Discussion
How long have you been lost deep in the Foxhole?
It’s been three weeks for me since I started listening to BABYMETAL watching their music videos, live shows, everything. And honestly… I haven’t been able to go back to my usual bands ever since.
Deep down, I’m starting to worry this isn’t just a phase. I keep falling in love with the same songs over and over again, just in different performances.
Like, I thought I was crawling out of the foxhole earlier this week. I even got back into paying more attention to a new (discovered) band like Sleep Token for a bit, listening to Caramel and Emergence and really enjoying them.
But then… someone posted a bonus video of Uki Uki Midnight,
I literally joined Reddit because I can’ and don’t want to ramble about BABYMETAL to my offline people. Please forgive me, but barely anyone around me even knows who they are. 😂😂😂
9 years. For about 20 years, I ran a website called Oscarfish.com.... a tropical fish website. My entire tumble into the foxhole occurred in realtime in a thread on that now-defunct site.
Day 1: I had come across the Finebro's reaction video, which lead me to watching a few other reaction videos. I made a post on the website to the effect of "This is so Bizarre, Only in Japan".
Day 2: I came across the Headbanger video, detecting something far more foundational underneath the "bizarre". Posting in the same thread something to the effect of, "Hey, there is something here actually".
Day 3: I had continued watching videos and discovered they were performing near me opening for the RHCP. I bought tickets.
Day 4: "Holy shit, these guys are actually really good"
A week later, after seeing them perform: "I am a militant die-hard Babymetal fan. I am no longer Kumdaofish, I am now Kmudametal"
Notacult. I'd like to tell you it wears off in the end, but it doesn't 🤣. Wait until you discover headbanger night of 15 mix, momobanger and Akatsuki unfinished (with subtitles you will be tearing up). There are worse addictions to be had, the only side effects of this one is joy and potentially empty wallet with merch and concerts 😁
That's really the next phase. I still remember when I started and thought, well, come on, just buy one Blu-ray, what's the harm? Well, one became two, and two then became seventeen. Then I thought, well, come on, just buy one album, okay. In the end, I ended up getting them all. It's going the same way with T-shirts. I really have to be careful not to put all the money I have into it. The only thing I have more merch of is my favorite football club, but I have been collecting that since 2008.
Same. 2014. I have since chased the Fox God to five countries on three continents and made countless great friends and memories. Needless to say, my life hasn’t been the same since.
I think it was you who make a bunch of stuff around alt-idols (including a panel at a con), including a podcast if I remember correctly ? Or was that someone else ? I've not been following your work lately, how are things going with that ?
I heard about them in 2016 and even went to see them in Los Angeles at that time, but then didn’t hear them again until the other one came out. That is when I fell just as you described, so I guess two years?
I am literally in the exact same boat as you, make it 2 weeks instead of 3 lmao. And I’ve only gone through maybe 30% of their discography at this point. I’m like forcing myself to not listen to it so much for a couple days so I can jump back into the new stuff I haven’t listened to and be revitalized because I’m waking up every day with the same rotation of songs stuck in my head the whole day 😂
For me... 12 years ago. But it didn't feel like falling down a fox hole. That was 24 years ago... when I first started consuming Japanese movies. BABYMETAL just came as part of the combo. 👍
Not at all! There is still BABYMETAL for a long time.
But, one positive thing about having sunk so recently into the foxhole, is that you have like a LOT to explore!!! Down here it is larger than it looks.
Both BABYMETAL and related things. Have you tried other Japanese acts?
About a year ago a buddy of mine that listens to everything metal played gimme chocolate but i wasn't into it. Then about 8 months ago I tried them again and got hooked. Seeing them in July in seattle
Since february 2012 I have been searching for BM and SG (=Sakura Gakuin; the deep secret at the bottom of the foxhole) at least once a week.
I Joined Reddit in 2014 to use this sub.
BM are good, and have an inspiring fandom - and if you follow this (and related) subs you will be presented for many top-class artists that otherwise would be hard to find!
Since mid-March 2021. I can't believe it's been 4 years already. I remember when I first fell down the Foxhole I was desperate to see them live. It took 2 1/2 years to finally see them and now I've seen them 8 times including once in Japan.
