Slipknot are back, and boy, do folks have a lot to say about it. This is objectively a good thing, as the worst thing that could happen to one of the most recognizable acts in the metal world is "wait, they put out a new song?" While it's nice to see the Iowa octet (nee nonet) back in action after four years without studio output and a couple of high-profile dismissals, the band's new single "Arsenal," which co-guitarist Jim Root has since stressed will not appear on the band's as-yet-unannounced next album, has split opinions.
As it isn't every day that one of the biggest band's on God's green drops a song from out of literal nowhere, here are a few thoughts organized from our humble Agenda.
Lucia Z. Liner: Hoo boi, has this one kicked a big-ass hornet's nest among the maggot population. At the very least, it's a Slipknot song to its bone marrow, with the biggest highlight of the affair being Eloy Casagrande's maiden voyage upon the great ship Slipknot. While he does have a style all his own, the intro for "Arsenal" sounds like a riff on the intro from "Eyeless."
This is where the praise ends, as this song is fine at best. While Slipknot's B is someone else's A more often than not, this feels like a song in two parts, broken up by a baffling rant by Corey Taylor, in a bit that might be supposed to break the fourth wall, but Coreypool is not something we really need in this Iowa stew. Historically, the lyrics penned by Corey are something, and while "I know I'm a hack and a has been, but motherfucker / I'm a 45, not a Mac-10" is some choice wordplay, the chanting of "let's go let's go let's go" is grating at best.
Also... what the hell was that guitar solo? Solos are hit or miss for Root and Thomson, but "Psychosocial" this one is not. The tone on the guitars is just not it, and it further goes into the idea of throwing shit at the wall to see what sticks. I don't know that this one needed a solo, especially the par-baked one that this is.
It's not as bad as the internet might make you think it is, but it's also not that great. Hopefully the next one is better than "broadly fine but recognizable as a Slipknot song."
Ducky Ruffing: All told, it's genuinely rather catchy, I know I've caught myself going “let's go let's go let's go” repeatedly now. However, it doesn't really sound like the Slipknot I know and love, and as much as I'm repeating “Let's go.” it felt rather overdone and becomes rather irritating. I also really felt like nothing besides the repetition jumped out to me, which was honestly really disappointing. I don't see this becoming a song in my rotation if I'm being honest, and it doesn't give me much hope for the future of their music.
Drew Davis: It's interesting that their first song since the departure of DJ/turntablist Sid Wilson (and sampler Craig Jones back in 2023) features such prominent turntable scratching and samples throughout. The decision feels pointed, like the band is saying those shoes (masks?) can be easily filled.
Working for the first time with producer Matt Wallace, whose credits range from Faith No More (nice) and Mushroomhead (nice) to Train (ugh) and Maroon 5 (nice), the band sounds great. The guitars have a texture and space that really works for a band with this many members. New drummer Eloy Casagrande (Sepultura) gets plenty of room to show off his considerable chops. If anything, Casagrande could be a bit more prominent in the chorus. Contrary to what singer Corey Taylor said in a recent interview, I think the song definitely sounds like Slipknot, just with moments of the band doing some very un-Slipknot things. I like the wiggly, loungey guitar work in the verse. When they want, the band can be quite good at integrating incongruous elements.
Having listened to the track many times now, I have to admit my enthusiasm for the part where Taylor tells the whole band to shut the fuck up lessened when I realized the entire pre-chorus is samples of him saying "Shut the fuck up." What initially felt like a wild, fourth wall-breaking outburst (in a good way) feels premeditated and calculated (in a less good way) on repeat listens. There's probably a metaphor for the song as a whole in there somewhere. Still, I love that Taylor is going all-out, eschewing the harmonies that can sometimes descend into high fructose corn syrup. Heavy repetition of the "Let's go!" bit feels a tad uninspired in 2026, but overall, there's a lively, maniacal energy that recalls their early albums. I'm excited to see what the band, and Wallace, do now that they're on their own label.
Rosie D'Aiuto: This came out of nowhere! The music video isn't too bad, it has some creepy parts a la Slipknot. Clown's a pretty good director, I found mild enjoyment picking at the little secret cult/initiation storyline they had going.
The problem, at least for me, is the music itself. The sheer amount of scratching in this track - and how violent it got at times - feels a little like overcompensation for Sid Wilson's recent expulsion from the group. Like how some guys will buy insanely lifted trucks.
Apart from that, "Arsenal" sounds like a standard Slipknot song. It didn't stray too far away from their brand. In fact, it didn't stray away at all. Every part of the standard Slipknot song was there, from the scratching to the odd percussion to the horror angle. But nothing new or interesting really stuck out to me. This song as an entirety gave me the same feeling as if I had shuffled a deck of cards. No new cards are going to magically appear no matter how many times I do it.
The breakdown is decent. That's the only word I can think of to describe it. It wasn't anything to shake a stick at, but it wasn't terrible. I would say "Arsenal" could use for a little more cleaning-up, but something tells me this is as spotless as it can be.
My one question: Could they have found a better exclamation to repeat several times than "let's go?"
Riviera: It’s fine. A perfectly serviceable 2020s heavy track, but it’s nothing groundbreaking, won’t be on the next album, and doesn’t feel like something made with care. Jim Root described it as “something we could get out quickly” and I have to say, that’s what it sounds like. It’ll fill airtime, sure, and give them a press cycle about something other than their dwindling lineup, but the rush is undignified for a band of their stature. The music video looks like the song sounds; a series of ideas that hangs together, but doesn’t quite have enough to say to congeal into a finished product. Where is the band? Who are these other masked figures who look Slipknot-esque but devoid of identity? “Arsenal” contains all the pieces of a Slipknot song (I'm even charmed by the “let’s go!” chant), but when they’re at their best every element feels like it’s earned its place, here they only feel compulsory.
