Even after 25 years of chaos, Slipknot still know how to turn a festival into a battlefield.
Their Knotfest Melbourne set at Flemington Racecourse was a reminder that no other band does carnage quite like them. With a setlist that leaned into both deep cuts and fan favourites, it was a night that left the crowd battered, yet begging for more.
The absence of Shawn “Clown” Crahan, who missed the show due to a family emergency, left a noticeable gap, but the band didn’t let it slow them down. If anything, they tore through their set with even more fury. They made sure the Australian maggots got the full Slipknot experience.
After a haunting intro of Dream Weaver, the masked nine (minus one) launched into 742617000027, before ripping into (sic) and People = Shit. The pit opened up immediately, and from that moment, there was no escape. Corey Taylor wasted no time whipping the crowd into a frenzy, his voice just as vicious as it was two decades ago.
The setlist was packed with surprises, but none hit harder than the live debut of Gematria (The Killing Name). A track that many assumed would never see the stage, it hit like a sledgehammer, its breakneck riffing and machine-gun drumming turning the pit into a war zone.
Slipknot didn’t just rely on nostalgia. Newer tracks like Yen and Unsainted held their own next to classics like Wait and Bleed and The Heretic Anthem. Tattered & Torn, presented as a Sid Wilson remix, was a wild, experimental moment that showcased the band’s unpredictability.
The encore was pure catharsis. Spit It Out brought the infamous “jump the fuck up” moment, sending the entire festival into an airborne riot. Surfacing was the anthem of defiance it has always been. And just when it seemed like the dust was settling, they pulled out Scissors, a rare gem from their debut album, closing the night in eerie, unsettling fashion.
Slipknot might have been a man down, but they still delivered one of their most unhinged performances to date. Here the masked icons proved once again that they’re a force of nature.
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