Strap up and prepare for hell – Slipknot and Korn are touring together. These two juggernauts grew up together, breeding a new brand of metal in the 90s. Now, the inevitable has happened. They are out on the road for a massive arena tour.
For 20 years, Slipknot have been a dominate force in music both on tape and in concert. The band is back touring now in support of their latest album, and this time around fans need to be prepared to witness hell on stage. For some, it won’t be their Slipknot standing. Over the last few years, the band has endured the death of bassist Paul Gray and the departure of drummer Joey Jordison. However, with two new masked members stepping up to fill their shoes, Slipknot are firing on all cylinders as they always have.
After King 810 opened the show, metal icons Korn got their set off to a running start with “Twist.” Their third
track, “Right Now,” has always packed a heavy punch and truly set the tone for the rest of the night. Korn are celebrating the 20th anniversary of their groundbreaking self-titled debut album. They performed “Shoots & Ladders” with a bit of Metallica’s “One” mixed in and they closed the set with their signature anthem “Blind.” Other highlights included “Coming Undone,” “Freak on a Leash,” “Here To Stay,” “Good God,” and their latest single “Hater.” While they have released two studio albums since 2011, Korn have been warriors of the road, touring nearly non-stop and hitting many major festivals around the world. We were actually fairly shocked when they announced this tour with Slipknot, but we’re sure glad they’ve decided not to take a break just yet.
Korn’s intense set left the crowd rowdy and hungry for more. Slipknot took the stage to stand and deliver. The stage was dressed like a sick, twisted carnival nightmare. Opening with “Sarcastrophe,” a cut from their new album, and never looked back. The band proceed to unleash an all-out assault on the ears. They shook the arena walls with new tracks like “The Devil In I,” “Custer,” and “The Negative One” and ground out classic hits like “Psychosocial,” “Vermilion,” “Wait and Bleed,” “People = Shit,” “Spit It Out,” and more. Despite the loss, heartache, conflicts, and line-up changes, Slipknot still remain a force to be reckoned with. They are one of, if not the greatest, representatives of heavy music at a time when metal needs it most.
Slipknot’s new album .5: The Gray Chapter recently debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200. All of the band’s four
prior studio albums have been certified platinum. Their single “The Negative One” has been nominated for a Grammy Award this year for Best Metal Performance. The band has been nominated for eight Grammys throughout their career, winning Best Metal Performance in 2006 for their hit track “Before I Forget.” Slipknot formed in 1995 and have been a steady, dominant force in the music world for 20 years, selling 25 million albums in the process. The band headlined the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival in 2012 and this past October the held the second annual Knotfest in San Bernardino, CA. In February, the band will co-headline Soundwave Festival in Australia alongside Faith No More and Soundgarden, plus many more acts.
Korn recently unleashed the official music video for their new single “Hater” off the band’s latest release The Paradigm Shift – World Tour Edition. The video is comprised of chaotic fan footage from Korn shows all around the globe. Korn’s eleventh studio album The Paradigm Shift was released in October 2013. It debuted at #8 on the Billboard Top 200 and served as a comeback record for founding guitarist Brian “Head ” Welch. The band recently completed a co-headlining trek on the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival over the summer. Throughout their career, the band has sold over 35 million records worldwide. They have released 11 studio albums, 9 of which have gone Top 10 on the Billboard Top 200 (five of them hit the Top 5). Eight of their albums have gone multi-platinum. They have been nominated for 7 Grammy’s, winning two of them, and 11 MTV Video Music Awards, winning 2 of them. – by Matt Bishop