Pantera and Disturbed have been revealed as the headliners for the 2024 edition of Knotfest Australia.
Following its entirely sold-out inaugural Australian run in 2023, the second edition of Knotfest Australia will see music, art and culture collide in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane in March 2024.
Pantera and Disturbed will be joined on the event by a stack of Maniacs favourites including Lamb of God, Halestorm, The Hu, Asking Alexandria, Wage War, Escape the Fate, Thy Art Is
Murder, Skindred, Speed, Windwaker, Brand of Sacrifice and King Parrot.
The music and counterculture experience that is Knotfest Australia will hit the East Coast starting on Thursday, March 21 at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, before heading to Sydney on Saturday, March 23 at Centennial Park before closing out in Brisbane on Sunday, March 24 at Brisbane Showgrounds.
Early bird pre-sale tickets are on sale at 10 am local time on Tuesday 21 November here and general public tickets go on sale at 9 am local time on Thursday 23 November here.
One of the most enduring and influential acts to emerge from the second thrash metal wave in the late 80s and early 90s, heavy groove behemoths Pantera have eternally remained a force to be reckoned with. Offering a long-awaited bucket list moment for generations of Australian fans in 2024, Pantera's Knoftest Australia headline appearance will mark the band’s first performances down under since 1996 – finally, the wait is over.
Regarded as one of the greatest metal bands of all time, Pantera rose to massive global success in the 1990s, with multiple gold and platinum albums, sold out tours, ferocious live performances and four Grammy nominations. From the release of their game-demolishing 1990 album Cowboys from Hell through to the 2023 reunion of Rex Brown and Phil Anselmo for their first tour in over two decades, the Pantera name lives on with a new visage and continues to grow their legacy while spreading everlasting metal madness to the masses.
Attendees can get set to be Down with the Sickness when Chicago hard rockers Disturbed head to Australia for the first time in eight years as part of Knotfest Australia. The band will arrive armed with their latest album Divisive.
Insidious, infectious and a band without comparison, Disturbed have quietly claimed a place at the forefront of modern rock along with record-breaking success since first emerging out of Chicago at the turn of the century. With two Grammy nominations, millions of record sales and five consecutive #1 debuts on the Billboard Top 200, the latter of which places the quartet in the same rarefied air as Metallica, Disturbed also wield a bulletproof catalogue that ranges from 2000’s The Sickness through to Asylum, Evolution and Divisive.
A group hardwired to incite mosh pits while also stirring you to hold on tighter, fight harder and persevere forever, Disturbed are, quite simply, not to be missed.
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Also appearing at Knotfest Australia in 2024 will be none other than American heavy metal merchants Lamb of God , aka one of the key figures behind the new wave of American heavy metal, and a band who have permanently retained their influential status for over two decades, most recently in the form of their ferocious 2022 full-length Omens.
Also set to storm the Knotfest Australia stages in 2024, the absolute charisma rock powerhouse that is Halestorm will also arrive down under as part of Knotfest Australia. One of the most successful hard rock groups of the early 21st century, Halestorm have extensively toured the globe, taken home a Grammy Award for their single Love Bites (So Do I), and continued to wow with their muscular rock stylings laced with hooks, pop and beyond.
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Wielding the screaming guitars of heavy metal with traditional Mongolian elements, The Hu are one of the most unique and compelling acts on the modern heavy scene.
Blending Mongolian instrumentation and throat singing with Western rock, The Hu continue to turn heads across the planet, with their most recent album, 2022’s Rumble of Thunder, repeatedly listed as one of the most anticipated metal albums of the year.
Also joining Knotfest Australia festivities next March will be dynamic English rockers Asking Alexandria. Boasting billions of combined streams and over 113 million YouTube views, Asking Alexandria has journeyed from metalcore beginnings through to evolving classic rock and metal nods, with their 2023 release Where Do We Go from Here? balancing emotional fare with stadium-ready moments.
If metalcore is up your alley, Florida mainstays Wage War are set to dazzle via their sharpened pit-inducing prowess.
Brandishing sonic dexterity alongside fan-favourite singles, many of which boast millions of streams online, Wage War are set to add an indelible spark to 2024 and the KNOTFEST experience.
Hailing from Las Vegas, Nevada and set to ignite Aussie stages in 2024, Escape the Fate will return once again down under to whip up a frenzy of punk, hooks and post-hardcore delights.
Sydney deathcore outfit Thy Art Is Murder will be dialling up the noise at Knofest Australia in 2024, with the band’s delectably punishing latest album Godlike ready to roar onstage next year.
Welsh heavy metal fusion masters Skindred will bring their heavy metal, reggae, punk, hip hop and electronic technicolour musical Dreamcoat to Knotfest Australia.
Sydney-based hardcore group SPEED will also lend some fast-paced punk to proceedings, while Melbourne metalcore mavericks Windwaker are also set to bring their beautiful ferocity to the Knotfest Australia party.
Canadian deathcore group Brand of Sacrifice is set to showcase their riveting mix of musical barbarity, cinematic twists and nods to the anime series Berserk, while Melbourne grindcore experts King Parrot will arrive ready to swing their insidious sonic wrecking ball with lashings of angst, absurdity and antics.
The revamped Knotfest Museum celebrates Slipknot’s acclaimed 25-year career. A staple at KNOTFESTs all over the world, this year’s Museum Experience will feature a jaw-dropping collection that played a pivotal role throughout the band’s storied journey.
Knotfest Australia 2024
Thursday 21 March 2024 - Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne
Saturday 23 March 2024 - Centennial Park, Sydney
Sunday 24 March 2024 - RNA Showgrounds, Brisbane
Stay up to date on all things Knotfest Australia over at https://knotfest.com/
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