#SW15 DREAM SETLIST // Slipknot

If we had it our way, we’d write a list of our favourite songs, hand them to some over-stoned guitar tech and the band would play all of them, in order. But no. Life is cruel and hell is other setlists. Scribes can dream, though. It’s why we’ve put together a Soundwave Festival 2015 DREAM SETLIST for the insanest clown posse (er…) to ever have headlined a stage: SLIPKNOT. Slipknot’s live show is one of the most insane experiences in a young mosher’s life. Love ’em or hate ’em, this ain’t up for debate; their live shows rank among the best in metal. No, fuck that—rock n’ roll. Did your fave make the cut?

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XIX – Slipknot are no strangers to building tension in their album openers. Compared to the violent retches from Iowa’s [515], XIX somehow manages to create genuine emotion from bagpipes of all things. Sounding like a funeral march, Corey makes it clear his vocals have lost none of their punch in the six year break between albums. Even though it may reach its apex and collapse into nothing, it still gets the blood pumping when #8 screams “DON’T LET THIS FUCKING WORLD TEAR YOU APART!” – Jonty Simmons

People = Shit – What a way to open a Slipknot set. Chock full of blast beats, bouncy Nu Metal riffs and all the crowd participation a black tee shirt clad drunkard could possibly need. It’s a great way for the band to show off their new drummer to Australian audiences for the first time. – Nick Simonsen

Psychosocial – Slipknot explode a thousand times on stage. By track three, bones creak, sweat drips and energy falters. Surviving Slipknot pits require tapping into primal urges. Psychosocial is the legacy of our barbarian forefathers fashioned into sound. Go fuckin’ nuts. – Tom Valcanis

(Sic) – If there’s any song that shows why Slipknot need three drummers on stage, it’s this track that opens like a SWAT team bursting through the door. The animalistic grunts of “SICK” and maniacal laughter from Sid, Corey and Crown at the apex are pure lunacy incarnate. For a track that’s 16 years old, it still hits like a battering ram to the face when you’re sitting innocently in the living room. Pair it with the buildup of ‘742617000027’ and prepare for broken bones. – JS

Surfacing – Even if you’re not clued in when Corey introduces it as the “new national anthem”, wait for the 2 seconds of riff from Mick Thomson and watch the crowd lose their ever loving minds. Rebellion’s arguably at the heart of metal and what better way to show it than screaming “fuck everything that you stand for”? Even without Joey’s rotating drum kit, their set closer from almost every show since ‘99 is the only experience anyone needs in their head to keep your ringing ears company. – JS

Snuff – Yep, I’ll take the hate. Throw all your criticisms of All Hope Is Gone’s ‘Stone Sour’ moment at me because we both know this song is a welcome mid-set break from the chaos. The death of Paul Gray means the band are allowed to show a moment of vulnerability amid the bravado. Throw a lighter up, embrace your fellow maggot and scream along with Corey’s bare bones ballad. – JS

Wait And Bleed – The year was 1999. I’m smoking a weak joint I’ve made with some crummy leaf in the darkroom of photography class. I don’t have any friends because of a nasty rumour Jenna Whetherill had spread about me. Corey got it. Corey wants to rip her smug fucking face off. I’m roaring in the dark while Corey ROARS from the radio at me. We are friends, ol’ funny masked fellow and I. We’re 37% stoned and don’t need Jenna or the cool group no more. – Martina Bailey Pitrun

Skeptic – Serving as a direct ode to their fallen brother, Skeptic manages to pull out one of the catchiest choruses on .5. It’s true; we won’t see another crazy motherfucker like Paul Gray but at least this song is a bittersweet positive arising from his death. – JS

Custer – Some critics have labelled Custer as pandering, thoughtless and unimaginative. They’ve completely missed the point because this track isn’t meant for intellectual discussion. Oh no, it’s meant to bring out your darkest impulses for you to completely unleash in the pit. It’s deranged, there’s only a brief moment of reprieve at the beginning, and it stands tall as a welcome return to the madness of Slipknot’s self-titled. – JS

Spit it Out – The chances of this not dropping are so slim you’d be better off betting (sic) won’t make it in. Rapid fire verses from Corey, unsettling sampling from Craig and Clown’s keg hits all lead to one moment. If you haven’t been a part of a Slipknot crowd before, just know that every single attendee will be sitting on the ground at one point. Wait for your cue to “JUMP THE FUCK UP” and feel the earth move. – JS

Before I Forget – There’s a high chance that a large part of the audience were first introduced to the world of metal via this track featured on Guitar Hero 3. By the time they’ve learned to master it on Expert, the foundations of these impressionable youths becoming maggots are well and truly laid. There’s something about the notes Corey hits during the final “I was a creature before I could stand” line that sends goosebumps down the arms. Add in Joey Jordison’s famous double kicks and you’ve got yourself a metal anthem for the ages. – JS

Duality – It may not seem like Clown does much on stage. Undeniably though, this song without his perfectly timed keg hits would be like a sausage without tomato sauce: an absolute travesty. Screw the last minute of this song. It’s all about when arenas across the country will be silent for the briefest of moments, bar Corey screaming “I push my fingers into MYYYYY…” Then the feet will hit the floor, a shockwave will ripple, and everyone WILL go wild. – JS

Opium of the People – Who even knows what Slipknot will pull out of the vault? They performed this for the second time EVER at Knotfest last year and it’s been popping up in setlists ever since. If ever there was a test for their new drummer it’s this polyrhythmic beast that throws double kicks, cymbals and tom rolls at the wall simultaneously just to see what sticks. – JS

The Devil In I – So Slipknot may have messed up by revealing their ‘top secret’ bassist’s hand tattoo in the music video. Even with this and each band member committing suicide through increasingly horrific ways,  the actual song still manages to be the highlight. Bringing back the famed Slipknot chug is always a welcome addition to a live setlist, and The Devil In I brings it in spades. Plus it’s the official single of the album so it’s bound to get a mention. – JS

The Heretic Anthem – Well if we’re 555 then Corey must be 666. Written in response to their label needing a ‘radio friendly’ track, it’s built for crowd participation and we’re all too willing to oblige the 9. Get an overhead camera shot of every single black shirt, middle finger and blasphemous mouth, air drop it into a church and watch it burst into an inferno of sacrilege. – JS

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Did your favourite make it to the list? Don’t agree with the picks? What’s your dream Slipknot setlist? Comment onFacebook or hit us up on Twitter!