Slipknot’s highly-anticipated return to Japan under the Knotfest banner proved to be an over-the-top spectacle some seven long years in the making. Taking over Makuhari Messe just outside of Tokyo, Japan, a multi-generational roster of performances bolstered the magnitude of Slipknot’s eagerly-awaited arrival in the region.

Touring in support of their most recent full length masterclass, The End, So Far, the two-day engagement marked the band’s first time back in Japan since 2016’s Prepare for Hell Tour – making Knotfest Japan an important global happening in the space of heavy music and culture.

Along with sets from the likes of Korn, Parkway Drive, Trivium, In Flames, Enter Shikari, paired with Japanese standouts like Man with A Mission, coldrain, The Oral Cigarettes, Crystal Lake, Petit Brabancon, Band-Maid and more, the weekend festivities proved to be pure metal music revelry.

Photographer Shaun 'Vzzy' Vaughn was on-hand to document the two-day takeover. See the comprehensive gallery of images below.

SLIPKNOT

KORN

PARKWAY DRIVE

TRIVIUM

TRIVIUM

ENTER SHIKARI

MAN WITH A MISSION

 

KNOTFEST MUSEUM EXPERIENCE