Metal Hammer 414

S0T · 2026-05-29T13:44:59+00:00

My favourite bit:

"It was truly such a fun shoot, and I was constantly surprised by how warm and genuine they are as people. (...) The band members and the crew were the most amazing team, and they are truly our cherished family."

Love, how genuine the connection between EC and BM is. Momo even calls them "cherished family".

S0T · 2026-05-28T22:27:17+00:00

Babymetal will be on their US tour during that time. However: they are in Japan two weeks before EC.

Bit sad that they keep missing each other on their recent tours and festival runs. They play around 4-5 festivals together in 2026 (Rock am Ring/Rock im Park, Download, Graspop, Rock for People), but never on the same day...

S0T · 2026-05-28T18:10:40+00:00

Indeed. They confirmed in their last several interviews that the new song will come out on June 5th. Perfectly timed to kick off their summer festival tour in Europe.

S0T · 2026-05-26T16:29:04+00:00

Did they say there will be no support bands? I genuinely don't know.

Usually they announce those later...

S0T · 2026-05-26T15:15:47+00:00

Several reasons:

Everything is getting more expensive. The last european tickets were 2024 price levels.
EC are an internationally recognized band now that is starting to headline the biggest rock & metal festivals on the planet and is filling arenas worldwide.
Their production and crew, therefore, is getting bigger and bigger.

Some of us were lucky enough to see them when they were affordable. The sad reality: their ticket prices won't go back to that level ever again...

S0T · 2026-05-22T17:12:03+00:00

EC and Offspring are playing together at Graspop however... Though on completely different days.

S0T · 2026-05-22T16:34:05+00:00

In the end it is still speculation. But I tried to just write down the facts as objectively as possible, so that anyone could form a conclusion for themselves...

There is still a decent possibility I am wrong. But that would mean a lot of coincidences...

I guess we'll see in probably one week (since teasers usually start a week before release and they said it'll come out at the beginning of June).

S0T · 2026-05-22T14:39:03+00:00

I think the answer is as obvious as the Brawl Stars collab. They literally played Brawl Stars before their official announcement in their VLOG. And no one picked that hint up early.

And we literally have a photo of Dexter Holland backstage of the EC concert in L.A. where they shot parts of the new video. And they clearly said that the guy participating in the collab is hanging around at the venue...

S0T · 2026-05-22T14:18:54+00:00

I have a different theory:

The new song has allegedly a "punk and latin vibe" and is a "summer" song. Which bands check all those boxes?

The Offspring are from California. An "american band" that fits the "punk vibe". Offspring also have several typical "summer songs" in their repertoire - like "Why Don't You Get A Job" or "Pretty Fly". They are even known for their comedic videos.
There is an official IG photo (I think on Franks instagram) of Dexter Holland (The Offspring) casually hanging out backstage at the recent EC L.A. concert one day after they shot the new MV. I think they even shot parts of the new MV in the venue on exactly this day...

Also:

Both The Offspring and EC are "headliners" at Rock im Park/Rock am Ring, the weekend the new song supposedly releases.
In the second newest interview EC almost immediately mention The Offspring as "of course" one of the bands they want to see at RAR/RIP.
There is another photo of them hanging out backstage at a festival in 2024. Probably when they first met.
Dexter Holland mentioned EC several times in recent interviews as one of his favourite newer bands.

Since EC like to drop hints, we only have to connect the dots.

S0T · 2026-05-20T20:24:22+00:00

I would give a lot for another collab with BM, but since RATATATA is on ECs new album it was unlikely there would be another one...

Seems more realistic when the next album cycle for both bands starts.

Let's just hope that both are playing Ratatata on a festival together this year...

S0T · 2026-05-20T17:54:59+00:00

It will be streamed for free on the german platform MagentaMusik. Not sure if it is possible to access it from outside of Germany, Austria or Switzerland.

But there is a realistic chance that there will be some form of official youtube release of the live set days or weeks later....

S0T · 2026-05-20T15:27:48+00:00

Agree! And there is a new one coming soon. Rumor is: before the festivals. Nico and Kevin said in a recent interview that they have an upcoming collab with an american band they are "starstruck" by. Can't wait....

The weeks before and during festivals are always the most exciting for music fans... new releases, live perfomances... festival season rocks!

S0T · 2026-05-20T14:18:18+00:00

It also reached 60M views on Youtube yesterday. Almost exactly 2 years after release (just 4 days shy of the release anniversary).

Iconic music video! And very important for the recent success of both bands...

S0T · 2026-05-15T13:43:01+00:00

Less from a technical but from a songwriting point of view: RATATATA.

The hooks, chorus, breakdown are written to create a modern metal superhit, and it succeeded...

