Slipknot‘s Corey Taylor ate his words at the band’s Knotfest Australia 2025 kickoff today (Feb. 28), as the metal giants live debuted a song he swore they would never play.
The song in question was “Gematria (The Killing Name)” the obliterative opening track off the band’s fourth album, 2008’s All Hope Is Gone.
Slipknot broke out the rarity early in the set, which took place at the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, performing it third behind setlist staples “(sic)” and “People = Shit.”
You can see footage of the live debut further down the page.
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Why Did Corey Taylor Say Slipknot Would Never Play ‘Gematria’ Live?
Taylor previously explained his reasoning for leaving “Gematria (The Killing Name)” off Slipknot setlists, revealing that it had nothing to do with the quality of the song and everything to do with the circumstances of its recording.
“I’ve always wanted to open a concert with ‘Gematria,'” Taylor told the All Things Music podcast in 2023. “There are certain odiums around the way that that song was created and recorded, which is why some of the guys in the band are like, ‘Fuck that, we’ll never play it.’
“[The reason] isn’t even sentimental,” Taylor added. “It’s resentment. But for me, man, it’s such a fucking burner that I just love that song. I can listen to that shit all fucking day. It just comes screaming out of no-fucking-where. But it’ll never happen. Unless the pope ends up opening up for Slipknot someday, that shit will never happen.”
Knotfest Australia 2025 will continue on Sunday at the Brisbane Showgrounds and conclude on March 8 at Centennial Park in Sydney.
Watch Slipknot Play “Gematria (The Killing Name)” Live for the First Time
Slipknot Setlist – Melbourne, Australia (Feb. 28, 2025)
1. “(sic)”
2. “People = Shit”
3. “Gematria (The Killing Name) (live debut)
4. “Wait and Bleed”
5. “No Life”
6. “Yen”
7. “The Devil in I”
8. “The Heretic Anthem”
9. “Psychosocial”
10. “Unsainted”
11. “Duality”
12. “Spit It Out”
13. “Surfacing”
14. “Scissors”
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