Slipknot Premiere New Song, "Custer" —Listen

Slipknot have premiered a crushing new song, “Custer,” off their highly anticipated fifth album, .5: The Gray Chapter, which is due for release October 21 in the U.S.

The song follows the lead single “The Devil in I,” which was the second track released from the record. Check it out and let us know what you think in the comments.

“The future of Slipknot is always in doubt,” says Slipknot guitarist Jim Root in the all-new December 2014 issue of Guitar World. “I always prepare for each album as if it’s gonna be the last.”

It’s a minor miracle that Slipknot have lasted as long as they have. They have nine members in their lineup, each of whom lives up to the band’s aggro metal image in one way or another, and thereby contributes to the potential for volatility.

Yet, they have endured since the group formed in Des Moines, Iowa, 19 years ago, becoming one of the heaviest and scariest bands in a genre crowded with heavy, scary acts. Some 13 years have elapsed since the band’s self-titled 2001 debut album placed them at the forefront of the then-burgeoning nu-metal scene.

“With all the different guys in the band and all the different ideas of what’s what, it’s hard to get everybody on the same page sometimes,” Root says. “We are a very tight brotherhood, but we never know what we’re going to do.”

For an extended excerpt of our interview with Root and Mick Thomson, head here.

The Slipknot issue is available now at the Guitar World Online Store!