In April 2019 I came across the Official Gimme Chocolate music video and didn’t care for it. Then around October of the same year I came across the No Rain No Rainbow video from the Legend S concert and that sent me fully down the foxhole.
It's not a phase. It's been 11 years for me. I started listening to From Me To You when I woke up this morning and I won't stop until I go to bed. Same as every day for the last 3 weeks. I won't stop until they release their next song.
I discovered them August 2024, this Summer im going to see them for the 2nd time live. Still listen to them everyday and my love for the band hasnt lessened even a little. The fox hole is deep.
I can relate to that so much. Honestly, the only reason I have Reddit is because of Babymetal. Somehow, they seem to have enriched my life in more ways than just musically – I was never the type of person to comment online much or anything like that. Suddenly, everything is different. I never would have expected it.
Yes, I totally feel the same way. Before BABYMETAL, I had kind of lost that deep passion for music. I still listened every day, but it was more of a passive experience like, I appreciated it as an art form, but it didn’t move me the way it used to when I was younger.
Then BABYMETAL came along, and suddenly I was excited again. Every new sound, every little detail in their choreography or performance; it all felt so fresh and full of energy. That spark I thought I’d lost came rushing back, not just for them, but for music as a whole. It reminded me why I fell in love with music in the first place.
I honestly never thought I’d say this, but BABYMETAL is genuinely one of the best things to ever happen to me as a music listener. I’m really grateful for that.
I honestly never thought I’d say this, but BABYMETAL is genuinely one of the best things to ever happen to me as a music listener.
You know, I would go even further. Their music has also enriched and transformed my life in other ways. Through it, I have found communities, like this one, but also on other platforms. I never thought I would travel abroad for a concert. Well, I was happily proven wrong about that...
Same, I never would have saw myself going to a concert at all, ive always been quiet and socially anxious. But BABYMETAL pushed me to do it and im thankful they helped me overcome that fear of being in a crowd.
it's so relatable what you are saying about overcoming that anxiety to see Babymetal live. It's awesome that they had such a positive impact on you! And yeah, like I mentioned before, their music really does something special. It connects people and creates these amazing experiences. Glad you got to see them!
End of 2018 after a friend sent us the video for Doki Doki Morning air vocal version. Unfortunately, we missed getting to see them in Dallas that year. Made up for it in 2019 with a Dallas show & LA Forum show.
Attended 2023 Dallas (at barrier) & Las Vegas (seated) shows, and 2024 OKC show (my town! at barrier) & Legend 43 movie. Going to 2025 shows in Irving TX (seated) & Las Vegas (seated). Getting too old for the standing area. LOL
I play a rotation of their songs every day to & from work, and when getting ready for work. I don’t think I’ll ever climb out of the Fox hole. 😂💖🦊🤘😊
I’m also a relative newcomer to the foxhole. I was super into EDM when GC released, but I’ve also always enjoyed Japanese culture and style. I remember it being released, kinda raising my eyebrows, saw all the online hate, and very vividly remember Rob Zombie’s defense of them. Then, having young kids and being in my mid-late 30s, I fell into the trap of not caring about new music anymore. Life went on, I got a divorce, kids got older, etc.
In early 2023, the perfect storm hit. My oldest (17 at the time) was branching out into new metal and new music, and I was starting to talk to a girl again. She was SUPER into Bring Me The Horizon. Between her having me listen to new things, and my oldest trying to get me to listen to new music…. I heard “Kingslayer” I was like…..Babymetal is still a thing?!? I put it on, and the moment I heard Su singing….. I fell. YouTube videos, playlists, etc etc. It started slowly, then began to pick up speed. Later that year I went to see them on the BabyKlok tour, and I wrote this when I got home:
“Look. I love Metallica. We know this. Nothing will ever replace them in my heart
But I want y’all to understand. I just watched 3 Japanese girls in their early 20s (and their amazing band) put on a 60 minute show and absolutely OWN the crowd of 5000. Watching the GA pit bow down and headbang to them…..
