Slipknot’s ‘Arsenal’ was “a tune we could quickly get out there while we work on the rest of the record” and will not feature on new album, says Jim Root
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.
- 'Arsenal' is a standalone single, not on Slipknot's next album
- Jim Root says it doesn't represent the record's other songs
- Comes after Sid Wilson's exit and mixed fan reaction to the track
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Slipknot are a long-running American metal band known for elaborate masks and jumpsuits, formed in the late 1990s. Jim Root is one of the group's guitarists, and the band's line-up has recently shifted, with drummer Eloy Casagrande joining and turntablist/DJ Sid Wilson leaving. 'Arsenal' is the band's first new song in around three years, released as a taster while they continue working on a full studio album with producer Matt Wallace, the follow-up to 2022's 'The End, So Far'.
The song prompted a mixed response from fans, with some criticising its simple, repetitive chorus as a departure from Slipknot's usual style. This matters because it's the band's first proper new material since a major line-up change, so fans are watching closely to see what direction the group takes next, and how a long-established, high-profile act manages both a shifting membership and a new creative chapter.