Babymetal (l to r) Yui Mizuno, Suzuka Nakamoto and Moa Kikuchi

Back when I was a teenager, I was enthralled by metal groups like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Krokus. I literally wore out some vinyl records and needles listening to these groups, and I’m sure I drove my parents absolutely crazy. I was also a huge fan of classic rock - and groups like Styx, Kansas and Boston were a huge part of my playlist.

I’m 49 years old now, and I still listen to most of these groups. They’re still around and making great music. But while their fans still flock to their concerts, heavy metal groups are not really a topic of conversation for most people.

Then Babymetal arrived on the scene in 2010. Now, in 2014, they’ve come into their own.

I am not going to say that Babymetal is a heavy metal band. That would be untrue. The three teenage girls who front the group are extremely talented performers, but they don’t play instruments (at least not in the Babymetal universe) and sometimes it’s hard to take the “metal” seriously, because the girls are just so … cute. To their credit, however, the girls have evolved as they have grown older.

Lead singer Suzuka Nakamoto is often totally believable as a metal performer - specifically on tracks like Akatsuki or the incredible Rondo of Nightmare. The primary thing that sets these two tracks apart from most of the other Babymetal tracks is that the two younger girls are absent.

These two younger girls, Yui Mizuno and Moa Kikuchi are credited as providing “screams and dance” for the group. In truth, their screams are the cutest things you will ever hear, but they could hardly be called “metal”. However, combined with their amazing dancing, the screams just … work.

But by far the best thing about Babymetal is the fact that so many people are talking about them. Their videos are massive hits on YouTube. They’re embarking on the first legs of their “World Tour” in July, and they’ve already proven to be a big enough draw to (among other things) be bumped up to the main stage at Sonisphere.

No, Babymetal isn’t heavy metal. It’s cute metal, mixed with death metal, mixed with pop, mixed with a bit of dubstep. If they could find a way to mix Riverdance into the routine, I’m sure they would do it.

That being said, Babymetal has people paying attention to metal again - and it’s bringing a new generation into the genre. I’ve seen several “cover” videos, made by fans, performing Babymetal songs. Some are just mimicking the dance moves (and pretty much all of these are downright terrible). But there’s several videos showing very young teens, a guitar strapped around their shoulders, shredding to Babymetal songs. Many of these videos are absolutely fantastic - and it warms my heart to see young people enjoying the music.

In all honesty, love them or hate them, Babymetal is probably the best thing that has happened to the metal genre in years.