Slipknot’s next album will feature longer songs, according to Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan, who credits drummer Eloy Casagrande with pushing the band’s writing sessions forward.
Speaking to Rock Sound for its 2026 awards issue, the Slipknot percussionist discussed what listeners can expect from the band’s eighth studio album.
“This new one is probably going to take people a little time because it’s long songs and definitely a musician’s album.”
Corey Taylor has already recorded vocals for numerous rough demos, while Crahan says Casagrande’s enthusiasm has encouraged the other members to keep jamming. He even raised the possibility of having material for a ninth record or a double album, before stressing that neither was being announced.
For anyone looking to September’s ‘Arsenal’ for clues, guitarist Jim Root has already offered a qualification. The standalone single will not appear on the upcoming album, and he says it does not represent the other songs they have been developing.
‘Arsenal’ launched Slipknot’s own (sic)est Records imprint while work continued on the follow-up to 2022’s The End, So Far.
Watch Slipknot’s ‘Arsenal’
Crahan’s comments follow Casagrande’s confirmation that his drum tracks are finished, marking a major step towards his first full-length album with Slipknot.
Speaking on The Downbeat Podcast, Casagrande explained that he and Root began exchanging riffs and drum ideas towards the end of 2025. They joined Crahan in the studio around February or March, recording hours of jams and picking out passages worth developing.
Producer Matt Wallace also took part, with Crahan helping identify moments that could become songs before more members joined the sessions.
By July, Root was talking about roughly 50 arrangements, although he made clear they were not all finished songs.
Casagrande carried some of that spontaneity into recording, playing most songs as complete drum performances and sometimes combining longer sections from different takes. Certain parts were still being worked out behind the kit, with Wallace and Crahan encouraging him to improvise as the tape rolled.
An album title and release date were not included in Crahan’s latest update.
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