Bad news if you were hoping for a surprise holiday release of Slipknot‘s long-shelved “Take A Look Outside Your Window” album. With that lost record achieving near mythical status due to its frequent delays, the band’s percussionist M. Shawn “Clown” Crahan has now promised a 2026 release.

Speaking today, December 03rd, via a Discord Q&A with fans amid the launch of his new Slipknot-themed ‘Minecraft‘ venture, Clown once again delivered the bad news, stating:

“Lets start with LOYW, i know I told everyone it would be this year. I’m very sorry its hasnt been. Things come to play that change things all the time with the art we create. I want you to know 2026 is the year. It’s just simply time and I’m just getting tired of waiting myself. Have faith. I promise”

This latest delay follows a long-running trend. Originally recorded on the side during the 2008 recording sessions for Slipknot‘s fourth studio album “All Hope Is Gone“, “Take A Look Outside Your Window” wasn’t conceived as a traditional Slipknot release.

Instead it came to be after Crahan, vocalist Corey Taylor, guitarist Jim Root and turntablist Sid Wilson branched off from the main album sessions and recorded the eleven-song effort as an experiment of sorts. Reflecting that unconventional approach, members involved have previously described the record as possessing a ‘Radiohead vibe.’ Back in 2019, vocalist Corey Taylor described it as follows:

“The stuff from ‘Look Outside Your Window‘ is really, really — I mean, there’s no real way to describe it. It’s experimental, but it’s super vibey, super melodic. It’s really good. It’s hard to explain. There’s something about those songs. They’re very solemn, very energetic, very artistic. For people who are used to a certain way of Slipknot sounding, this doesn’t sound anything like that. It’s much more of a rock vibe. Honestly, it’s much more of a Radiohead vibe, to be honest.”

After years of sitting on the shelf, 2019 almost saw the album arrive— on Christmas day no less. With those plans for a holiday surprise ultimately being aborted, 2023 next seemed the likely release candidate — at least Crahan teased as much. Following that failure to launch, Crahan went on say that 2024 would “definitely” see the release of the album.

Given that Crahan had stated in the latter months of 2024 that the record had been mixed and mastered, and that he had recently approved all the artwork, it seemed at least plausible this time around. Even 2025 had some rumblings of the record making it out. However, with the year having almost come and gone, we’ll just have to wait and see if 2026 is indeed finally the year.

While Crahan‘s latest post didn’t offer specifics, there is one potential hurdle the Slipknot camp faced this year that could have thrown a wrench in their plans. This past November it was revealed that a number of Slipknot‘s members sold a stake in the band’s royalties & publishing via a deal reportedly worth $120 million. Whether or not that arrangement extended to the rights of this long-awaited album remains to be seen, but the negotiations could have certainly presented a roadblock.