The return of live music has been an especially emotional experience for just about everyone - fans and bands alike. That proved to be the case once again as Slipknot made their heavy-anticipated appearance at the 2021 edition of the Inkcarceration Music and Arts Festival.

Aside from the gathering's unique backdrop, holding court at the Ohio State Reformatory, a former federal penitentiary that was also the set for the beloved prison flick The Shawshank Redemption - Slipknot was billed atop an impressive bill that also featured the return of Mudvayne, the debauchery of Rob Zombie and sets from heavyweights including Mastodon, Killswitch Engage, A Day to Remember, Chevelle, Halestorm, Beartooth, Motionless In White, Fever 333 and many, many more.

However, the festival's Friday night quickly established the standard for the weekend with Slipknot grabbing ahold of the thousands in attendance and never relenting. The band's 14-song set spanned their historic tenure of more than two decades, with a setlist that included essentials from the band's debut self-titled album, all the way through their most current universally-praised offering in We Are Not Your Kind.

Opening with a stirring rendition of "Unsainted," there was zero evidence of ring rust despite the fact that the band has off the road since early 2020 when the pandemic sidelined their WANYK touring cycle. As ferocious as ever, Slipknot tore though selections like "Nero Forte," "Left Behind," "Psychosocial" and and encore that included th anthems "People = Shit" and "Surfacing" with the force of a locomotive.

The band's Inkcarceration Festival appearance is one of a handful of festival appearances confirmed for the band to round out 2021. In addition, Slipknot is confirmed to headline their first-ever Riot Fest later this week before playing host for their grand homecoming in Knotfest Iowa later this month. All this before the band commences their North American run via the Knotfest Roadshow featuring the likes of Killswitch Engage, Fever 333 and Code Orange.

Get a glimpse of the one-of-a-kind experience that is Slipknot live with the photo gallery from the band's domination at Inkcarceration - all photos by Steve Thrasher.