“Rock is dead,” cries the tone-deaf geriatric, trite as they’ve sounded for the previous couple of many years. The sentiment nonetheless annoyingly prevails in some quarters, however the inaugural, sold-out Australian version of Slipknot’s pageant Knotfest proves it’s by no means been much less true.
Over three Knotfest Australia stops this previous weekend, near 100,000 mosh-starved maniacs convened to boost their horns, voices and subsequently hell. The first 30,000 took to the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne on Friday (March 24), kicking issues off on a excessive observe with a riotous chasm of windmilling arms and belting cheers for English hardcore band Malevolence. As far as openers go, they proved to be a secure guess, doling out an adrenalised surge of overdriven riffs and soul-rattling blastbeats that, whereas enjoyable and fierce in equal measure, fell a bit of on the essential aspect.
Initially meant to observe them had been surprising TikTookay sensation Bad Omens, who, due to latest hits like ‘Just Pretend’ and ‘Like A Villain’, quick turned some of the anticipated acts on the invoice. But the band had been pressured to drop out simply over an hour earlier than they had been scheduled to play, with singer Noah Sebastian struggling vocal pressure that had already affected their Sydney present earlier this week.
Australia’s personal Void Of Vision made certain their followers’ vitality wasn’t wasted, wreaking havoc with their genre-bending mashup of neurofunk and metalcore. The greatest spotlight was their Prodigy-channelling ‘Chronicles III’ lower ‘Hell Hell Hell’, which on report leans closely into its digital affect, however at Knotfest roared to life with thick, distorted guitars on the forefront. Fellow locals Alpha Wolf had been subsequent up on the itinerary, and though their sound was rather less bold – commonplace metalcore fare with stormy screams and crunchy breakdowns – their vitality was infectious and their efficiency, tight and fuelled by an ironclad chemistry, was nothing wanting mesmerising.
They provided a strong warm-up for the beatdown hardcore stylings of Kentucky champions Knocked Loose, who Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor as soon as heralded as “the future of metal”. They made a nice case for that title, launching right into a pummelling showcase of their two albums – 2016’s ‘Laugh Tracks’ and 2019’s ‘A Different Shade Of Blue’ – in addition to some alternative cuts from their 2021 EP ‘A Tear In The Fabric Of Life’. “I feed off of chaos,” Bryan Garris screamed between songs. “I thrive off it. I live for it.” Not content material to allow us to take him at his phrase, the frontman gave Knotfest its most intense efficiency of the day.
Though they didn’t match Knocked Loose’s depth, Spiritbox shone with the day’s first dip into melodic territory, with transient glimmers of pop-influenced levity including color to their in any other case grisly, shred-heavy choices. Thanks in no small half to her position as this Knotfest line-up’s solely feminine presence – one thing we sincerely hope is remedied subsequent 12 months – many eyes had been on frontwoman Courtney LaPlante. But she surprised Melbourne along with her soul-melting screams (heavier and extra brooding than most of her male colleagues) and flipped seamlessly into her cool and cruisy cleans.
Following had been screamo trailblazers Story Of The Year, and though they initially appeared misplaced on the Knotfest invoice, the American veterans proved their would possibly with a decent and turbulent journey by their 20-year catalogue. Their set was heavy on cuts from their 2003 debut, ‘Page Avenue’, however the greatest highlights had been the few gems they included from their just-released sixth album, ‘Tear Me To Pieces’, which confirmed they’ve nonetheless acquired what it takes to make a sprawling pageant crowd lose its collective shit with the bang of a snare and whack of a fretboard.
As the afternoon rolled on, In Flames stored spirits excessive with their blistering run of hardcore-adjacent alt-metal gems – buoyed by frontman Anders Fridén’s hilarious banter – earlier than Amon Amarth made their packed crowd (dozens of whom got here ready with cardboard swords and shields) really feel like true Vikings on the hand of their triumphant, battle-ready demise steel.
So unashamedly gruff and masculine, the Swedes made Northlane’s succeeding set – steered by the shimmery, synth-based materials of their previous few information – really feel like tonal whiplash. The poor combine definitely didn’t assist, muddying their often meticulous mix of analogue and digital sounds. It was a disgrace: Northlane are considered one of Australia’s finest heavy music exports, however at their first present on house soil for the 12 months, they fell flat on their faces.
Another hit-and-miss combo got here by the hands of Trivium and Megadeth. The former act confirmed that they’re greater than worthy of headlining festivals like this – Matt Heafy commanded his crowd like a real king of the stage, shredding to his coronary heart’s content material between sharp and convulsive (and at occasions melodically wealthy) vocal runs – whereas Megadeth made it painfully clear that their prime has come and gone, stumbling by their over-wrung, hourlong set with little effort or pleasure.
Effectively billed as co-headliners, Parkway Drive delivered a career-defining set of soul-ravaging steel. They balanced charming theatrics – which included a forged of torch-wielding cultists, a string part and sufficient pyro to heat a small village by a full winter – with an impassioned efficiency. Galvanised by their newly rekindled chemistry (which NME unpacked with them final 12 months), the now-legendary Byron Bay crew seamlessly weaved old-school hits like ‘Carrion’ and ‘Karma’ between new, soon-to-be anthems like ‘Soul Bleach’ and ‘Darker Still’.
The night time may’ve ended there with no complaints from us, however in fact, it wouldn’t be Knotfest and not using a closing salvo from the one and solely Slipknot, the undisputed kings of nu-metal’s mid-‘90s peak. When NME spoke to percussionist Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan final 12 months about Knotfest Australia, he defined that his final objective is for the band’s units at their very own pageant to grow to be “a full-on spiritual and immersive experience [that goes] well past the definition of a concert”, the place hordes of adoring Maggots find yourself “drowning in the dream”.
Slipknot should be some methods off from that – as they band gave a reasonably commonplace efficiency by their very own metrics – however the spirit of Knotfest, with a sea of followers all galvanised by a collective love for the band’s unexampled ethos and aesthetic, made the present really feel particular.
Even when the band performed deep-ish cuts like ‘Before I Forget’ and ‘Dead Memories’, their crowd went completely hog-wild. “I can’t take you crazy motherfuckers anywhere,” Taylor declared across the halfway level, after the present was stopped momentarily as a consequence of a punter who climbed a pillar of scaffolding. And the vitality solely rose and rose, culminating in a dizzying blur of beating our bodies and belting voices for a four-song climax: ‘Psychosocial’, ‘Duality’, ‘Custer’ and ‘Spit It Out’.
Clown informed NME that Knotfest would debut in Australia this 12 months in order that Slipknot may “burn down [our] brainwashed philosophy” and indoctrinate us with their very own. If any of these amongst us weren’t already religious members of the Church Of Slipknot (aka Maggots, generally Heretics), they certainly walked away final night time as contemporary converts. Considering all three editions bought out, it appears inevitable that Knotfest will return Down Under in 2024 – we’ll begin stretching now.
Knotfest Australia 2023 passed off in Melbourne (March 24), Sydney (March 25) and Brisbane (March 26). Coming up are Knotfest editions in Japan and Italy