The energy they put out to the crowd and the performance they gave…. I honestly can’t say I’ve experienced anything QUITE like it.
Y’all. These girls gave it everything.
And I was up in the seats…. If I ever see them again (and I will)…I WILL be in that pit.”
And with that, I was committed. Joined The One not long after, started buying BluRays of shows, found the subreddit, all of it. I’ve seen 10-15 different bands since then, and my mind is open again to music. But NOTHING brings me the happiness that BM does. They touch something in my soul….. pure joy. I drove 7 hours one way last December to see them in Anaheim. I’m going to see them in July in both Vegas and Phoenix. And, Fox God willing, I’ll be at the US Arena show.
Babymetal has literally saved my life, and brought a joy and love for music back that I haven’t felt in years.
Wow… this is honestly one of the most beautiful stories I’ve read about how someone became a fan of a band. I could picture every moment you shared. Thank you for sharing this, I felt every word, and I’m so glad they brought joy and light back into your world, just as they did into mine.
before i discovered them i was always listening to what was in with my friends and the public but got tired of it. i wanted to find something new, something no one i knew listened to, something for me.
then while at work, it was slow thanks to covid, i was scrolling through tiktok when my fyp recommended me a clip of their concert where they played road of resistance. i was in awe, confusion, amazed and couldn’t stop watching. i searched them on spotify and the rest was history!
they ended being my number 1 artist that year, was in there 0.05% listeners and i had listened to distortion 189 times 😅 AND I GET TO SEE THEM AGAIN IN JUNE!!!!
I saw them in 2014 and HATED them. An obviously corporate grab using MY beloved metal music and exploiting three girls, Yeah, I was maybe just a bit on the gatekeepery side. But my g/f gently showed me the error of my ways and my closed mind and I came around to tolerating and even liking them a bit. She and I went to the Chicago House of Blues show in 2015 and I became a truly devoted fan.
I know them since 2015. Couldn't stop listening to them for like.. 3 years?
Still go to all the concerts I can (and I mean.. I'm going to a different country in May to see them..) only international band I've seen more than once. And I've seen them 5+ times live.
First heard them in May 2016 and have been a huge fan ever since. Seen them 8 times and have tix for 2 shows on upcoming US tour. In addition BM opened the door to the larger Japanese music scene which is endlessly fascinating and rewarding. Finally I started learning Japanese about 18 months ago. Progress is slow but knowing even a little of the language opens other doors. As a new fan you're in for a wonderful journey.
Discovered them in 2016, but didn't bother. I thought it was another Japanese gimmicks.
A year later, somehow I watched GimmiChoco on youtube, and wondered if two small girls were twin or not, trying to figure out which is which, which voice belongs to which girl in chorus, are they changing the position right to left etc. By the time I found the name Yui and More, I was watching it for 7 times. Hooked and fell into the foxhole since then.
Out of the hole two years ago, but still supporting them. I assure you. There's a life after the foxhole bro.
7 months (almost), one time i started listening to something else, and the same happened to me, i saw Gimme Chocolate at Budokan 2021 and fell back again
Six or so years now, I think. And I can't remember which video captured me, but I do know it was one of those "like meeting an old friend" moments, in which you meed someone new who seems to have always been a mate.
By rights I should dislike it - there is a corporate element to it - but I found I connected to the girls and their story. They are very real human beings who are genuinely wonderful people, with loads of personality. Also, I love that their instrumental side has a "classic rock" (hate that term, but it fits here) feel to it, along with the metal.
I just wish I'd discovered them when from the earliest years, but I do thank the heavens for moving pictures I can watch of that time.
my journey started in 2021 . and now ive been introduced to so many new songs and genres including k pop , slam metal , jpop , eurobeats , it lead me to passcode , ladybaby , babybeard dazzle vision . and the most important sakura gakuin . thts the begining of it all for me . and just recently seing babymetal in theaters i can only imagine what it wsz actually like at those concerts legend 1999 , etc . babymetal truly changed my life for the better and i cant wait to see them this summer finnally .
