Aagh - my ears hurt!

Byline: GEORGE HUNT

EXCESS has long been the hallmark of the heavy rock band. But none is more infamous than Slipknot, renowned for their gruesome masks, grubby jump suits and stomach-turning onstage antics.

As a curtain rises, pyrotechnics and a hydraulic drum riser are revealed, the men from Des Moines launch straight into Surfacing from their first album, which is lapped up by the ravenous fans. Despite their comedy appearance, their sound is rock solid, pantomime, but thoroughly professional.

Slipknot have certainly come a long way from the nine guys who used to practise in a rundown garage in Iowa and tonight is testament to the meteoric rise that started to gather speed in the late '90s, following the release of their eponymous debut album.

The band's detractors will always maintain their brand of "puke plus pantomime" was designed for the larger venues, but for all the obvious comparisons that can be made between Slipknot and their 1980s stadium rock predecessors, such as Kiss and Iron Maiden, credit has to be given to them for converting a new generation of metal fans (or maggots as they are known) and their unquestioned commitment to their idols is laid bare tonight.

The band power through a chaotic cocktail of hits from their four studio albums, including Sick and Duality, as frontman Corey Taylor rallies the sweaty throng in a way only an anti-messiah on this scale is capable of doing.

Although some of the elements of the band's original performance remain (the uniform, the masks, the general sense of theatrical bedlam that colours their stage presence) this is an altogether more professional Slipknot than the band of old, who seem to have matured alongside the teenagers who had their debut offering blasting from their bedrooms 24/7.

From the pulsating Liberate through to the near ballad-like Dead Memories, it is clear this is a band at the peak of its powers, while the intensity that Slipknot's live shows are famous for never waivers for a moment. Indeed, a rendition of Heretic Anthem threatens to bring the house down as the crowd do their best to drown out the efforts of the masked men.

For a band who place such an emphasis on the importance of their fans it would be easy to say tonight's offering of flaming gantries, industrial-size drum risers and stage attire not dissimilar from something from Night of the Living Dead is typical of a band that have disconnected from the fans who made them who they are in a mad frenzy in which absolutely everything is turned up to 11.

However, seeing the reaction that Slipknot are still capable of getting reminds you of the adoration the maggots still have for them, and on the back of this performance it looks like this is one metal love match which will last a long time.

CAPTION(S):

RAW ENERGY - Slipknot on stage in a typical pose