Slipknot at Wembley Arena, 23/1/15 | Gig Review

The last two weeks have seen masked metallers Slipknot embark on their chaotic Prepare For Hell tour, tearing the roofs off arenas all over the UK and Ireland. On Friday, Wembley Arena played host to The Nine, with relentless support from newcomers King 810 and veterans Korn.

The night kicked off with a stunning surprise when halfway through Korn's set, singer Jonathan Davis brought members of Slipknot on stage to collaborate in a raging cover of Beastie Boys' Sabotage. From then on the crowd knew they were in for a night to remember.

Once the support gracefully subsided and the crowd were greeted by a curtain covering the stage, the atmosphere intensified. Then the house lights went out and a roar of cheers echoed around the arena with the opening sounds of XIX ringing out.

The curtain immediately rose to reveal all nine members of Slipknot looking geared up and ready to set the place alight. The backdrop looked incredible, with a huge red devil leering into the crowd and plenty of lights and pyro to both illuminate and roast the audience. Guitarist Jim Root's sinister string-work resonated as the band followed suit and entered into Sarcastrophe with full force. It was refreshing to see a song from new album, 5. The Gray Chapter, make a solid opener and set the tone for the rest of the night.

Never, in recent years, have I seen Slipknot look so effortless on stage. The whole time they were captivating with each member adding their own personality to the production. Each song was as brutal as the last, and the crowd reciprocated by forming multiple circle pits to enhance the mayhem.

Classics such as Eyeless and Before I Forget went down a storm and the 12,500 strong crowd chanting back the words was nearly louder than the music itself. It was amazing to see Slipknot include a couple of rare tracks into their set, with surprises such as My Plague from Iowa and Three Nil from Volume 3.

With every Slipknot gig, the reoccurring jumping during Spit It Out was a true highlight. The crowd were already down on the ground before singer Corey Taylor even queued them to and unleashed hell when they all rose simultaneously.

Even after fifteen years of being a group, Slipknot have become closer than ever and have perfected their live show. Even with new members, the band are a well-oiled machine and sound the best they have done in about a decade and it was easily in my top three shows of all time.

They have proved why they are adored in the UK and their headline set at Download Festival in June will solidify them as true legends in the metal world.