SLIPKNOT

10.31.00
Hammerstein Ballroom
New York, NY

A massive pentagram graces the menacing, monolithic screen that obscures the stage. Tension builds as projections of smaller pentagrams dance along the dark partition to a country and western tune. What a deliciously twisted introduction.

When the inky veil finally falls to reveal the members of Slipknot in their nightmarish masks and coveralls, the tension in the room pops like a cork from a bottle. The carnage begins as the band explodes into '[sic]' and 'Eyeless', 'Spit It Out' and other venomous ditties, keeping the crowd reeling. Debris from shredded Hallowe'en costumes flies in a tangled mess overhead. Slipknot doppelgangers scream the enraged lyrics from within the undulating throng. I begin to wonder how far this angry yet charismatic pack of clowns can drive their shtick, as their unrelenting, sonic brutality turns the venue into one big, boiling pot of chaos.

"This next song," singer Corey Taylor announces, "is for anyone who ever felt let down by a pussy rock star! This is your new national anthem!" And the scathing 'Surfacing' begins to take shape. "You fuckers wanna die?!" Whoa! Further apocalyptic madness erupts. Taylor's "sick fucking maggots" howl for more as the lights come up. Send in the clowns!

This review originally appeared on Metal-Is.com.