Babymetal shreds its way across the ocean

Suzuka “Su-Metal” Nakamoto performs with Babymetal on Day 1 of the 2014 Heavy Montreal Festival. Suzuka “Su-Metal” Nakamoto performs with Babymetal on Day 1 of the 2014 Heavy Montreal Festival. Photo: Mark Horton / Mark Horton / Getty Images 2014 Photo: Mark Horton / Mark Horton / Getty Images 2014 Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Babymetal shreds its way across the ocean 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

Babymetal, a trio of schoolgirls with a serious heavy-metal fetish, is Japan’s hottest new export.

Made up of Moa “Moametal” Kikuchi, 16, Yui “Yuimetal” Mizuno, 16, and Suzuka “Sumetal” Nakamoto, 18, the group might have been created in the studio, but its success is real. The video for its single “Gimme Chocolate” has more than 55 million views on YouTube, and its self-titled debut was the best-selling Japanese album in America in 2014.

This month, the band performs with Judas Priest front man Rob Halford and warms up for Rammstein at the Download festival. Its latest album, “Metal Resistance,” meanwhile, presents the perfect cross section of shredding riffs and Harajuku gothic baby doll dresses.

— Aidin Vaziri

Babymetal: 9 p.m. Thursday, July 14. $42. The Regency Ballroom, 1300 Van Ness Ave., S.F. www.theregencyballroom.com