Melbourne weather, which is known for having four seasons in one day, turned on the sun and warmth on March 21, 2024, as Knotfest 2024 Australia smashed into the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia to a host of excited metal fans.
Unlike the first-ever Australian Knofest tour in 2023, this Knotfest did not have Slipknot headlining, but instead we were treated to the epicness of Pantera with original members Phil Anselmo and Rex Brown playing along with Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante filling the shoes of Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul who are sadly no longer with us.
Knotfest 2024 has several shows including several sideshows around Australia over the next week and includes acts such as Disturbed, Lamb of God, The Hu, Halestorm, Asking Alexandria and others for us mosh-starved maniacs to feast our ears and eyes, raise our horns, scream with our voices and raise hell. With this epic lineup, and at over ten and a half hours straight we were given a solid fix of great music.
To kick off the Festival for All Music Magazine was Speed as arrival was delayed while obtaining photo credentials and the first two artists were missed. Speed is an Australian hardcore punk band out of Sydney. Their set was short and sweet but well-received. It was good they were early before the temperatures got to warm as the crowd was hopping from the start.
Setlist:
1.We See U
2. Not That Nice
Skindred, a reggae band from Wales out of the UK started the festival. Their set started with Set “Fazers” but ended quickly as they only played five songs. In 2021 they were voted “Best Live Band” at UK Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards and I wish they had played a bit longer.
Setlist:
1.Set Fazers
2. Nobody
3. That’s My Jam
4. Gimme That Boom
5. Warning
Thy Art is Murder is another Australian band out of Sydney. This deathcore band has been nominated for Best Hard Rock Album twice by the ARIA Music Awards. The audience enjoyed their set and were cheering for more when they left the stage.
Setlist:
1.We Like to Party! (Vengaboys song)
2. Destroyer of Dreams
3. Blood Throne
4. Holy War
5. The Purest Strain of Hate
6. Death Squad Anthem
7. Slaves Beyond Death
8. Reign of Darkness
9. Puppet Master
Escape The Fate is another metalcore band from Las Vegas, Nevada. They had the crowd going from their initial song, “Forgive Me,” through their eight-song set. The crowd really seemed to enjoy this four-piece band.
Setlist:
1.Forgive Me
2. The Flood
3. Ungrateful
4. Low
5. H8 MY SELF
6. Gorgeous Nightmare
7. This War Is Ours (The Guillotine II)
8. One for the Money
Asking Alexandria, Prior to seeing them at Knotfest, I admit that I was not too familiar with them or Wage War.
While I traditionally do not listen to pop metalcore, they both had catchy songs that had the crowd singing
with them and I can appreciate them more by watching the impact they both have, as it felt that the crowd was united when singing their songs.
Setlist:
1.Closure
2. Alone Again
3. Down to Hell
4. Into the Fire
5. Where Did It Go?
6. Dark Void
7. Someone, Somewhere
8. The Violence
9. A Prophecy
10. The Final Episode (Let’s Change the Channel)
11. Alone in a Room
Wage War, a metalcore band from Ocala, Florida has been around for 14 years and with four studio albums released. They are also known for starting mosh pits via their lead singer, Briton Bond’s commanding stage presence.
No Setlist Posted
The Hu hit the stage with a war-like intensity, and it was a sight to be seen. This band from Mongolia must be seen and heard to be truly understood. Although they have some cover songs in their set, they combine throat singing, and ancient Mongolian war cries to create a truly unique style all their own. They in my opinion are a must see …
Setlist:
1.Shoog shoog
2. Bosoo Khukh Mongol
3. Khukhuchu Zairan
4. Sell the World
5. Segee
6. Tatar Warrior
7. Triangle
8. Shikhi Khutu
9. YUT Hövende
10. Mother Nature
11. Black Thunder
12. Yuve Yuve Yu
13. Wolf Totem
14. Through the Never (Metallica cover)
15. This Is Mongol
Halestorm was the only female-fronted band on the Knotfest lineup. They played an array of songs that won the crowd over, especially to the ladies whom singer Lizzy asked that they all get on people’s backs so she could see them as she sang. Doing what they do best, Halestorm smashed it and won over more fans.
