Slipknot: Day of the Gusano

Iowa heavy metal band Slipknot made a splash with its 1999 debut album, although the group has gone through so many personnel changes over the years it's hard not to think of Slipknot as more of a concept than a cohesive ensemble. Slipknot made their first trip to Mexico City in 2015, an experience captured in this documentary that is directed (in the loosest sense) by the band's percussionist, Shawn Crahan, who employs the usual template for concert movies, alternating performance clips with interviews of band members and gushing fans. (Weirdly, or perhaps just cheaply, there are no English subtitles in scenes with Spanish-speaking fans.) The aging musicians of Slipknot, who still wear the group's trademark masks on stage, are seen in their free time talking about a variety of subjects including the travel benefits of being in a touring band, shopping in an outdoor market, watching acrobats in a surreal performance, and—in the only interesting sequence—visiting the impressive Pyramid of the Sun. As for the music, Slipknot's chunka-chunka-chunka death metal on hits during a 17-song set—including “Sarcastrophe,” “Psychosocial,” “Duality,” “The Heretic Anthem,” and “Wait and Bleed”—will prove monotonous to all but diehard fans, and certainly doesn't compensate for the boredom-inducing offstage footage. Presented in DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 and stereo on DVD, and DTS-HD 5.1 and LPCM stereo on Blu-ray, extras include a bonus audio CD. Optional. (T. Keogh)