LOS ANGELES, Aug. 25, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Global rock juggernauts Slipknot have announced the next phase of their uncompromising history -– the release of .5: The Gray Chapter – the fifth studio album from the GRAMMY AWARD®-winning group – arrives on October 21, while their North American Prepare For Hell tour, promoted exclusively by Live Nation, is set to kick off immediately following the band’s previously announced Knotfest (October 24 – 26).

.5: The Gray Chapter is available now for pre-order on the iTunes Store (http://smarturl.it/thegraychapter), with all pre-orders receiving instant downloads of the album’s powerful new song “The Devil In I” as well as “The Negative One.” .5: The Gray Chapter is also available in a wide range of distinctive versions, including standard and special edition CDs (2 bonus tracks and expanded packaging) as well as limited edition, colored vinyl double LP set.

Slipknot unleashed “The Negative One” earlier this month, marking the groundbreaking band’s first new music in more than six years. The song immediately hit #1 on Billboard‘s Trending 140 chart, with the band and track both quickly becoming trending topics on Twitter globally and in the US. The track is currently sitting atop the metal singles chart for its third straight week and counting. Meanwhile its nightmarish companion video – directed by the band’s
M. Shawn Crahan
(Clown) – has quickly drawn more than 2 million individual views at Slipknot’s official YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgA7KIwKlOE.  

Slipknot have also announced the Prepare For Hell Tour – a major North American headline tour with very special guests Korn and openers King 810 – kicking off October 29 in El Paso, TX and traversing North America through December 7.

“We’ve been waiting a long time for this,” stated Slipknot’s
Corey Taylor
. “Not only do we get to tour with friends who we respect, we’ve also chosen a band that represents the fury of the future. Slipknot is coming to your town. And hell’s coming with us.”

The nationwide run will see Slipknot coming hot off the heels of their US live return at their own KNOTFEST, with two unique sets at their very own three-day metal and heavy music destination festival slated for October 24 through 26 at San Bernardino, California’s San Manuel Amphitheater & Campgrounds. Powered by Rockstar Energy Drink and curated by Slipknot themselves, KNOTFEST will see Slipknot headline the Main Stage on both Saturday, October 25 and Sunday, October 26, offering fans a taste of the upcoming album with a unique concert experience each night. KNOTFEST will feature over 60 bands – including Danzig, Five Finger Death Punch, Volbeat, Anthrax, Killswitch Engage, Tech N9ne, Of Mice & Men, Black Label Society, Testament, Hatebreed, Atreyu, In This Moment, Carcass, and many others – performing on five stages on Saturday and Sunday, as well as a Friday Night VIP Pre-Party Bash (featuring Slipknot’s DJ Sid), band performances and other activities for those that purchase VIP or Camping Packages. A truly immersive experience, KNOTFEST attendees will descend into an apocalyptic underworld featuring over 20 attractions including a Slipknot Museum, carnival rides, a zip line across the festival grounds, drum circles, pillars of fire, freaks, fire-breathers, stilt-walkers, and much more. For details, including complete ticketing information, please see www.knotfest.com.  Additional news and updates can be also be found at both www.facebook.com/KNOTFEST and www.twitter.com/KNOTFEST (@KNOTFEST).

“KNOTFEST is a chance for Slipknot to bring the sensory overload of a wild European festival and now we’re coming for you, California,” says Slipknot’s
M. Shawn Crahan
(Clown). “Playing two different sets over two nights at one location is a new experience in the history of this band. This year’s KNOTFEST is going to be on another level.”

KNOTFEST tickets are available now at www.knotfest.com, while tickets for the Prepare For Hell tour go on sale September 5 at www.livenation.com and through the Live Nation mobile app. All fans who purchase their tickets through October 5 will receive a digital download of .5: The Gray Chapter upon its official release. 

Slipknot emerged at the tail end of the Twentieth Century and quickly established itself as the most enigmatic, provocative and aggressive collective of the modern era. 1999’s SLIPKNOT stands as a true milestone, named by Metal Hammer as the “Best Debut of the Last 25 Years.” The album fast earned 2x RIAA platinum certification, with each of Slipknot’s following releases – including 4 video albums – all receiving additional platinum in the US and around the world. All told, the band have 11 Platinum and 38 Gold record certifications around the world. Slipknot’s fanbase is unwavering and they are global – the band’s most recent studio effort, 2008’s platinum certified ALL HOPE IS GONE, debuted at #1 in seven countries including the U.S.

Surely as iconic as any band in the annals of rock, Slipknot has starred on the cover of innumerable national and international publications, from Rolling Stone, SPIN, and Alternative Press to Guitar World, Revolver and Billboard. What’s more, Slipknot has received myriad honors, awards and nominations, including a GRAMMY AWARD® for “Best Metal Performance” as well as six further GRAMMY nods, multiple Kerrang! Awards, Revolver Golden Gods Awards, NME Awards and Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards as well as nods for both MTV Video Music Awards and MTV Europe Music Awards.

Slipknot has ruled live stages across the planet since their beginning, and currently headline tours and international festivals including Mayhem in the US, the UK’s Download Festival, Brazil’s Monsters of Rock and Rock In Rio, Australia’s Soundwave Festival, and the bands own Ozzfest and Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival. 2012 saw the inaugural KNOTFEST draw over 45,000 fans to a pair of daylong festival events headlined and curated by the band.

(SEE TOUR ITINERARY BELOW)
(SEE TRACKLISTING BELOW)

SLIPKNOT
.5: THE GRAY CHAPTER
AVAILABLE OCTOBER 21 

TRACKLISTING

1. XIX
2. Sarcastrophe
3. AOV
4. The Devil In I
5. Killpop
6. Skeptic
7. Lech
8. Goodbye
9. Nomadic
10. The One That Kills The Least
11. Custer
12. Be Prepared For Hell
13. The Negative One
14. If Rain Is What You Want
—-SPECIAL EDITION BONUS TRACKS—-
15. Override (Bonus Track)
16. The Burden (Bonus Track)

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SOURCE Live Nation Entertainment