Slipknot guitarist Jim Root has offered a detailed glimpse into the band’s creative direction for their forthcoming eighth studio album, revealing that the group are deliberately trying to avoid revisiting their own past.
The upcoming record will mark Slipknot’s first release through their newly established (sic)est Records label, with recording sessions having gotten underway in recent weeks. The album is currently expected to arrive in 2027, coinciding with the band’s recently announced massive stadium tour.
Root provided the update on September 28 while showing off some of his guitar rig on social media. After a fan encouraged the guitarist to pursue the dark, groove-heavy and aggressive qualities associated with Slipknot’s earliest material, Root explained that the band are taking a different approach this time around.
“Thank you! I very important thing for us at this time is to not ‘repeat’ ourselves. It’s gonna hurt some feelings. We’re really experimenting with different approaches… don’t expect another ‘Iowa’ or ‘self titled’ record. We’ve been there.”
While Root acknowledged that the recording process has reminded him of the band’s formative years, he stressed that this does not necessarily mean the new material will sound like Slipknot’s earliest albums.
“The vibe feels honest and true to me. It’s uneasy and reminds me of recording in the earlier days. I’m not saying that means it will translate to the type of music we’re creating or the sound/production of it. The early records had the vibe. You can’t miss that with Ross.”
Root also discussed the production philosophy behind the new album, including his thoughts on how some of Slipknot’s previous records were constructed.
The guitarist said the band’s earlier work could sound “LoFi” to him, while some of the later material became overly layered and polished. For the new album, Root indicated that the group are intentionally stripping things back.
“But they always sounded ‘LoFi’ to me. And some of the later records felt/sounded ‘over produced’ … like. Too many layers of guitar etc. we don’t need that. Me and mick. L and R and then a few 3rd tracks and maybe solos. That’s it.”
Root revealed that he and producer Matt Wallace, who is known for his work with Faith No More and Mushroomhead, also took a somewhat unconventional approach when selecting the guitar equipment for the sessions.
According to Root, he had 16 different amplifiers available to choose from, but rather than settling on what sounded technically “best,” he and Wallace selected the amplifier that delivered the most aggressive and exciting sound.
“And of the 16 amps I vetted to record with. Matt and I chose the most pissed off sounding one. Not necessarily the ‘best’ sounding one. The most exciting sounding… liveliest etc.”
The recording process itself has also seen Slipknot return to an approach they had not used in quite some time. Root confirmed that the band tracked live on the floor with drummer Eloy Casagrande, something they had moved away from for various reasons over the years.
“We did track on the floor live with Eloy. We hadn’t done that in a long time for various reasons. Everything is analog and played. All the pieces that need to be there are there.”
Wallace has already worked with Slipknot on their recently released standalone single “Arsenal,” which arrived earlier this month as the band’s first new track in more than three years.
With the new album expected in 2027, Slipknot have also now announced their massive (sic)est Stadium Tour, which will take the band across the UK, North America and South America next summer with support from Bring Me The Horizon, Marilyn Manson, Lamb Of God, Hatebreed, Lorna Shore, Motionless In White, Loathe, Acid Bath, Polyphia, Kublai Khan TX and Vended.
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