Slipknot Slides Through Styles

By the time Slipknot stormed the stage at the Palladium on Friday, the sold-out crowd that packed the house had been waiting nearly 45 minutes and was veritably seething with anticipation. The Iowa nine-piece, which has stirred up quite a buzz with its freaky creep show approach to metal, didn’t disappoint.

Costumed in white coveralls and lurid rubber masks, the group looked like an ungodly cross between Insane Clown Posse and Devo, but the music was distinctive and powerful. With three players dedicated to drums and percussion, the brutally syncopated music often churned with an industrial air reminiscent of early Einsturzende Neubauten.

At other times the rhythmic attack was so intense it generated a techno-like vibe. And as with electronic dance music, the compositions focused more on ambience and kinetic force than individuality (despite chant-able hooks that anchored several songs). To that end the driving energy never let up and Slipknot’s command of the frenetic audience never faltered.

There were no encores, only a drawn out closing number that lunged through several mood swings from gravely grinding to a gnarly spoken-word interlude. The evening didn’t go out with a bang, but the final squall of feedback was an equally fitting finish for Slipknot’s display of chaotic charisma.