Slipknot have given a live debut to new single The Dying Song (Time to Sing). The performance took place at the O2 Arena in Prague, capital of The Czech Republic, on the European leg of the band's current tour, which began in Bucharest, Hungary, on July 20.
The fan-shot footage below shows frontman Corey Taylor dismissing rumours that the band are set to break up, claiming, "that could not be further from the fucking truth, my fiends", before going on to say that the band are at "the end of one chapter and the beginning of another." He then introduces the new song.
The Dying Song (Time to Sing) comes from Slipknot's upcoming seventh album, The End, So Far, which is due for release on September 30. Last month, Taylor spoke to Kerrang! about the meaning of the song, revealing a deep pessimism about way people are outraged by what's happening around them, but fail to do anything to fix those problems.
“I think if I was younger then I would believe in something like hope,” Taylor said. “I would have that kind of optimism (laughs), but I’ve seen waves of this shit for 30 years, and I’m just unimpressed. The sad thing is, it takes real tragedy to make anything change, because we’re not a proactive species. We would rather close the door after the house is already on fire. I’m just kind of used to it at this point.
“I still obviously support and believe in all the causes that I’m very passionate about, but at the same time, I just realised that people aren’t going to change – and I’m done trying to change people. It’s wasted effort, and it takes time away from the people that I actually care about.
"Until I see real shit, I’m just not going to care anymore. It’s like, ‘If you motherfuckers want to kill each other, go ahead. I’m just gonna stand back and will not be in the line of fire,’ because I’m tired of the idiocy. I can only watch stupid shit for fucking so long. So yeah, it’s me basically going, ‘Go ahead, just fucking beat the living shit out of each other and see what happens.’”
Produced by Slipknot and Joe Barresi, The End, So Far will be the band's final album for Roadrunner, and will feature 12 tracks, including 2021 single The Chapeltown Rag.
Slipknot Prague O2 Arena setlist
Disasterpiece
Wait and Bleed
All Out Life
Sulfur
Before I Forget
The Dying Song (Time to Sing)
Dead Memories
Unsainted
The Heretic Anthem
Psychosocial
Duality
Custer
Spit It Out
Encore
People = Shit
Surfacing
Slipknot European tour dates
Jul 30: Oberhausen Rudolf Weber Arena, Germany
Aug 01: Geneva Arena, CH
Aug 03: Bratislava Nepela Arena, SK
Aug 05: Wacken Open Air, DE
Aug 07: Gdansk Ergo Arena, PL
Aug 11: Tallinn Saku Suurhall, EE
Aug 15: Malmö Arena, SE
Aug 16: Charleville-mézières Cabaret Vert, France
Aug 19: Hasselt Pukkelpop Festival, Belgium
Slipknot US tour dates
Sep 20: Nashville Bridgestone Arena, TN
Sep 21: Springfield Great Southern Bank Arena, MO
Sep 23: Louisville Louder Than Life Festival, KY
Sep 24: Alpharetta Ameris Bank Amphitheatre, GA
Sep 27: Austin Germania Insurance Amphitheater, TX
Sep 28: Dallas Dos Equis Pavilion, TX
Oct 01: Albuquerque Isleta Amphitheater, NM
Oct 02: Phoenix Ak-Chin Pavilion, AZ
Oct 04: Salt Lake City USANA Amphitheatre, UT
Oct 07: Irvine FivePoint Amphitheater, CA