WEST DES MOINES — A severe maggot infestation plagued one house in a West Des Moines neighborhood this weekend. More than 350 Slipknot fans — “maggots,” as the band calls them — stood in the cold, rainy weather all day for the chance to be in an upcoming music video.

Throngs of maggots, decked out in fishnet shirts, dreadlocks and fierce mohawks, charged the house time after time, from front and back, like opposing armies meeting on a battlefield. Cars were trampled. Chests were bared. And what would a metal event be without a few bloody gashes? Minor injuries resulted when overaggressive maggots pushed a little too hard on a large window pane during the filming.

All this action worked toward the concept of an Iowa home being invaded by fans during a band practice, said Slipknot percussionist Chris Fehn.

“It’s just going to be us jamming, and then the fans are gonna crawl in like maggots,” Fehn said. That pretty much sums up the organized chaos that took place Saturday.

The song being jammed was “Duality,” the first single off the forthcoming album, “Vol. 3 (The Subliminal Verses),” which drops May 25.

The skies pelted the maggots with rain all day, matching the mood perfectly, from the directors’ standpoint. But it also put a damper on the morale of the barely-clothed crowd.

One miserable-looking pair, Erica Reams and Justin Dombkowski, found slight refuge from the elements under a tree during some downtime. Having driven 13 hours from Erie, Pa., the young couple endured more than 40 hours without sleep by the end of the shoot.

They certainly didn’t win the prize for longest distance traveled though, as a few Slipknot fanatics had come from England and Ukraine.

A scrawny 17-year-old named Jay Bauden borrowed money to fly from his home in Dover, England. He said Iowa was too cold for him, but nothing could steal his smile as he sat amongst his idols. Lead singer Corey Taylor even let Bauden stay at his home during his visit.

“Best fucking week of my life,” Bauden said with a grin of shock. This was the main sentiment the star-struck boy had to express, but he had more than a few F-bombs of joy to drop in the name of his personal saviors.

The members of Slipknot were glad to hang out with the fans during breaks, in keeping with their reputation for staying close to their roots.

Some maggots even brought their parents to the event, or vice versa.

Mary Yakle, of Wapello, drove her 16-year-old daughter Allison three hours to Des Moines, and even showed moral support by wearing an outfit she’d picked out at Hot Topic, complete with black fishnet sleeves. Mary said “Ally” was having the time of her life and that she herself would have loved the chance to do something like this when she was younger.

“Back when I was a kid, I was into hard rock, so I think it’s cool,” Mary said. Not only was Mary unbothered by the overwhelming air of youthful angst, she doesn’t even mind hearing her daughter referred to as a maggot.

“I’m a maggot mom,” she said.

Not everyone in attendance had the same appreciation for Slipknot as the maggots and maggot parents, and some even despised the group, but embraced the experience nonetheless.

“I can’t stand their music, but I’ve heard it so much that I forget why,” said Elliot Imes of Des Moines.

“But it’s just so over-the-top that I have fun with it.”

Imes auditioned with a few of his friends as a joke, wearing T-shirts that had photos of themselves on the fronts. One of these friends was Joe Carrington, who himself was a member of well-known Des Moines bands Dispensing of False Halos and In Loving Memory.

“We thought for sure we wouldn’t get in,” Carrington said with a laugh. “But we ended up being in the front of the crowd in the house and we were right behind Corey Taylor and grabbing his hair.”

Carrington was clearly having a good time, despite being drenched head to toe in cold water and standing outside without a shirt on all day. Afraid of being swarmed by maggots himself, Carrington mentioned his true views of the metal band in a hushed tone.

“We hate Slipknot,” Carrington whispered. “But I can’t say that loud or we’ll get beat up.”