Photo Gallery: Slayer / Lamb Of God / Behemoth at Providence Medical Center Amphitheater

Tom Araya of Slayer

One fourth of thrash metal's Big Four returned to Kansas on Tuesday night. Slayer's outing at Providence Amphitheater featured 90 minutes of material old and new set to pyrotechnics. From the moment the curtain dropped, Slayer fans circle pitted and continued screaming the band's name as if they'd just discovered them yesterday. The amphitheater's lawn area was closed off and created an intimate atmosphere and led attendees to swarm to the front of the stage. The set was capped off with barn burning renditions of crowdpleasers like "Chemical Warfare," "Raining Blood," and "Angel Of Death."

Preceding Slayer was Lamb of God. The Richmond, Virginia groove metal act has been active since 1994 and still manages to light up the stage with every performance. Metal purists may find the group gimmicky, but its energy is hard to deny. Singer Randy Blythe regularly leapt from risers on the stage, sending his dreadlocks flying and leaving fans roaring after each cut. Lamb Of God's lyrical diversity also dwarfed many of the band's contemporaries. "Now You've Got Something To Die For" was dedicated to members of the American military; "512" and "Still Echoes" were penned about Blythe's recent incarceration in a "gated community" in the Czech Republic.

Opening the show was Polish blackened death metal band Behemoth. Also active since the '90s, the group braved the heat in corpse paint and brought their cold, blustery metal to the masses before the sun had set. Their powerful stage presence and elaborate stage design -- featuring custom microphone stands shaped like different creatures -- didn't distract from the strong performance.

Full photo gallery here.