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Slipknot have returned with a surprise new single, "ARSENAL," marking the masked metal band's first new material in more than three years. The track lands as the group's first release since a string of line-up upheavals, most notably the departure of longtime turntablist Sid Wilson, and arrives alongside a music video directed by percussionist Shawn "Clown" Crahan and starring actor Jackson White, known for Tell Me Lies and Mrs Fletcher.

Musically, "ARSENAL" has been described as raw, dense and chaotic, echoing the experimental, Mr. Bungle-tinged textures of Slipknot's earliest material rather than the more polished sound of their recent output. Frontman Corey Taylor delivers rapid-fire, half-rapped lines throughout, including the boasts "I fought a fucking god and the god lost" and "I know I'm a hack and a has-been, but motherfucker I'm a .45 and not a Mach 10," blending metal, punk and hip-hop cadences across a track built around sudden shifts in intensity and a climactic slow-down. Speaking to BBC Radio 1's Jack Saunders, where the song had its "Hottest Record" premiere, Taylor called it "a pummelling experience" that "encapsulates everything that we do," pointing to its bursts of hyperactive energy and what he described as a "sublime drop" at its close.

The release lands amid significant changes behind the scenes. Alongside Wilson's exit, the band has also parted ways with sampler and keyboard player Craig Jones, while drummer Jay Weinberg has departed and been replaced by Eloy Casagrande. A newly issued publicity photograph shows only eight members, fuelling speculation that Slipknot may not fill Wilson's vacancy and could depart from the nine-man format that has defined the band since its formation. "ARSENAL" is also notable as the group's first release on their own newly established label following the conclusion of their roughly two-and-a-half-decade recording relationship with Roadrunner Records.

Nearly three decades after nine masked musicians emerged from Iowa, Slipknot are widely credited with shaping a generation of heavy music, their influence now audible across festival headline slots and underground scenes alike. "ARSENAL" is being framed as evidence that, despite years of personnel changes and past internal strife, the band retains the creative drive and chemistry that built their reputation, offering a compact, aggressive statement ahead of what is expected to be further new material.

Where outlets differ

Source 1 (Consequence) foregrounds the line-up angle, emphasising only Sid Wilson's departure and the new eight-man photo as a signal the band may stay an eight-piece, without mentioning the Craig Jones exit or the drummer change.

Source 2 (Blabbermouth) gives a fuller account of personnel changes, naming both Sid Wilson and Craig Jones as departed members and detailing Jay Weinberg's exit and Eloy Casagrande's arrival on drums, but does not mention the eight-man promotional photo or speculation about a permanent line-up reduction.

Only Blabbermouth reports the song's premiere on BBC Radio 1's New Music Show and includes direct quotes from Corey Taylor about the track's meaning and structure.

Only Blabbermouth notes that the single is the band's first release on their own new label following the end of their long-standing Roadrunner Records deal.

Source 1 characterises the sound as reminiscent of Slipknot's early Mr. Bungle-influenced, experimental material, while Blabbermouth describes it more generally as anthemic and weapon-like in its sonic force, without drawing that specific historical comparison.

• consequence.net
• blabbermouth.net