Slipknot mark their live return at Rocklahoma with Corey Taylor debuting his new mask

Posted by Ramon Gonzales in Culture on September 5, 2021

After 18 long months Slipknot are back and to celebrate the occasion and a new album in the works, Number 8 rocked a disturbing new look.

The last time Slipknot graced the stage was back in February 2020, in Helsinki, Finland. In the thick of a world tour ins support of their instant classic, We Are Not Your Kind, little did the band know that live music would not only be significantly interrupted, but come to a nearly year and a half standstill.

This weekend, after 18 long months, Slipknot returned to the business of dominating stages – celebrating their live resurfacing in Pryor, Oklahoma for the three-day destination in Rocklahoma. In addition to sets from the likes of Mastodon, Rob Zombie, Anthrax, Sevendust, Knocked Loose, Andrew W.K. Falling in Reverse, Motionless In White and more, the big news was Slipknot’s Saturday night special that made headlines for more than just the band’s stellar stage show.

Coinciding with the news that Slipknot is currently hard at work on a new album to follow up 2019’s We Are Not Your Kind – a new album always comes with a new set of masks. Getting a headstart, frontman Corey Taylor took the opportunity and the added significance of the show to reveal the first, terrifying glimpse of the next iteration of Slipknot with number 8 emerging with his new look.

Back in May, Taylor spoke with Iowa’s Lazer 103.3 to share the first details of his next mask. Taylor explained, “It’s gonna be hard to look at. And it’ll probably be my favorite mask that I’ve ever put together. It’s little bits and pieces of things that have intrigued me, of masks that I’ve had in the past. And it’s gonna have a devil-may-care kind of terror to it, let’s put it that way.”

In addition to number 8’s disturbing new skin, Slipknot bassist Alessandro “Vman” Venturella also offered a variation of his WANYK mask – an updated look for the band’s 2021 return to the road.

The band has a full dance card for the remainder of 2021 with appearances slated for Inkcareration in Ohio on September 10th, their first-headlining appearance at Riot Fest in Chicago on September 19th, then their grand homecoming on September 25th with Knotfest Iowa – flanked by artists like Faith No More, Megadeth, Lamb of God, $uicideboy$, Gojira, Trivium, Tech N9ne, Fever 333, Knocked Loose, Turnstile, Gatecreeper, Vended, Widow7 and more.

For a complete list of dates including Slipknot’s Knotfest Roadshow with Killswitch Engage, Fever 333, and Code Orange, visit the band online – HERE. See the stunning photos of Slipknot at Rocklahoma below.