Slipknot guitarist Jim Root has confirmed that the band's newly released single 'Arsenal' will not appear on their upcoming album, describing it instead as a quick standalone release put out while the group continues work on the full record. The clarification follows a mixed reaction to the track, which marks the band's first new music in three years and their first release since drummer Eloy Casagrande joined and Sid Wilson departed, with some fans criticising the song's repetitive chorus and departure from their usual sound.

Responding to fan criticism in a now-deleted Instagram comment, Root said "Arsenal" was "not really representative of the other tunes" being prepared for the new LP, the follow-up to 2022's 'The End, So Far'. The band have been working with producer Matt Wallace and say they have "so much material", using a "leapfrog" writing process similar to that behind 2019's 'We Are Not Your Kind'. The single's release also comes amid line-up changes, with Sid Wilson's exit seemingly reducing the band to eight members, while Slipknot separately issued their long-shelved 'lost' album 'Look Outside Your Window' earlier this year.