When two of modern metal’s most dramatic voices talk about joining forces, you know it’s the kind of collaboration that could split opinions and rewrite fan expectations. And that’s exactly the dream Babymetal are now openly chasing.
After ticking off a string of high-profile collaborations in 2025 – from Bloodywood to Five Finger Death Punch and even Tom Morello – Babymetal have revealed the next name on their wish list: Amy Lee, the powerhouse vocalist and creative force behind Evanescence. But here’s where it gets controversial… is this the crossover the metal world has been waiting for, or one step too far into the realm of cinematic, goth-tinged pop-metal?
Talking in an exclusive interview for the new issue of Metal Hammer, Babymetal co-founder and lead vocalist Su-metal opened up about the artist she’s been quietly hoping to work with for years: Evanescence frontwoman Amy Lee.
“Amy Lee is an artist I have admired for such a long time,” Su-metal shares in the feature. She doesn’t just mention it in passing, either – it sounds like a genuine long-term ambition. “I hope we can collaborate with her someday.” For fans of both bands, that single sentence is enough to set imaginations racing about what such a track could actually sound like: soaring melodies, crushing riffs, orchestral drama… or something entirely unexpected.
The story behind the Five Finger Death Punch collaboration
Elsewhere in the conversation, Su-metal breaks down how Babymetal’s recent collaboration with Five Finger Death Punch came together, shedding light on how these cross-genre team-ups really happen behind the scenes.
According to Su-metal, Babymetal were invited to participate in a special 20th-anniversary collaboration project for Five Finger Death Punch. The idea behind the project was to revisit songs from the band’s past, reimagining them with guest artists and fresh perspectives. One of those tracks was “The End,” originally released on Five Finger Death Punch’s 2022 album $$Afterlife$$.
For longtime followers, there’s a nice full-circle moment here. Five Finger Death Punch and Babymetal actually shared a festival bill back in 2015, performing at the same overseas event. Su-metal recalls that detail with genuine warmth, explaining that she felt a real sense of joy at the idea they might have remembered her and the band from that show. It adds an emotional layer: this wasn’t just a random industry hookup, but a collaboration rooted in almost a decade of mutual awareness.
Reimagining “The End” with Japanese lyrics
Su-metal goes on to describe how she approached her contribution to the re-recorded version of “The End.” Rather than simply singing translated lines, she built Japanese lyrics that were inspired by and closely based on the themes of the original words. That meant carefully preserving the emotional weight and message of the song, while allowing it to flow naturally in her own language.
She also spent considerable time experimenting with vocal delivery to find the right tone and texture for such a dark, intense track. “Deep” and “cool” are her words – but for beginners, think of it like this: she was trying to match the song’s emotional atmosphere with a vocal performance that feels powerful yet controlled, dramatic but not overdone. Finding that balance can take multiple takes, different techniques, and a lot of trial and error.
One of Su-metal’s favourite moments comes in a specific section: the part beginning with the line “Negai o kakete,” which appears right after the chorus and leads into the song’s breakdown. She highlights how the production gradually layers Ivan Moody’s growling vocals over her own, almost swallowing her voice in stages. That sonic overlap gave her literal chills while recording, and she hopes listeners will feel the same shiver down their spine when they hear that passage. It’s a subtle detail, but for vocal and production nerds, it’s the kind of moment that rewards close, repeated listening.
Babymetal’s 2025: a year of nonstop collaborations
If it feels like Babymetal have been everywhere in 2025, you’re not imagining it. Their latest album, Metal Forth, reads like a who’s-who of modern heavy and alternative music. The record features collaborations with Poppy, Electric Callboy, Polyphia, Spiritbox, and more, cementing Babymetal’s reputation as one of the most adventurous and boundary-pushing acts in the scene.
And this is the part most people miss: these features aren’t just gimmicks or marketing stunts. Babymetal have turned collaboration into an art form, using each guest to explore new sounds, textures, and subgenres. From hyper-pop chaos to djent-tinged technical riffs, they’ve leaned into the idea that metal can be a playground rather than a closed club.
Of course, that approach is divisive. Some traditionalists feel Babymetal’s collaborative spirit dilutes the “purity” of metal, while others argue they’re doing exactly what heavy music has always done best: evolve by fusing with new influences. Where do you fall on that spectrum?
Amy Lee’s own collaboration streak
Interestingly, Amy Lee has been on a similar creative wavelength. She hasn’t been content to stay isolated within Evanescence’s own catalog. Instead, she has embraced projects that cross stylistic and generational lines in metal and alternative music.
