TORONTO - Rammstein went up in flames at The Docks last night. No serious injuries were reported.

Actually, the towering inferno was actually all part of a flaming schtick, and lean on it the Berlin-based band did when they stormed the downtown nightclub's stage in front of a near-full house of about 1,500.

Good thing for Rammstein, too.

Because behind the feverish hype the band have generated since dropping their techno-thrash payload on North American audiences with their 1997 debut album, Sehnsucht, behind their undeniably formidable stage show, is one mediocre clown-act in search of a decent song.

Rammstein first grabbed mainstream attention last year as part of California-based rock group Korn's "Family Values" Tour. At least one show in the easily-shockable Midwestern U.S. was shut down after the band reportedly performed wearing nothing but a few strategically placed pieces of duct-tape.

The flames of controversy were fanned again when Rammstein were accused of including Nazi imagery in the video for their minor hit, Du Hast. The band hotly denied the charges.

Things got ugly in April when Rammstein were among the so-called "goth" bands indirectly blamed for the Columbine School Massacre -- seems the gunmen were fans.

As the group themselves offered in a subsequent statement, Rammstein do not preach hate or condone violence -- though, since they sing exclusively in Deutsch, any non-German moron without a decent dictionary could get them wrong.

As last night's show proved, Rammstein are top-tier entertainers.

Ripping a page from the industrial-rock guidebook, they are Skinny Puppy without the rabies. A snarling update of German synth bands like Alphaville mit angst -- remember Big In Japan, anyone? -- or a better choreographed and musically bland Einstuerzende Neubauten.

Rammstein could go straight to Vegas with this thing once the goths -- or is it the visogoths now? -- lose interest.

So it wasn't so much about the steak as it was the sizzle as the six-man band displayed their musical scorched-earth policy.

Led by former Olympic swimmer turned growler Till Lindemann, the sort of Teutonic powerhaus you wouldn't want to run afoul of after too much Jaegermeister, they were an impressive-looking outfit and able to go shirtless without embarrassment.

Keyboardist Flake Lorenz -- possibly the worst dancer ever to bust out of the former Eastern Block -- bravely journeyed to the back of the room in a rubber dingy before the crowd finally dropped him with an audible thud.

Factor in the astonishing array of spark-throwing wands, bow-and-arrows, spurs, and precision flash-pots, and it was a lovely visual achievement.

Rammstein's fans seemed content, shouting out lyrics and roaring approval. Maybe they would have without the fireworks too. But I'm giving an extra star to their pyro-crew all the same.

JAM! Rating: 3 out of 5