Live at Wembley Arena

Personnel: Su-Metal (vocals, dancer); Yuimetal, Moametal (dancer).
Audio Mixer: Tue Madsen.
Recording information: The SSE Arena, Wembley (2016).
Babymetal's unlikely fusion of J-Pop and heavy metal showed no signs of slowing down in 2016. After the release of their second album, Metal Resistance, the trio of vocalists, Su-Metal, Yuimetal and Moametal, and their backing band hit concert stages around the world, converting non-believers and thrilling those who had already jumped aboard. Their biggest show took place at the SSE Arena in Wembley Arena in front of 12,000 screaming fans. The band ran through songs from the two albums at a fever pitch and it was captured on video as well as recorded and released under the title Live at Wembley. The resulting document likely worked better with the visuals, since the live versions of the group's songs are very faithful to the album versions. The guitars are a touch more brutal and the overall sound is rougher, but the vocals come through loud and clear. While it's not as much fun as the albums, especially the first one, Live at Wembley is a worthwhile listen for anyone who can't get enough of Babymetal's ridiculous sound, boundless energy, and catchy songs. ~ Tim Sendra