In a recent interview with Andy Hall from Lazer 103.3, a Des Moines, Iowa radio station, SLIPKNOT co-founder and percussionist M. Shawn Crahan (a.k.a. Clown) discussed the band’s upcoming album, which will follow their 2022 release The End, So Far.
“Yeah. I mean, basically we’re very fortunate right now,” Clown said (as transcribed by Blabbermouth). “COVID did really kind of screw everything up. We were supporting [2019’s] We Are Not Your Kind. COVID hit, ended that cycle. We decided to write during that whole lockdown. We came out with The End, So Far. This time, we’re gonna go out and celebrate 25 years [of the release of SLIPKNOT‘s debut album] and kind of end The End, So Far. And then yes, writing is very soon. And the good news is, like, we’ve reached a point where we’ve accomplished everything we wanted to try for ourselves.
“So we wanted to leave the book open to everything,” he continued. “And I think that we’ve really accomplished that. So now I think because of the lineup and where we’re at and what we’ve done, I have a really, really spiritual feeling about this next one. So, I feel like it’s gonna be — not that anyone has not liked or liked what we’ve done, I’m just saying I have a feeling this one is much needed for everybody. And I think it’s gonna be widely accepted. So I’m very excited. Especially with Eloy [Casagrande, new SLIPKNOT drummer] being in the band and the other guys, there’s a lot being brought to the table, and that is very, very exciting.”
Crahan also reiterated SLIPKNOT‘s plans to release a collection of 11 previously unreleased songs, recorded by four band members during the sessions for their 2008 LP All Hope Is Gone, entitled Look Outside Your Window.
Look Outside Your Window showcases the talents of vocalist Corey Taylor, guitarist Jim Root, percussionist Shawn “Clown” Crahan, and DJ Sid Wilson, and deviates significantly from the band’s typical aggressive sound.
“The only reason why it’s not been out is because it’s a timeless album,” Clown said. “It can be released 10 years ago, 10 years from now, today, so on and so forth. And the main reason, and this sounds like B.S., but this is the truth, every time we’ve gotten it to a place where we were gonna pull the trigger, life has thrown the band through a circumstance of some sorts. For instance, the artwork’s done, the mixing is done, the mastering is done — it’s all done. But we like to promote things so everyone gets that chance. And then what happens is something like COVID hits and then maybe someone in the band goes and does other things. So what we’ve gotta do is we’ve gotta put our attention to those things.
“And we’re not trying to make Look Outside Your Window that has to force things to stop, but other things are making it stop, ’cause we’re not making it a priority. But I sort of put my foot down because I’m tired of hearing everybody — not the fans or yourself, but guys in the band that are on it. It’s been so long now that they just laugh. And I laugh too, but I do believe we’re gonna get it out this year. I don’t see it as one of these things… It’s not like we’re gonna go tour it. That doesn’t mean we won’t play some shows; I don’t know. But it’s really just a gift for ourselves. So, I’d really like it. It is gonna come out. You have my word. There’s no drama. It needs its right time. It needs its own space and not to share with anybody or anything else. So it has its due time in this reality. So that’s all I can say.”
One of the songs from Look Outside Your Window, titled “‘Til We Die,” appeared on the digipak edition of “All Hope Is Gone,” but the rest have not been released anywhere.
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