On loan from the rock gods Japanese pop-metal group BabyMetal returned to the States and brought with them a heavy metal show New York City won’t soon forget.

BabyMetal, a trio of lovable teenagers – lead singer Suzuka Nakamoto nicknamed “Su-metal”, Yui Mizuno “Yuimetal”, and Moa Kikuchi “Moametal” – who, when dressed in an armored corset injected with a hint baroque gothic lolita design, become heavy metal rock princesses. Last week the girls hit the Hammerstein Ballroom like a hurricane commanding a line that stretched halfway around the block with some fans attempting to line up as early as noon for a 7pm show. Their whirlwind international tour paused for little breath as the girls also hit the O2 Academy Brixton in London this past weekend.

While many bands have attempted to combine metal’s hardcore aggression with crowd-pleasing pop, a not-so-unreasonable attempt to create an “entry level” pop-metal group, the results had been fruitless until somehow BabyMetal pulled it off. The group offers an unapologetic mix of bubblegum pop spiced with the charm of a devilish child’s smile who had just pulled off the prank of a lifetime. It’s clear that BabyMetal is not afraid to take advantage of their hardcore roots as the ensemble is topped off with an amazing backing band whose skills rival that of any other heavy metal group and the result is a spectacle to behold.

Their music is an uneven fusion of J-pop and metal as angelic voices scream and shout over the unmistakable wails of death metal guitar riffs creating an eclectic, but not entirely unpleasant, experience. BabyMetal first made headlines with their North American debut as the supporting act for the Queen of Pop at LADY GAGA’S artRAVE the ARTPOP ball concert series this summer and have been kicking butt and taking names ever since.

The show began with an introduction reminiscent of the opening of Star Wars, a title crawl carefully sharing the narrative behind BabyMetal which involved a fox gods plan to reinvigorate the world of heavy metal. A little bit of theatrics never hurt anyone. The girls opened up with BABYMETAL DEATH then hurtled through their setlist which included fan favorites such as Uki Uki ★ Midnight, Akatsuki, Megitsune, and of course Gimme Chocolate!!

The girls performed highly choreographed routines reminiscent of cheerleaders as devil horns fox signs are thrown and headbanging is displayed precisely in beat. Their synchronicity played in stark contrast to the chaos which circled the floor as mosh pits and walls of death materialized proving the crowds mettle. A stunning light show bathed the theatre in red as spotlights created vortexes of light which stuttered and shattered as the stage threw balls of flame with a fiery that rivaled that of any Kiss show.

The crowd, an eclectic mix of metal heads, the musically curious, and J-pop/K-pop aficionados, matched the patchwork offerings of the pop metal group raised in the land of the rising sun. As the lights dimmed and BabyMetal skipped off stage after their encore performance of Ijime, Dame, Zettai we can’t help but want to see more.