Marilyn Manson / Slayer / Bleeding Through

The idea of Slayer opening for anybody might seem like an act of sacrilege, but that's where their latest Hot Topic-sponsored tour found them – playing before veteran shock rocker Marilyn Manson. Although a technically competent act, show openers Bleeding Through's abrasive brand of metalcore was widely panned, partially due to the long line of fans still queuing to get into the grounds during their performance. Hitting the stage during daylight hours, it became immediately clear that it doesn't really matter when Slayer play, they're still going to beat you over the head with their skull-crushingly loud signature brand of thrash. A near-sold-out Molson Amphitheatre agreed, with a rhythmic throwing of the horns in time with drummer Dave Lombardo's double-kick gallop. A huge projected backdrop slid through a montage of decidedly "metal" imagery, like the mangled-Jesus illustration from Christ Illusion, Hitler, and bleeding inverted crosses, as fans shouted along to favourites "Mandatory Suicide," "Raining Blood," and newer tune "Jihad." Say what you will about Marilyn Manson's music, but there's no denying that he still puts on a good show. Elaborate stage props (featuring a velvet-roped boxing ring, a runway, candles, confetti, and an elaborate chair, among others) cemented Manson as the Xtina of industrial metal, and seemed custom-fitted for his corseted and glammed-up fans. Opening with "If I Was Your Vampire" off his latest release Eat Me, Drink Me from behind a red-backlit screen, Manson nodded towards the newer side of his catalogue with weak recent single "Heart Shaped Glasses" and "mOBSCENE." Manson and his surprisingly tight backing band still busted out fan favourites "Disposable Teens," Eurhythmics cover "Sweet Dreams" and "Beautiful People," providing roughly 90 minutes of bizarre entertainment, despite the fact that his stage show was disappointingly scaled-back from previous appearances.