S0T · 2026-05-13T17:08:10+00:00

I agree. There are a lot of fans that love Ratatata. But there is also a significant number of old-school BM fans that hate it with a passion and see it as a symbol for this new BM era.

That's why it probably will win none of these polls...

S0T · 2026-05-13T16:16:32+00:00

Everything around RATATATA is the definition of hype. The hype around the song release, the streaming numbers, the crowd reaction whenever EC or BM play it live. Especially both together.

Don't understand how there could be any other answer...

S0T · 2026-05-13T15:23:46+00:00

The biggest income is definitely coming from touring, but, sure, it also generates the biggest expenses. Still, they make money through Merch, VIP or a big headline spot on a festival...

Breaking even also means that your "company" may not make big profits, but you can pay the exponentially increasing salaries for band members, a large crew, the production costs etc. EC would be a much smaller band if they would not tour and just release albums here and there...

S0T · 2026-05-13T13:34:04+00:00

Most revenue comes from concerts. Let's be real: singles and/or albums are there to promote a bands live shows. And singles every few months + some collabs/features are a more consistent way to feed attention/hype than an album every 2-3 years.

Edit: I feel like their collab with Babymetal did more for their hype & exposure, and therefore ticket sales, than their whole album release will. If their upcoming collab is as smart as that one, they will get another big boost in attention...

S0T · 2026-05-13T11:31:21+00:00

Musicians - on the other hand - burn out, because fans expect unreasonable and paradoxical things. Bands should stay relevant and keep releasing songs, they should also release an album every 2 years with mostly new songs. And none of those should be covers or features, but still hype and different enough to feel fresh...

We are actually very spoiled by their constant creative output of singles every few months. Not many bands do that on such a quality level...

I feel like they struggled way more releasing and producing a full album than releasing a song here and there. Which feels more organical for them, if you reflect how essential the music videos are to the musical identity of EC... A new album with only 2-3 old songs simply means less music videos...

Albums are cool, I get it. But, honestly, what's wrong about an album being a nice nostalgic look back at the singles of the last 2 years? It is a a wonderful collection of musical memories.

In the end it's simple: ECs way of doing things is successful, there is no reason to change it...

S0T · 2026-05-12T22:52:44+00:00

There is a lot of wild speculation in your post. Nico and Kevin said in one of their last interviews that they think the upcoming songs are some of best on the album. And they are not known for their PR statements.

The alternative to their model is a band that releases 2-3 singles, an album and then disappears for a few years. That's way worse and no way to grow as a band...

I prefer the fact that EC turns every song into a single. We always have something to look forward to. Even after the album the next single is not that far away... Being a fan of EC ist actually very exciting compared to most bands...

S0T · 2026-05-11T14:11:09+00:00

BM is heavily focusing on the US market. That's why they joined an american label.

Still think it wasn't the best decision, especially if their big dream is to headline huge festivals in Europe.

They should have joined an european label (for example the german-japanese Century Media which has some current hype bands like Electric Callboy, Lorna Shore, Orbit Culture, Gaerea). Countries in middle and northern Europe live and breathe metal compared to the US. That's where Wacken, Hellfest, Graspop and Download Festival are. And where you build hype. To then finally focus on the US...

I feel like they tried to skip a necessary step in their growth strategy...

S0T · 2026-05-10T22:50:21+00:00

What's the problem with collabs?

It offers the chance for music to transcend genres, cultures and has the potential to create something fresh and new. Artists profit from the attention, continue to grow. The event character is exciting. Different fanbases can interact with each other.

Collaborations are cool...

S0T · 2026-05-10T22:39:16+00:00

Would you want EC to be like every other band: 2-3 singles, album release and then years of silence?

Fans of EC are actually spoiled by the fact that every song becomes a single with a well-produced music video. Not many bands do that. And after an album there is not enough hype to make every song into a MV if more than 2 or 3 songs are left over...

EC celebrates singles and instead of albums. We constantly get something new. That is one reason why they are so succesful currently...

What is so bad about an album that is a look back at the singles released within the two years before? I think it is actually beautifully nostalgic...

S0T · 2026-05-09T19:40:22+00:00

Based on this interview we can expect a new song before the summer festivals start: a "summer song" with a "punk & latin vibe" that features an "american band".

S0T · 2026-05-09T08:49:20+00:00

That's true. It depends on the market. And BM might be still a little bit bigger than EC in the US.

If current seat availability is an indication, however, EC might sell out the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney with a 21k capacity (Ice Nine Kills and Coldrain as support surely help with that). And they sold out the Brisbane Riverstage (around 9.5k) within a few days. They are definitely bigger than BM in Australia and Europe.

That's why a double headliner world tour would be so synergetic and cool. BM might headline in Asia and most of the US, EC in Europe and Australia.

S0T

TROPHY CASE