Jim Root Demands Slipknot To Stop Touring And To Write New Album: ‘We Need To Stop Man’

Slipknot guitarist Jim Root has declared that the band needs to stop its intensive touring schedule to focus on creating a new record. In a recent interview with Rust Bucket Restos, Root stated he has “put his foot down” and told management to halt booking shows so the band can begin the writing process with new drummer Eloy Casagrande.

Following the 2022 release of The End, So Far, Slipknot has maintained a heavy presence on the road, a necessity, according to Root, to properly introduce Casagrande to their fanbase after he joined in early 2024.

“We have been doing a lot of touring and we’ve kind of had to do it because of our drummer swap situation,” Root explained in an interview. “Once we got Eloy in the band, it’s like we needed to get out there and get in front of people and show people why Eloy is part of Slipknot.”

Now that Casagrande is established, Root insists the priority must shift to the studio. In an earlier interview with Guitar Interactive, he expressed the difficulty of writing while on the road, stating his creative inspiration is “nearly zero” under the current conditions.

Speaking to Guitar Interactive, Root also revealed a desire for a clean slate, dismissing material written during the pandemic. “There’s a bunch of music that was written during COVID that I’m not interested in,” he explained. “And I think everybody else in the band gets it too, and I think they’re kind of, like, ‘Okay, we need to just kind of, like, maybe sweep all that sh*t under a rug and start fresh.’”

“Honestly now that Eloy is in the band, we need to write a record,” he said in a conversation with Rust Bucket Restos. “It’s really hard for me personally to be creative when you have a tour looming over your shoulder. I need to know that I’ve got some time off.”

The guitarist acknowledged the financial pressures of touring, especially for the band’s newer members. “I get it. It’s Slipknot, so there’s always offers coming in. It’s hard to say no because there’s guys in the band that… need the money,” he told. “Because they’re family guys and they have families and they’re hired members of the band. We don’t want to have to have them go back to work when we get off tour.”

Despite this, Root is determined that the creative health of the band must come first. His primary goal is to harness the new energy Casagrande brings to the group in a creative setting.

“I kind of put my foot down. I was like, ‘We need to stop man,’” Root declared. “We just need to stop because I want to write a record and we owe it to Eloy to write a record. We need to get Eloy in a room and start jamming and getting creative and get all the rest of the guys in the band and start riffing out and then building them into songs.”

Slipknot Upcoming Tour Dates 2025:

June:

• June 4 – Sölvesborg, Sweden @ Sweden Rock
• June 6 – Nuremberg, Germany @ Rock im Park
• June 7 – Nürburg, Germany @ Rock am Ring
• June 8 – Nancy, France @ Heavy Weekend
• June 10 – Hannover, Germany @ Expo Plaza
• June 12 – Hradec Králové, Czech Republic @ Rock for People
• June 13 – Nickelsdorf, Austria @ Novarock
• June 14 – Interlaken, Switzerland @ Greenfield
• June 17 – Ferrara, Italy @ Ferrara Summer Festival
• June 19 – Frankfurt, Germany @ Festhalle Messe Frankfurt
• June 20 – Dessel, Belgium @ Graspop Metal Meeting
• June 21 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ Copenhell
• June 23 – Berlin, Germany @ Waldbühne
• June 25 – Lyon, France @ LDLC Arena
• June 26 – Barcelona, Spain @ Rock Fest Barcelona
• June 28 – Viveiro, Spain @ Resurrectionfest
• June 29 – Lisbon, Portugal @ Evil Live Festival

July:

• July 19 – Mansfield, OH, USA @ Inkcarceration Festival