25 years after they exploded in the nu-metal scene, Slipknot are taking their self-titled debut album on the road. On a sold out European arena run, it was finally Manchester’s turn to experience 1999 again.
Scottish metalcore titans Bleed From Within open the night. This is my second time catching them as a support band and they once again impressed. In classic metalcore fashion, screamed verses and clean choruses get the crowd moving from the first minute. Teasing their new album, it won’t be long until their headlining arenas themselves.
Then it’s Slipknot. This isn’t your modern Slipknot show, as Corey Taylor says, “this is not for your casual Slipknot fan, it’s for the maggots.” Strange to see for Slipknot these days, the backdrop was just their logo, then instruments set up on stage and a few flags. No huge platforms, no pyro, no spinning drum kits – it’s back to basics and it works.
As ‘742617000027’ rings out, the band walk on stage wearing classic masks and the iconic red boiler suits. Firing into ‘(sic)’ Sid Wilson’s shout of, “here comes the pain,” sends the arena into an hour and a half of carnage. Quickly going into ‘Eyeless’ and ‘Wait and Bleed’, there’s no time for a breather for the crowd or the band.
Only playing songs from 1999, the band treat the crowd to deep cuts and tracks that have rarely been played this side of the millennium up until this tour. Treats like ‘Get This’ and ‘No Life’ have Corey Taylor firing on all cylinders, while an extended version of the nights closing track ‘Scissors’ goes down a storm.
This is the best Slipknot show in years, the band are at the top of their game. While they were good at Download in 2023, there’s no comparison to this. Between Sid Wilson’s interludes to bring everything together, Jim Root and Mick Thompson going blow for blow with riffs, new drummer Eloy Casagrande sounding like he’s been with the band for 25 years and Corey Taylor’s vocals being back to his best – this is a special tour.
The first album I ever bought was Slipknot’s debut album, and to see that played in full was something else. 25 years on, the band manage to recapture the same energy and anger that was there when the album first released, and these songs are still just as good no matter how many times you’ve heard them.
