With Slipknot, Fear Factory and Chimaira ALL hitting the UK in June, it’s nice to hear that the boys are all on form. It would seem a ticket to see any of these guys is gonna be money well spent… “LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Death, destruction and mayhem — just another night on the Jagermeister Music Tour 2004. The latest edition of this rolling thunder circus of metal mayhem featured this night SiX, Chimaira, Fear Factory and headliners Slipknot. It was a raucous house of metal maniacs that greeted each band, particularly Slipknot, which was touring for the first time in more than two years. Judging by the reaction of the band’s fans, who thrashed and crashed throughout Slipknot’s 90-minute set, the wait was worth it. Whether one is a fan of the band, it is to be admired for putting together one of the most ferocious and eye-popping live performances in recent metal times. Slipknot takes the stage with the attitude that its audience — or “maggots,” as the band affectionately calls its fans — is an army to be conquered. It confronts them not only with body-smashing music that a deaf person could hear but an amazing light show and a leering lyrical content that asks the listener to confront and deal with one’s inner demons, in whichever manner one chooses. The Iowa band has a new album coming out at month’s end on the venerable Roadrunner Records, called “Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses.” Call it what they may, there is nothing subliminal about Slipknot’s in-your-face attack. The nine-piece human threshing machine played new songs and older songs, with all of them generating a massive response. Still sporting a variety of grotesque masks and wearing new matching black uniforms whose combined effect was somewhat cartoonish but also creepy, Slipknot used its three drummers and tightly constructed, from-hell metallic riffing to create a sonic assault that is unequaled in the nu-metal world. Everyone in the band is a great entertainer as well as a solid musician. While certainly at the top of the nu-metal heap, its furious sound owes a debt to classic speed metal and, surprisingly, a bit of classic rock. This was a set to wake the dead. While Slipknot dusted whatever came before, veteran industrial rockers Fear Factory delivered a crushing 45-minute set that won favor with the packed house. Sporting a recently released and well-received album, “Archetype,” …the L.A. quartet is closer to death metal than industrial these days, a move that bodes well for them. Combining punishing riffs and rhythms with harmonious hard rock, the band’s set was loud and proud. Hardcore-meets-metal with a dash of electronics is the calling card of Chimaira, whose half-hour set was a blistering assault on the senses. To be admired for not following any current metal trends, the Roadrunner Records act’s music is on the dark, bleak side, a vision that suits them well. Jagermeister Music Tour 2004 By John Lappen Reuters/Hollywood Reporter” Check out the TOUR page for full listings.