On a Tuesday night in Melbourne, the Fox God's mythology unfolded inside John Cain Arena.
Outside, the crowd skewed younger than the average metal gig, teenagers in fox masks and battle jackets lining up beside diehard lifers in faded Slayer tees (17 March). Inside, the mood landed somewhere between arena spectacle and anime convention.
By the time Magnolia Park and Bloodywood finished warming the room, the floor had loosened up. Circles were forming. Phones were raised. Anticipation hummed through the arena.
At exactly 9:15 pm., the house lights snapped out. A cinematic intro flickered across the screens as a low chant began near the barricade: "BABYMETAL death!" Within seconds the entire arena was roaring it back.
The Kami Band stormed the stage first, guitars slicing through the darkness. Then the trio appeared in perfect formation, Su-metal at the centre, flanked by Moametal and Momometal, every step landing precisely on the beat.
The opening stretch leaned heavily on material from their latest album, 2025's 'Metal Forth', weaving the new tracks with flashes from the band's early catalogue.
The contrast kept the room guessing. One minute the arena was swallowed by blast beats and crushing riffs, the next it bounced through the candy-coloured chaos that made BABYMETAL famous.
Their recent run of collaborations shaped the show too. Instead of surprise guest appearances, the collaborators appeared on towering screens behind the band, their vocals synced with the live performance.
'From Me To U' landed like a shot of adrenaline before 'Song 3', their brutal collaboration with Slaughter to Prevail, shoved the set into deathcore territory. The pit shifted instantly as the breakdown hit.
Then came the moment longtime fans had been waiting for. The opening synths of 'Doki Doki ☆ Morning' rang out and the arena exploded. The track hasn't been a regular feature of their shows in years, and its return felt like a nod to the fans who've been there since the beginning.
The back half of the set leaned into the band'S arena instincts. "Metali!!' arrived after a furious Kami Band solo, while 'Ratatata' triggered one of the biggest sing-alongs of the night.
By the time 'Pa Pa Ya!!' and 'Gimme Chocolate!!" rolled in, the floor had turned into a whirlpool of bodies. There was moshing, but it felt oddly wholesome, the kind where people pick each other up and laugh about it afterwards.
The encore delivered the expected release. 'Headbangeeeeerrrrr!!!!!' sent the crowd jumping before the band closed with 'Road Of Resistance', a finale built for arenas.
Sixteen years after starting as an unlikely experiment, BABYMETAL now move like a fully realised arena act. The mythology keeps expanding, the genre lines keep blurring, and somehow the chaos still feels strangely joyful.