Setlist:
1.I Miss the Misery (with “Raise Your Horns” a capella intro)
2. Love Bites (So Do I)
3. I Get Off
4. Freak Like Me
5. Mz. Hyde
6. Mayhem
7. Familiar Taste of Poison
8. Takes My Life
9. Drum Solo
10. Back From the Dead
11. Bombshell
12. The Steeple
Lamb of God hit the stage running with their signature sound and their influence on metal is undeniable. With each new release, the band continues to release music that appeals to new fans worldwide.
Setlist:
1.Memento Mori
2. Walk With Me in Hell
3. Hourglass
4. Resurrection Man
5. Ditch
6. Now You’ve Got Something to Die For
7. Ruin
8. Vigil
9. Descending
10. Laid to Rest
11. Redneck
Disturbed are known both for their sonically and visual shows. They did not leave their Melbourne fans disappointed playing songs from their newest album and others in their catalog. They also had the crowd singing loud and together as they played their epic cover of Simon & Garfunkles song “Sound of Silence.”
Another highlight of the set was when Lzzy Hale came out and sang “Don’t Tell Me” with the band.
Setlist:
1.Hey You
2. Stupify
3. Ten Thousand Fists
4. Prayer
5. Bad Man
6. Land of Confusion (Genesis cover)
7. The Game
8. The Sound of Silence (Simon & Garfunkel cover)
9. Indestructible
10. Don’t Tell Me (with Lzzy Hale)
11. The Light
12. Stricken
13. Unstoppable
14. Down With the Sickness
15. Inside the Fire
The sun had set, the crowd knew exactly who was last to play. The opening notes to “Cowboys From Hell” come out of the masked curtain with the Pantera logo adorning it. As the curtain comes down and the band can be seen on the stage, they rip into “A New Level” and the crowd goes fucking mental. Phil Anselmo was joined by original member Rex Brown on bass and filled the shoes of the two fallen brothers, Dimebag and Vinnie Paul, none other than Zakk Wylde on guitar and Charlie Benante on drums. This lineup played an honoring set to the two brothers, with classics such as “Mouth for War”, “This Love”, and others. For their encore, they did not disappoint the crowd and played “Fucking Hostile.”
They told us they might return and left the stage with the song “How Soon is Now” being played over the P.A
Setlist:
Regular People (Conceit)
In Heaven (Lady in the Radiator Song) (Peter Ivers & David Lynch song)
1.A New Level
2. Mouth for War
3. Strength Beyond Strength
4. Becoming (with “Throes of Rejection” outro)
5. I’m Broken (with “By Demons Be Driven” outro)
6. Suicide Note Pt. II
7. This Love
8. Floods
9. Walk (with members of King Parrot)
10. Domination / Hollow
11. Cowboys From Hell
Encore:
12. Fucking Hostile (with “Stairway to Heaven”… more )
How Soon Is Now? (The Smiths song)
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Alexander Hallag, is an internationally published and exhibited music photographer who was based in Seattle during the beginning of the Grunge movement. Here he developed his visceral photographic style where the music could almost be heard in the photographs.
Alexander’s images as a music photographer have been featured in a variety of media and album cover art: including The New York Times, Juxtapoz – Art & Culture, Alternative Press Online, Fears Magazine, Red Bull Magazine NZ, and Rip it Up, among others. In 2015, the album The Colossus by Cairo Knife Fight was released (which featured his photograph on the cover. It was designed by Barny Beswick of Indium Design) and was nominated for best album art at the New Zealand Music Awards – Technical awards. Now based in Melbourne, in conjunction with his photography, Alexander hosts The Music is Talking podcast. https://www.themusicistalking.com/podcast
