Lordi. Babymetal. Sabaton. All three bands have been dismissed at points of their careers due to perceived gimmicks - the "monster" band, the "Kawaii" band, the "tank" band - but a sold-out, full capacity Wembley Arena proves that no matter what dismissive statements you might make against them, there are at least 12,000 fans who prove these bands are a very beloved part of the heavy metal firmament.
First up for metal's wildest tour of 2023 are Lordi, the Finnish shock rockers who took top spot at Eurovision in 2006 and set a precedent for many hopeful metal acts for years to come (including Voyager and Lord Of The Lost, who will be representing Australia and Germany respectively this year).
At their best, Lordi are purveyors of spooky shanties designed for mass consumption, but Wembley seems somewhat subdued in response for their opening set. The cheers of approval for the band's arrival don't quite mesh with the lack of mass sing-alongs as the band tuck into a short but sweet set, but nonetheless a combination of nostalgia and brilliant songwriting ensures we feel the magic of Would You Love A Monsterman?, Blood Red Sandman and Devil Is A Loser, with a thumping Hard Rock Halleujah making us feel like its 2006 all over again.
Lordi setlist - Wembley Arena, April 15 2023
- Dead Again Jayne
- Would You Love A Monsterman?
- Thing In The Cage
- Blood Red Sandman
- Lucyfer Prime Evil
- Devil Is A Loser
- Who's Your Daddy?
- Hard Rock Halelujah
The fact these are the first shows Babymetal has played in the UK as an official trio for almost five years feels like Big News. While they have long had a stand-in third member in the form of the Avengers dancers (Momoko Okazaki herself being one of these), the addition of "Momometal" as an official member lends a natural sense of cohesion to Babymetal's performance.
“We are so excited to be back at WEMBLEY ARENA,” Su-Metal offers, a canny reminder that this band have been playing to thousands of people almost since their first appearance in the UK. The next 40 minutes flies by in a blitzkrieg of sweeping riffs, blaring synths, soaring symphoncs and utterly captivating stagecraft as the trio show off a near-inhuman level of precision in their choreography.
For all the infectious, hyperactive energy of their early songs, its new cuts Divine Attack - Shingeki and Monochrome that feel the most enormous, absolutely titanic tunes that make songs like Gimme Chocolate!! feel almost cartoonish in comparison, the audience clearly braying for more as the band depart.
Babymetal setlist - Wembley Arena April 15 2023
- BABYMETAL DEATH
- Megitsune
- PA PA YA!!
- Divine Attack - Shingeki
- Monochrome
- Gimme Chocolate!!
- Road Of Resistance
Calling Sabaton "the tank band" feels utterly redundant at this point. Yes, their drumriser is a tank, but at Wembley Arena it's only a very small part of a Broadway-sized theatrical production Sabaton are putting on, an enormous sign over the stage proclaiming The Tour To End All Tours going some way to the sheer scale the Swedes are delivering in 2023.
A cascade of exloding fireworks signals the band's arrival and feels especially chaotic as Sabaton rush the stage with all the intensity of an actual invasion - and by god if they don't have the ordinance to back it up. From a seemingly endless supply of pyro that turns an already-warm Wembley into a scorching sauna to everything from actors portraying historical figures like Gavrilo Princip and German flying ace the Bloody Baron to smoke canons, fireworks-firing bazookas and a snow machine, every song seemingly comes with its own flourishes that makes the whole thing feel like a Blockbuster epic.
And if you took away those special effects? Well, then you have some of the most infectiously joyous songs in the heavy metal can(n)on. Ghost Division, Carolus Rex, Stormtroopers, Soldier Of Heaven - each of these massive anthems waves the flag for the bombastic, triumphant spirit that has made heavy metal such a formidable force these past 50 years, to coin a phrase from Babymetal: "transcending generational divides and language barriers".
Whether they're playing practical jokes on each other - at one point singer Joakim Brodén's incredibly sweaty face is plastered with plectrums - or mavelling at the fact the first time the band played London was at the now-closed 200 capacity Purple Turtle (where they sold just 90 tickets), it all feels like vindication for Sabaton sticking to their guns - and tanks, and planes that conceal keyboards - for so long to literally conquer one of London's most revered large-scale venues.
In turn, Wembley utterly adores the band for it. The sing-alongs come thick and fast for the more bombastic numbers, while ballads like Motorhead cover 1916 and Christmas Truce met with a sea of shining lights that capture the wonder and magic Sabaton embody.
With grit, perserverance and yes, a stage show that comes off like a Michael Bay wet dream, Sabaton have added their own epic entry to the heavy metal pantheon, shrugging off the "gimmick" tag to show time and again they are exactly what this genre has been built upon, metal legends in their own right.
Sabaton setlist - Wembley Arena 15 April 2023
- Ghost Division
- Bismark
- The Last Stand
- Into The Fire
- Carolus Rex (Swedish Version)
- Winged Hussars
- Sarajevo
- Stormtroopers
- 1916
- Soldier Of Heaven
- Dreadnought
- The Red Baron
- Father
- The Attack Of The Dead Men
- Christmas Truce
- Primo Victoria
- Swedish Pagans
- To Hell And Back
