SlipknotIt's doubtful too many punters shelled out their hard-earned primarily for In Hearts Wake, in many respects the proverbial square peg in the bill's round hole. Nonetheless it was an opportunity to convert a largely uninitiated gathering to their melodic metalcore and the Byron Bay chart-toppers didn't appear misplaced on the larger stage.
To devotees, a 45-minute Lamb Of God set may have felt like a tease. Thus, from opener Walk With Me In Hell onwards both band and audience crammed as much energy as they could into the truncated slot. The taut Americans bustled with visceral, grooving metallic thrust and propulsive polyrhythms. Laid To Rest delivered a bloodier beatdown than an incensed Brock Lesnar. Admittedly far from metal's most charismatic frontman, Randy Blythe introduced incarceration-themed 512 as inspired by a "place where I spent a little time" to considerable cheers. Multiple circle-pits greeted closer Redneck, leaving the masses craving more.
Perhaps being the second visit on current album .5: The Gray Chapter's cycle detracted from the buzz surrounding this tour, but the rabid Maggots were out en masse by the time Slipknot arrived. This included a smattering decked out in boiler suits and one female fan sporting a "Bring Back Joey" shirt in honour of former sticksman Jordison.
The usual nonet was temporarily reduced to an eight-man masked juggernaut; percussionist/backing vocalist Shawn 'Clown' Crahan returned home due to a family emergency. This detracted from the metallers' visual spectacle and overall presence, but musically they were well-honed and eye-catching video screen graphics enhanced the appeal. Crowd-pleasing was certainly high on the agenda. Name one of the band's hits - Disasterpiece, The Heretic Anthem, Spit It Out, Wait And Bleed, Duality et al - and they aired it. The Iowa crew's early manic, primal unpredictability has understandably largely been supplanted by a knack for showmanship and professionalism nowadays. Nonetheless, their arena-metal aggression still possesses plenty of cache among the heavy music faithful.
