Slipknot’s Jim Root says he often threatens to leak long-delayed ‘Look Outside Your Window’

Slipknot guitarist Jim Root has admitted to threatening to leak the band’s long-delayed ‘lost’ album ‘Look Outside Your Window’.

It was recorded by frontman Corey Taylor, Sid Wilson, Jim Root and Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan at the same time as the group were working on 2008’s ‘All Hope Is Gone’. At one point, Taylor tried to blend the two records into one, but the “super experimental, vibey” tracks didn’t gel. The ‘All Hope Is Gone’ bonus track ‘Til We Die’ was recorded during those sessions and is often played over the PA at the end of their shows.

The band first confirmed its existence around the time of the release of 2019’s ‘We Are Not Your Kind’ and percussionist Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan said it would come out at the end of that cycle. However, it failed to materialise. Frontman Corey Taylor teasing its release last year and Crahan told NME last year that it would “definitely” release in 2024: “You have my word. The art’s been done. It’s been mixed. It’s been mastered. It is definitely coming out in 2024 and it’s such a great album.”

Now, it appears Root’s at the end of his rope waiting for it to come out, telling Metal Hammer that he has threatened to leak it multiple times.

He also said that Crahan is still “messing with mixes for ‘Look Outside Your Window’, suggesting: “Maybe he’s losing focus on it or whatever.”

“I don’t even remember what any of that stuff sounds like, because it’s been so long since we recorded it,” he admits. “I don’t think I’ve listened to it in probably 10 years. Maybe I’ll go find him after we are done talking, and I’ll be like, ‘Let’s listen to ‘Look Outside Your Window’, and let’s release it tonight…’”

Crahan offered an update on the album last month. Speaking to Vulture, the percussionist and overall band leader said of Slipknot’s unreleased material: “I don’t even know where to begin. I mean, there’s audio, and then there’s video too. We have tons of incomplete concepts, some just under completion. There’s a lot of Slipknot I wish the culture could have. There is so much I create throughout my career but very, very little is actually put out there.”

He then touched on ‘Look Outside Your Window’, adding: “No one believes that it even exists, or that it’s ever going to come out. I’ve always talked very highly of it and I’ve always said that you will never hear Corey Taylor sing like this. It’s just a whole different approach in my mind. Recently, I approved all the art. I’ve also worked really hard to get it mixed and mastered.”

The band have also been busy with their 25th anniversary tour this year, and have announced tours in several regions for 2025. They most recently shared the dates for their 2025 European tour, set to kick off next summer. You can find the full list of dates and ticketing information here.

The UK leg of Slipknot’s ‘Here Comes The Pain’ tour – where they play their 1999 self-titled debut in full – kicks off in Leeds tonight (December 14).