SLIPKNOT Isn't 'Diligently' Working On New Music Right Now: ' My Inspiration Is Nearly Zero', Says JIM ROOT

When SLIPKNOT played at The O2 arena in London, England last December, the band’s guitarist Jim Root spoke to Guitar Interactive‘s Jonathan Graham about the possibility of a follow-up to SLIPKNOT‘s 2022 album “The End, So Far”. Asked if he and his bandmates have been working on new music, Root said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Not diligently. Honestly, we’ve been touring so much since [drummer] Eloy [Casagrande] joined the band that my inspiration is nearly zero. And there’s a bunch of music that was written during COVID that I’m not interested in. And I think everybody else in the band gets it too, and I think they’re kind of, like, ‘Okay, we need to just kind of, like, maybe sweep all that shit under a rug and start fresh.’ And I wanna get touring behind us. I wanna have at least a month off just to shut my brain off and sleep and all that kind of stuff. And then when I find myself going out to my little home studio and putting riffs together, then I’ll know it’s time to start.”

A year ago, SLIPKNOT revealed that a new song “Long May You Die” was recorded during some of the early sessions with Casagrande.

In an interview with Brazil’s Veja São Paulo, Eloy hinted that he and his new bandmates had worked on new material together, saying: “I think that was also part of the audition. They threw new ideas at me to see what my songwriting was like,” he said. “They wanted to test me in every way.”

However, Casagrande clarified that “I’m still trying to understand how the dynamics of the band work. It’s not so clear yet how things work in terms of records and new songs. We’ve written a few things, and they’re shelved for the time being.

“I don’t think there’s any pressure to record new material,” he added. “But I’m sure they want to, I don’t know when, because right now the band is focused on celebrating its 25th anniversary.”

For of the band’s gigs in 2024, SLIPKNOT adopted a classic look, bringing back the 1999 red jumpsuits and elements of their early masks into their modern versions, tying into the fact that SLIPKNOT was celebrating its 25th anniversary last year.

After parting ways with Jay Weinberg in November 2023, SLIPKNOT teased fans with a hint about a new drummer in March 2024, posting a photo of a single broken drumstick online with the caption “Rehearsal.”

The band explained in a statement that the split with Weinberg was a creative decision. Jay followed up with a statement of his own, saying that he was “heartbroken and blindsided” by his dismissal.

Weinberg has since joined SUICIDAL TENDENCIES and INFECTIOUS GROOVES.

Casagrande abruptly quit SEPULTURA in February 2024, shortly before he was supposed to begin rehearsals for the band’s 40th-anniversary farewell tour.

Casagrande joined SEPULTURA more than 13 years ago as the replacement for Jean Dolabella.

“The End, So Far” arrived in August 2022. It marked the band’s the last full-length LP before the departure of both keyboardist Craig Jones, who left the group in June 2023, and Weinberg.

Photo credit: Jonathan Weiner