halmstad, formed in 1995. Its members were in bands such as Carcass, Armageddon, Carnage, Mercyful Fate, Spiritual Beggars, The Agonist, Nevermore, and Eucharist. ...

frontwoman

Alissa White-Gluz Alissa White-Gluz (; born 31 July 1985) is a Canadian singer, best known as the lead vocalist of the Swedish melodic death metal band Arch Enemy, and former lead vocalist and founding member of the Canadian metalcore band the Agonist. Her vocal ...

Composition

"Distortion" is a speed metal tune composed of "screeching, pummeling guitars", "

metalcore Metalcore (also known as metallic hardcore) is a fusion music genre that combines elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. As with other styles blending metal and hardcore, such as crust punk and grindcore, metalcore is noted for its use of ...

-like chug-riffs", and a catchy chorus, quickly switching between "heavy" and "sugary", and resulting in a "darker", more mature song compared to previous music released by the band.

Reception

"Distortion" debuted at number six on the ''Billboard Japan'' Hot 100 for the week of May 21, 2018. Due to being released exclusively in a digital format, the song charted at number two on the

Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in Nov ...

Digital Singles chart for the week May 21, 2018, with first-week downloads of 16,468 copies. In the United States, "Distortion" debuted at number two on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' World Digital Songs chart for the week May 19, 2018. Following the physical release of "Distortion", the song charted at number 42 on the

Singles chart for the week of December 3, 2018, with first-week sales of 1,791 copies.

Music video

The music video was released on May 7, 2018. The video features the "unrevealed Dark Side, the Apocrypha" of the lore of the Metal Resistance, featuring the Chosen Seven hinted in the teaser, in a world where "power is distorted through time and space." A warrior is shown fighting against "scary-looking figures cloaked in shadows" and fighting the darkness. The members of Babymetal do not appear in the video.

Live performances

"Distortion" was first performed live on the first tour date of the band's

at the Uptown Theater in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

, on May 8, 2018, along with the premiere of other new songs. Notably,

Yuimetal is a Japanese musician, singer, model, and actress. She is a former member of the kawaii metal group Babymetal and the idol group Sakura Gakuin. In October 2018, she left Babymetal due to an undisclosed illness. She is managed by the Amuse, Inc. ...

was absent from the entire show, which was not addressed prior to the performance. A live performance of the song at Download Festival 2018 was uploaded to YouTube on September 28, 2018, which was later released in audio form as a B-side to the vinyl single.

Track listings and formats

Digital download * "Distortion" – 3:05 12-inch single * A. "Distortion" * B. "Distortion" (live at Download Festival 2018)

Charts

;Weekly charts ;Daily charts

Release history

References

External links

Babymetal discography
at Toy's Factory {{authority control Babymetal songs 2018 singles 2018 songs Toy's Factory singles Macaronic songs