5th Dimension

Borrowing visual cues from super sentai shows, collaborating with former Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman and KISS, singing about space pirates and dystopias and airships, one could almost mistake Japanese hyperpop idol group Momoiro Clover Z for metal. This stuff is way too upbeat for that but it’s pretty wild nonetheless. The Marty Friedman/space pirate track, “Mouretsu Space Symphony in Seven Movements ‘Infinite Love,’” boosts their power levels to maximum, but elsewhere there’s electro-swing, scatting, Carl Orff, gorgeous ultra-balladry, and as many hooks as spikes on their masks. The Neo-Stargate awaits.