Slipknot Launch Their Own Label With Surprise New Single ‘Arsenal’

Slipknot have opened another new chapter with surprise single Arsenal, launching their own record label imprint in the process.

The track marks the debut release from (sic)est Records, Slipknot’s newly launched label venture, following the completion of the band’s long-running recording contract with Roadrunner Records.

Rather than representing a complete break with their former label network, however, (sic)est Records is reportedly operating in partnership with Roadrunner and Atlantic Records.

That makes Arsenal significant on several fronts. It is Slipknot’s first new song since 2023, their first with drummer Eloy Casagrande, their first following the departure of longtime turntablist Sid Wilson and now the opening statement from a label carrying the band’s own identity.

The single arrived alongside a nightmarish video directed by M. Shawn “Clown” Crahan and starring Jackson White (below).

Wilson does not appear in the video, while Slipknot’s latest promotional image features eight members. His absence also makes one element of the track particularly interesting: Arsenal features prominent scratching and turntable textures despite the departure of the man who occupied that role for more than 25 years.

Slipknot ‘Arsenal’ video

New album incoming

The release comes as work continues on Slipknot’s next studio album.

As reported this week, guitarist Jim Root has indicated that tracking is underway, with the forthcoming record set to become the band’s first full-length featuring Casagrande.

Root previously revealed Slipknot had accumulated roughly 50 arrangements while working with producer Matt Wallace.

Discussing the material earlier this year, Root said it “sounds like nothing I’ve ever heard before, yet there’s a familiarity to it that feels like I’ve been listening to it my whole life”.

The arrival of (sic)est Records now answers at least part of another question hanging over Slipknot’s next era.

Their 2022 album The End, So Far completed the band’s contractual obligations to Roadrunner, ending a relationship stretching back to the late ’90s. While Slipknot have not yet announced how their next full-length will be distributed, Arsenal establishes (sic)est Records as their new label imprint.

The single is available digitally now, with seven inch vinyl pre-orders also open through Slipknot’s official store.