Slipknot percussionist M. Shawn “Clown” Crahan spoke with Revolver magazine recently. The discussion included the band’s upcoming plans for releasing new music.
He responded: “Well, one thing I can say is this: There’s always going to be new Slipknot music,” he responded. “But we’ve also said that there is a filter, and we are the filter, and that filter must go through everyone. And when I was telling you that we’re doing a lot better communicating, now apply that to communicating about music.
“I can say that there’s gonna be music sooner than you can imagine, delivered to you in a way you can’t imagine. And I’m excited because we’re not on a label. And there’s a lot of dismay with that, you know what I mean? But there’s also a lot of middle fingers with that. I love it, you know? Come and get us, or we’ll come to get you.”
When asked whether Slipknot plans to release the new music independently or seek a new label after nearly 25 years with Roadrunner Records, Crahan responded: “What I can tell you is that we’ve already been motivating around creating music, because of the love of doing it. So you’re gonna get music really soon. And if I can have a loud voice in it, I will make sure that we have at least a good amount of music put out before we do anything with anybody.
“Now, I don’t hate labels,” he continued. “In fact, I’m from the generation of record deals and producers and pre-producing your album and cutting to two-inch tape. So, I have a fantasy with all that; I like it when we can just book our plane tickets and go rock out in the studio. If we don’t go with a label, we’re gonna have to do all that ourselves, which might mean hiring some people to help pick up the loose ends, which makes it a business — and I’m not sure we’re interested in opening up another business. But I am interested in understanding what it means to go directly from our brains to your brain with nobody in the way; I’m interested in that potential.”
Last month, Slipknot revealed that they recorded a new song, “Long May You Die,” during recent sessions with their newest member, former Sepultura drummer Eloy Casagrande.
Casagrande joined Slipknot in February, taking over the position previously held by Jay Weinberg, who was unexpectedly dismissed in November 2023. His sudden departure from Sepultura in February, right before the band’s 40th anniversary farewell tour rehearsals, suggested his move to Slipknot.
