You can now get an exclusive Babymetal Metal Hammer issue with a limited edition variant cover

An alternate Babymetal cover — (Image credit: Future)

New Babymetal album Metal Forth is officially just one week away, and to celebrate, Metal Hammer have teamed up with the kawaii metal superstars for a special edition of our recent Babymetal issue.

Available exclusively through the official Metal Hammer store, you can purchase our recent edition of the magazine featuring our interview with the band with a limited edition alternative cover that you couldn't get in stores.

Order your special edition Babymetal issue here

Babymetal alt cover magazine — (Image credit: Future)

Babymetal's fifth studio album, Metal Forth features a host of special collaborations with some of Babymetal's most celebrated and respected peers from the metal world, including Poppy, Bloodywood, Slaughter To Prevail, Electric Callboy and more.

“As we toured around the world, we formed friendships with a variety of bands, and through those connections, the idea of making music together naturally came about, which led to the line-up for this project,” Babymetal singer Su-metal explains of the reasoning behind having so many guest stars on Metal Forth “Thanks to everyone’s unique styles and personalities, we were able to create an album that’s incredibly rich and diverse.”

“Slaughter To Prevail and Spiritbox were artists we first connected with at festivals,” fellow singer Moametal adds. “We casually said, ‘Let’s make a song together!’ and it actually happened. It really pays to speak up! Collaborating with metal artists leading the next generation of the scene, and those creating new genres, was exciting and refreshing. Working again with artists we had teamed up with before also brought new discoveries and made the process really fun.”

Reviewing the album for Metal Hammer, Joe Daly commended Babymetal's ambition, writing: "Babymetal aren’t asking metal to follow them. They’re asking whether metal has the courage to evolve. And while the answer remains unclear, Metal Forth makes the question impossible to ignore."

Metal Forth arrives Friday August 8

Merlin was promoted to Executive Editor of Louder in early 2022, following over ten years working at Metal Hammer. While there, he served as Online Editor and Deputy Editor, before being promoted to Editor in 2016. Before joining Metal Hammer, Merlin worked as Associate Editor at Terrorizer Magazine and has written for Classic Rock, Rock Sound, eFestivals and others. Across his career he has interviewed legends including Ozzy Osbourne, Lemmy, Metallica, Iron Maiden (including getting a trip on Ed Force One courtesy of Bruce Dickinson), Guns N' Roses, KISS, Slipknot, System Of A Down and Meat Loaf. He has also presented and produced the Metal Hammer Podcast, presented the Metal Hammer Radio Show and is probably responsible for 90% of all nu metal-related content making it onto the site.

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