According to a new interview with Slipknot mastermind and creative leader M. Shawn “Clown” Crahan, the band has yet to convene for the writing process for their next studio album, which will be their eighth in their thirty-year-plus career. Crahan recently told NME that the band is currently on a “long-break” following the album/tour cycle that supported 2022’s The End, So Far, and tours and festivals celebrating the 25th anniversary of their self-titled debut. The band released a deluxe edition and merch from the 1999 album, and added new drummer Eloy Casagrande (ex-Sepultura) following the firing of Jay Weinberg and the departures of other long-running members. The band has repeatedly promised and missed releasing their “lost” album, Look Outside Your Window, and also sold their past rights recently. to HarbourView Equity for $120 million. Their next album will be their first after the conclusion of their record deal with Roadrunner Records.
Crahan shared the following:
“We’re doing the biggest thing we can do right now, which is taking a much-needed break. We’re taking some real human time. Everybody is writing all the time, but we have not got into a place to work on what’s been written.”
Crahan noted that tentative plans are in place for the group to reconvene in the studio later this month to begin assembling new material, adding, “It feels very positive and everyone is looking forward to getting back at it.”
The band’s eventual eighth studio album will mark the start of a new chapter, as The End, So Far concluded Slipknot’s long-running relationship with Roadrunner Records.
Crahan added:
I’m in the studio almost every week making music without any of the usual pressures or expectations, which is very fulfilling. I’ve also gotten back into drums in a big way to make sure I’m ready for what’s up next. I’m really trying to take things to that next level. Music is dead important to gaming.