Slipknot have announced a 2020 UK and European tour.

Slipknot

Slipknot

Corey Taylor and co knocked Ed Sheeran off the number one spot with their comeback LP 'We Are Not Your Kind' - their first number one record since 2001's 'Iowa' - as it dethroned the 'Shape of You' hitmaker's 'No 6 Collaborations' last week, and now they have announced a lengthy tour for next year in support of the acclaimed album.

Frontman Corey said: "It feels good to be coming back for an extensive tour of Europe and the UK.

"No matter how many times we come there, it always feels like we can never get enough, nor play ALL the cities we want to.

"But one thing's for certain: the audiences are ALWAYS some of the best in the world. (sic)"

The extensive run kicks off in Dublin on January 14, and includes a stop at The O2 in London on January 25.

The heavy metal legends will then tour throughout Europe, with the last schedule show currently in Helsinki on February 24.

The band are currently touring their Knotfest festival across the US in support of 'We Are Not Your Kind', and percussionist Shawn 'Clown' Crahan recently revealed while the band are keen to bring the metal extravaganza to the UK, they don't want to rush and "mess things up".

He said: "Yeah, absolutely. Right time, right place. It definitely will happen but it has to be the right thing.

"Right now we do a lot of festivals with a lot of great people and you've got to find a time and a zone and it's got to be right. We don't like to go and mess things up; it's not about that."

Shawn explained while the band is still playing a lot in Europe, it doesn't make sense to tour the festival just yet.

However, he promised it will happen one day, once they can work with their team to figure out the details.

He added: "It's about being righteous and pure and it being what it is. Like, now, we do a lot of things in Europe, so it's got to be the right time and the right promoter but it's all in the works and it's going to happen. It'll all happen."

'We Are Not Your Kind' - the group's sixth record and their first LP since '.5: The Gray Chapter' in 2014 - contained some of Corey's "darkest writing" he has done in six years.

He explained: "It's very dark. It's some of the darkest writing I've done in years.

"In the Slipknot index, this album would sit somewhere between [2001 second album] 'Iowa' and [2004 third album] 'Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)'.

"Lyrically, it has the force of 'Iowa', but musically it has the heaviness but the experimentation as well. It was very important for us to go somewhere crazy and make something insane."

Slipknot will be supported Behemoth on the 2020 tour.

Tickets go on sale next Friday (30.08.19) at 9am from www.livenation.co.uk.

The UK dates are as follows:

January 14, Dublin, 3Arena

January 16, Manchester Arena

January 17, Newcastle Utilita Arena

January 18, Glasgow, The SSE Hydro

January 20, Sheffield, FlyDSA Arena

January 21, Nottingham, Motorpoint Arena

January 22, Cardiff, Motorpoint Arena

January 24, Birmingham Arena

January 25, London, The O2

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