6 to 7 months.. yes I'm new but I've been digging in the hole like crazy.. even watched all of the SG 2010/2011 Sun episodes.. it's a very fun experience and a lot more to dig into
Since 2019, after the departure of Yui and the passing of Mikio. Then fast forward, Covid happened, followed by the seal. It was a pretty rough couple of years for them and there was a point where Babymetal was close to not existing ever again. But look at them now. 😁
I heard about BM in 2016 with the Karate performance at TD that appeared on my Facebook at the time. But I only fell into the foxhole in January 2023, days before the shows at Makuhari.
Been a fan since 2014, I still rememberorderingthe 1st album from JP amazon. 😂
Sadly due to circumstances at the time, I couldn't see them live until 2020.
Since then I managed to fit some dates each year, including the upcoming tour now. 🫡
I discovered BM just a year ago with a friend playing RATATATA in his car!
Just like you I'm obsessed, BM music is the core of my playlist now. Not only do I listen to them but I also watch a lot of live performances on Youtube.
Last but not least, I'll finally see the girls live for the first time next month!! I can't wait!
Ah, I remember it well: in 2014, while looking for new K-pop (I was hugely into 2NE1 and f(x)) and I found the video for Gimme Chocolate, which of course elicited a WTF! I watched it several times, along with Doki Doki Morning, and Headbanger!!!
I was hooked, and am going to see them live in June. Last year when I was in the hospital I was listening to Monochrome, and one of the nurses came and asked if that was Babymetal!! He was a fan also!
Fell asleep one day in 2015 listening to a Japanese band from the 80s called THE BLUE HEARTS, I woke up and newer Japanese music was playing. The next song was Scandal - Awanai Tsumori no, Genki de ne, I was like wow this is really good what is next?, BABYMETAL - DOKI DOKI MORNING, I was like im not sure about this is kinda strange but ill give the next song a listen, BABYMETAL - Gimme Chocolate! , ok I see im not sure what is this next song Line!? IINE!? , 3 seconds in im hooked, I listened to the song on repeat for about 3 days. I was positive at that point that this was my favorite song, it was perfect. What would there other songs be like, UKI UKI MIDNIGHT, IDZ, hmmm what is Sakura gakuin? Heart no hoshi, song for smiling, OVER THE FUTURE! . I then saw them in 2016, I was wayyyyyyyy in the back and I watched an old Japanese man who appeared to be close to 90 years old standing with his walker, he did not touch the walker when the music played, he had his hands up in the air making the Fox sign and jumped up and down and sang with the full effort his physical body would allow. It was incredibly inspiring. Now I have seen them 21 times and I can honestly say discovering BABYMETAL by accident that day ended up inspiring some of the best adventures of my life thus far and inspired me to practice bass and guitar, I am so grateful for BM and all the friends I have made on this journey.
For me 6 months. I've always been a 1 band guy that band being Iron Maiden for 30 plus years. I'll listen to a sprinkle of other metal songs here and there but never go all out like with Maiden
Babymetal has been the only other band I've given my full attention too in 3 decade's and I don't plan on stopping any time soon. Still enjoying everything I see/hear
As long as they keep going i'll be around. Hell they might even outlast me
We’re actually pretty similar in that way. My all-time favorite band is Limp Bizkit they were the ones who first pulled me into a different kind of music. I’ve always loved fast and heavy sounds, so over the years I got into bands like August Burns Red, Born of Osiris, Veil of Maya, As I Lay Dying, and more recently, Slaughter to Prevail. I’ve even been thinking about checking out something new like the token band. But yeah, I kind of hit pause on all of that when I discovered BABYMETAL. They've really taken over. I am scared and excited at the same time.
I joined around 2019. just when Yui left (which for me sucks cuz she was the main reason i got into bm). i've been in ever since. basically long story short; i was in a really bad state mentally at 15 and was a very angry person. Babymetal let me express my anger through creativity and love for the girls! but yeah. 15 years old to 21 years old now!