One of the standout crossover tracks in heavy music this year has been “End Of You,” which saw Amy Lee sharing vocal duties with Poppy and Courtney LaPlante of Spiritbox. This track brought together three very different voices and fanbases: classic 2000s gothic/alternative metal, genre-bending art-pop, and modern progressive metalcore. It’s the kind of collaboration that would have seemed unlikely a decade ago, and yet it now feels like a natural reflection of where the scene is headed.
Against that backdrop, a Babymetal x Amy Lee song stops sounding far-fetched and starts to feel almost inevitable. Both camps are clearly interested in bold, hybrid projects – and both already have connections to artists like Poppy and Spiritbox, who’ve bridged those worlds sonically.
Why an Amy Lee x Babymetal track might be hard to pull off (logistically)
The big obstacle isn’t interest – it’s timing. Amy Lee’s schedule for the coming years looks packed. Evanescence have announced a huge world tour for 2026, which will see them covering multiple continents with an all-star supporting cast.
In North America, the band will hit the road with Spiritbox and Nova Twins during the summer run. After that, they’ll head to the UK with Poppy and K. Flay, followed by European dates alongside Poppy and Nova Twins. On top of the tour itself, Evanescence are also booked for a major standalone headline show at the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado in October – a bucket-list venue for many artists.
When you line all of that up, finding the right window for a fully realized collaboration with Babymetal suddenly looks like a serious challenge. Studio time, songwriting, production, scheduling, and release planning all have to align across different labels, teams, and time zones. It’s not just “let’s jump on a Zoom and record a song.”
A new Evanescence album on the horizon
As if the touring schedule weren’t demanding enough, Evanescence are also gearing up for new music. All signs point to a fresh album arriving next year. In March, they released the song “Afterlife” as part of the soundtrack for the Devil May Cry TV series. This track served as a clear signal that the creative engine inside the band is very much running.
Around the same period, Amy Lee spoke to Audacy Music and hinted that more material is on the way. She kept things vague on specifics, saying, “I don’t have a date for you. We are just working.” She explained that after coming off the road in November 2024, the band focused heavily on writing and creating.
For newer fans, that might sound like a non-answer, but in the music world, it’s often a strong indicator: when artists start clearing their schedule to be “just creative,” an album cycle is usually taking shape behind the scenes. The combination of a fresh single, a massive tour, and talk of active studio work makes it highly likely that an Evanescence record is incoming.
Metal Hammer’s 2025 snapshot and the writer behind the piece
The Metal Hammer issue that features Su-metal’s comments on Amy Lee doesn’t just stop at one interview. The magazine offers a full-scale look back at 2025 in metal, pulling together in-depth conversations with the biggest and most forward-thinking artists of the year. It also includes their rundown of the best albums from the past 12 months, serving as a curated guide for anyone who might have missed key releases.
You can order the issue online and have it delivered straight to your door, making it easy to catch up on everything from emerging underground acts to stadium-level heavyweights. For newcomers to metal, this kind of year-end breakdown is a great way to discover bands you might never encounter through algorithms alone.
The article itself comes from Louder’s resident Gojira superfan, Matt. He joined the team back in 2017 while still at university and has since become a familiar name in both Metal Hammer and Prog. His specialty is talking to the most innovative and boundary-pushing artists in heavy music – the very people who often stir up debate about what metal “should” be.
Beyond his work for Louder, Matt has also written for major outlets like The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, NME, and more, giving him a broad perspective on how heavy music fits into the wider cultural landscape. And when he’s not behind a keyboard, you’re more likely to find him jumping out of planes, exploring underwater via scuba, or clambering along rugged coastlines while coasteering. That taste for adrenaline probably helps explain his attraction to extreme and experimental sounds.
The big question: would a Babymetal x Amy Lee track help or hurt metal?
Here’s where the debate really heats up. A Babymetal and Amy Lee collaboration would be a dream come true for many fans of theatrical, melodic, and emotionally charged heavy music. It could produce one of the most cinematic, sweeping metal songs of the decade. But others might argue that such a crossover leans too far into the polished, mainstream-friendly side of the genre.
Does a song like that push metal forward, or does it water it down? Is it an exciting fusion of two visionary acts, or a step towards a sound that’s “too pop” for the comfort of old-school fans? And if metal has always evolved by embracing the unexpected, is resisting these kinds of collaborations actually going against the spirit of the genre itself?
What do you think: should Babymetal and Amy Lee team up, and would you be first in line to hear it – or do you worry this kind of crossover is exactly what’s dragging metal away from its roots? Share your take in the comments: do you love these bold collaborations, or do you think the scene is going too far with them?
