Slipknot shared a 5-minute behind the scenes look from the video shoot for their new single, ‘Arsenal,’ which received mixed reviews from the fans, and the band’s percussionist Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan, who oversaw the direction for that clip, explained why he chose not to include the band in this video for the standalone single.
Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan: “This one was difficult because we definitely wanted to do the band. It feels so right to do the band. It’s too early to make masks and outfits and be sure of that stuff. And I definitely don’t want to regurgitate old stuff, because Slipknot doesn’t do that. It’s my job to make sure we don’t repeat ourselves.”
“So, this is all supposed to be a little confusing and a little bewildering, because there’s so much more that’s going to be focused in the future. So I just let the song be the song and I thought I’d let the video be the video and people will connect them when they want to. Two for one.”
“[I’m] tired of fighting the song. I’m tired of fighting the video. It’s two for one. Get it when you can. I know you’ll only listen to the song for a while and that’s okay. That’s what we’re here to do. Lucky and blessed to even be able to make a video.”
Crahan’s remarks come at a pivotal moment for the band, and the unusual rollout of “Arsenal” helps explain why he was willing to leave the visual deliberately unresolved. The single marked Slipknot’s first new music in over three years, and it arrived with no warning, making Crahan’s “two for one” approach part of a broader break from the band’s usual playbook.
Slipknot surprise-released “Arsenal” on September 9, 2026, as the band’s first new song in more than three years. The track landed alongside its official music video, which was directed by Crahan himself.
Guitarist Jim Root confirmed in a response to a fan on social media that “Arsenal” is a standalone single and will not be featured on the band’s upcoming album. That detail supports Crahan’s insistence that the song and its video exist on their own terms rather than as a preview of what comes next.
The clip features actor Jackson White as he descends into a surrealistic, Felliniesque nightmare filled with red and white ghosts — and, of course, the masked members of Slipknot. The visual matched the song’s chaotic tone while still holding back the band’s own new look.
“Arsenal” is “raw and heavy,” recalling some of Slipknot’s early Mr. Bungle-influenced experimental material, with a chaotic arrangement and singer Corey Taylor spitting out rap-sung lines like, “I fought a fucking god and the god lost,” and “I know I’m a hack and a has-been, but motherfucker I’m a…”
Crahan oversaw the direction for the clip and has also served as the masked metal group’s art director for some time. His comments about refusing to repeat the past line up with reports that Slipknot is still tracking its eighth studio album and is not yet ready to reveal new masks or full promotional visuals. That timeline explains why the band appears in familiar imagery in the “Arsenal” video while Crahan keeps the next chapter under wraps.