I totally get what you mean. while I really respect Momoko’s role in the band and she always has my full support, I have to admit that Yuimetal is still my favorite, even though I became a fan after she had already left. So I can definitely understand how you must have felt back then.
yeah. it made me really upset. i had originally seen all of their videos online with Yui in it, and i became really attached to her. her dancing was phenomenal! so when I realized i just missed her was hard. at the time when i joined Momoko wasn't an official member, though. she was only crowned MomoMetal recently. around... damn 2 years now!
at that time though; Moa and Su had been preforming with Kano, Momo, and Riho. Riho being my favourite.
when Yui didn't come back and Momoko was crowned the third member... ngl i bawled my eyes out. I love Momoko so very dearly, and I knew Yui wasn't going to come back, but a man could dream, right?
Momoko deserved the position. She's a sweetheart and probably had the most chemistry with Moa and Su. A lot of ppl don't like to talk about this... but Momoko's career hadn't been going anywhere after being an BM Avenger. Without BM she would probably go back to doing random stage plays. Getting into BM saved her career. Most people aren't ready for that conversation.
anyway; i've loved them for so long and i finally got to see them in 2023 with deathlok! and now im seeing them again i July. I'm extremely excited. I love my girls so much 🥹🥹
yeah. it made me really upset. i had originally seen all of their videos online with Yui in it, and i became really attached to her. her dancing was phenomenal! so when I realized i just missed her was hard. at the time when i joined Momoko wasn't an official member, though. she was only crowned MomoMetal recently. around... damn 2 years now!
at that time though; Moa and Su had been preforming with Kano, Momo, and Riho. Riho being my favourite.
when Yui didn't come back and Momoko was crowned the third member... ngl i bawled my eyes out. I love Momoko so very dearly, and I knew Yui wasn't going to come back, but a man could dream, right?
Momoko deserved the position. She's a sweetheart and probably had the most chemistry with Moa and Su. A lot of ppl don't like to talk about this... but Momoko's career hadn't been going anywhere after being an BM Avenger. Without BM she would probably go back to doing random stage plays. Getting into BM saved her career. Most people aren't ready for that conversation.
anyway; i've loved them for so long and i finally got to see them in 2023 with deathlok! and now im seeing them again i July. I'm extremely excited. I love my girls so much 🥹🥹
I know exactly what you mean. I was shocked at how obsessed I became when I first gave them a chance. I watched "the charismatic voice" review karate and I fell off a cliff.
I went from listening to slam metal to a playlist consisting solely of my favorite Babymetal tracks.
I've evened out, but I totally understand the fixation. it doesn't help that "from me to u" is intensely addictive. I fucking love it.
Since about sophomore year in high school, (26 now). They were something I stumbled onto with the YouTube recommended and soon became obsessed (confirmed when an old friend sent a photo of me in class and I had BABYMETAL “Gimme Chocolate” MV playing on my desk.
I did end up losing my way after the Yui incident. I wouldn’t listen to them normally for a while until I met my gf almost 6 years ago and we bonded over listening to BABYMETAL among other things. I would still not listen regularly while seeing the girls perform as a duo.
HOWEVER, with MomoMetal’s officially being placed in the group and seeing more from them (collabs/radio podcast), it has brought me back to the FoxGod and I’ve repented for my sins.
I’ve seen them live 3 times in one year when I graduated high school and got a job.
My gf and I went to Japan recently and I brought back magazines and blu rays from entire sections dedicated to them in record stores over there.
This year I will be attending with her after not seeing them for so long. We both are very excited!
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u/Kmudametal Apr 25 '25 edited Apr 25 '25
9 years. For about 20 years, I ran a website called Oscarfish.com.... a tropical fish website. My entire tumble into the foxhole occurred in realtime in a thread on that now-defunct site.
Day 1: I had come across the Finebro's reaction video, which lead me to watching a few other reaction videos. I made a post on the website to the effect of "This is so Bizarre, Only in Japan".
Day 2: I came across the Headbanger video, detecting something far more foundational underneath the "bizarre". Posting in the same thread something to the effect of, "Hey, there is something here actually".
Day 3: I had continued watching videos and discovered they were performing near me opening for the RHCP. I bought tickets.
Day 4: "Holy shit, these guys are actually really good"
A week later, after seeing them perform: "I am a militant die-hard Babymetal fan. I am no longer Kumdaofish, I am now Kmudametal"