Korn at the Auckland Supertop

Guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer alternates between guttural riffs and weird harmonic sounds. Picture / Reuters

If angst could be bottled and sold, a fortune could be made as Korn brings its thundering alt-metal show to 7000 screaming Auckland fans.

The cavernous Supertop barely contains the crunching riffs of appropriate opener It's On! from the band's 1998 breakthrough album, Follow the Leader. From there it explodes as the fans, a mixture of young and not-so-young-any more, heed the call.

The California quartet is all about the darkness, and the 90-minute set reflects it. Starting with a simple black curtain as a backdrop, parted somewhat to reveal the drums on a riser, the stage show becomes drastically more elaborate a few songs in.

The curtains open fully during Love Song, from last year's See You on the Other Side, to reveal a backing band wearing animal masks, including a backup guitarist, keyboard and vocalist, as well as a second drum set with giant gongs and Japanese kodo drums. The look is industrial.

Singer Jonathan Davis spends much of the show clutching his trademark microphone stand (a metallic woman sculpture created by Swiss surrealist H.R. Giger) for dear life while belting out hits from the band's seven albums. The rest of the time, he growls and bellows while prowling the stage like a demented preacher.

The band behind Davis is tight and powerful. Bassist Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu and drummer David Silveria pounding out the backing beats for guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer, who easily alternates between gutturally heavy riffs and the band's trademark weird harmonic sounds. The highlight comes about halfway through with Here To Stay, from 2002's Untouchables. The crowd has been obediently banging its collective head until now, but it only really gets moving to the so-heavy-you-can-feel-it-in-your-stomach anthem.

There are a few moments of silliness, however. First up is Munky's extended guitar solo, which seems strangely out of place. While his display of two-hand-tapping technique is impressive, for a few minutes the display makes the show feel like a Whitesnake concert.

Similarly, Davis' trademark bagpipe solo is underwhelming as the singer parades for a few minutes and manages to play only a few notes. If Davis is going to continue the gimmick, he should expand his repertoire.

But the band finishes in style with its three big songs - a somewhat lazy version of Twisted Transistor from See You ... followed by the raucous Freak on a Leash and Blind, their first single.

The crowd goes home happy, angst spent. Perhaps Korn has learned how to bottle it.