Metal Anarchy

Back in 2008, Slipknot’s M. Shawn “Clown” Crahan, Corey Taylor, Jim Root, and Sid Wilson recorded an album under the name Look Outside Your Window amid the “All Hope Is Gone“ sessions. Now, it has been confirmed that the effort will finally receive a vinyl release on Record Store Day (April 18). A wide release is also rumored for June 12. As such, Clown has further discussed the record with Rolling Stone.

Clown said the following about the name:

“One night, we were sitting in the studio, and we looked out and saw some eyeshine on the tree in front of the window. It was pretty high up in the air, probably most definitely a raccoon looking in at us. But we started imagining cryptic mothmen, and Jim called the second song ‘Moth.’ By the end of it, Jim was walking away, and he said, ‘Always look outside your window.’ It just meant so much, and I just kept saying it over and over again. It just really solidifies who we were, what we were doing, the conversations we were having between writing and having to go down and contemplate [Slipknot], which is huge.”

He went on to discuss influences:

“Well, Jim and I love particular music that’s not heavy. The alternative movement started when I was 19 or 20 years old, around college. So I was growing up with the greatest albums, like [Soundgarden’s] ‘Louder Than Love‘ or [The Smashing Pumpkins’] ‘Gish‘ or Pearl Jam’s first album, anything from Sub Pop. But then I’m an old punk rocker, too. I like Big Black/Steve Albini stuff. I like real aggressive stuff like Scratch Acid and Killdozer. And with Jim, we both love Radiohead. All this different stuff fed my moods.

So the mood you hear is Jim and I constantly wanting to make this music we love that makes us happy to hear. That music is a lot artier.”

He continued when it was mentioned how the album contains a lot of melancholy:

“Yeah. The album doesn’t make me cry, but it hurts. There are a lot of things that make me stop and look at myself and my life. Some of our brothers are gone. So that album ended up being a real good timestamp on other emotions … because [in Slipknot] we’re just nine human beings deciding to share our time together.”

He also confirmed that the sessions yielded more material than what is featured on the album:

“I could probably get another five songs [out of the sessions] but they wouldn’t be so complete as these. And Corey would have to sing all of them. There is one song that didn’t make it, but it was heavier, more like a Neurosis thing. I don’t know why it didn’t mix in; it felt a little out of place and intentional. Eventually, it’ll come out.

Clown also agreed that the long-awaited release is bringing one chapter to a close:

“Yes, it is definitely closing a chapter in that maybe it should have come out a long time ago, but Slipknot always stopped the forward motion of it because we’d be in an album cycle and releasing it would have disrupted both things. So I finally put my foot down, and everybody’s like, ‘It’s about time.’

I love this album so much. I know people are going to love it and I’ve accepted that it’s going to get confused [with Slipknot]. But it’ll also open up the next generation of ‘Look Outside Your Window‘.”

He then added the following when asked about the possibility of live shows featuring the material:

“We as a unit of four people, at least some of us, had always said that there would be no reason we couldn’t play this live. Someone would have to play bass if we were playing live; Jim’s not going to play bass and guitar at the same time. So what will be fun for me is getting a real intricate band together to give it to people if they ever actually request it. It could very well be one, two, three special shows. I’m going to wait until someone calls me and goes, ‘Today’s the day, we have a demand.’”