Surprise! Slipknot have suddenly unleashed a brand new standalone single titled "Bone Church." The track is their first new piece of music since last year's album, THE END, SO FAR, but in a statement accompanying the single, percussionist Shawn "Clown" Crahan revealed that "Bone Church" was actually first imagined during the sessions for 2014's .5: The Gray Chapter.
"On the road, we have a 'jam room' set up backstage at every show, where we play, practice, warm up and sometimes try out new ideas," Crahan said of the new song. "'Bone Church' started life in a jam room on the .5: The Gray Chapter tour. We've been bringing it closer and closer to life ever since, and finally, here it is. This one is for the fans — a further vision deeper into Slipknot's history, which is still being written. Enjoy."
Musically, the song has a haunting, slow-building vibe that definitely feels akin to some of the more unusual and melodic sounds on THE END, SO FAR and 2019's We Are Not Your Kind. Listen above via YouTube.
Earlier this year, Crahan teased that Slipknot's unreleased "Radiohead vibe" album, Look Outside Your Window — recorded during the All Hope is Gone sessions back in the 2000s — could finally see the light of day sometime in 2023. Since "Bone Church" was initially conceived many years after Look Outside Your Window came together, it doesn't appear that it has anything to do with the long-awaited record lying dormant in the 'Knot vaults.
However, the song certainly does have Radiohead vibes of its own; its winding, elliptical structure is a marked difference from the pulverizing sounds that people associate with Slipknot. We have no idea if this is the first of many standalone singles Slipknot are planning to dribble out, or if it's just a random one-off. In typical 'Knot fashion, they're being cryptic about it. Keep your eyes peeled.
