Slipknot returns with surprise single Arsenal after three years of silence

Slipknot surprised the world on September 9 with the sudden release of Arsenal, their first proper new track in more than three years. The single premiered in the Hottest Record segment of BBC Radio 1's New Music Show and arrived immediately alongside a music video. It also marks the first music the band has released through their own label, (sic)est Records, after their previous album The End, So Far from September 2022 came out on Roadrunner.

The video was directed by drummer and band member M. Shawn Clown Crahan and unfolds in a nightmarish atmosphere that matches the restless energy of the track itself. Actor Jackson White, known from the Hulu series Tell Me Lies, appears in the film. Imagery of figures wearing masks that conceal other, more sinister masks underneath fits the themes frontman Corey Taylor explores in his lyrics. Taylor spits lines about having fought a god and that god losing, positioning himself as someone intent on silencing his critics.

The release of Arsenal coincides with several significant lineup changes. DJ and turntablist Sid Wilson left the group earlier this year following a brief statement from the band that was quickly deleted, after which Wilson updated his Instagram profile to list his membership as running from 1997 to 2026. Interestingly, Wilson is still prominently present in the sound of Arsenal, as the track features a fair amount of turntable scratching, and fans have been quick to point out that it remains unclear who was responsible for that. The press photo included with the release shows only eight members rather than the traditional nine, confirming that Wilson is no longer part of the current lineup.

The current lineup consists of Taylor, Clown, guitarists Jim Root and Mick Thomson, bassist Alessandro V Man Venturella, percussionist Michael Tortilla Man Pfaff, a still unidentified member who took over the position vacated by Craig Jones in 2023, and drummer Eloy Casagrande. Casagrande, who previously played with Sepultura, replaced Jay Weinberg in 2024 and makes a clearly audible impression on Arsenal. Numerous fans online singled out his drumming specifically as a highlight of the track. Slipknot has historically always had nine members, a tradition going back to 1998, and the question of whether the band will look for a replacement for Wilson or continue as a group of eight remains unanswered for now.

Fan reactions are split. Critical voices on Reddit take issue with the lyrics and production, while others are enthusiastic about the energy and intensity the band projects. Guitarist Jim Root spoke last summer about recording sessions with producer Matt Wallace, who has previously worked with Faith No More, Deftones, and The Replacements. Root described the new material as something that sounds like nothing he has ever heard before while still feeling familiar. He mentioned an approach where the band alternates between songs, lets them rest for a while, and then pushes them to the next level, comparing the process to making a film. How much of that material fed directly into Arsenal and what else might be in the pipeline has not yet been announced. No tour dates are currently planned.