In a new mask interview, Slipknot’s mystery member speaks for the first time

In a recent masked interview, Slipknot‘s mystery member made their first appearance alongside new drummer Eloy Casagrande and bandmate Shawn “Clown” Crahan. Although Slipknot revealed the identity of Casagrande on social media in April, following their first live shows with him, they haven’t yet revealed the identity of the mystery member who took Craig Jones’ position in the summer of 2023. Rather, all they’ve called him is “Samples.” Fans can hear Mr. Samples speak for the first time since joining the band in a new promotional interview for their mask collaboration with the video game Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance. In the video, he goes by “New Guy.”

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I think anybody who’s listened to Slipknot over the years or seen them, there’s an obvious darkness. It’s just strange, you know? When you have this on, it gives you a chance to really be someone — an alter ego. I think it just reflects a great opportunity to be able to release the beast, and it’s a great experience… I feel like it’s an amplified version of me, but perhaps if I was to step out and look at myself, I may notice a different persona.

Samples

We have the bad side, we have the demons inside us, we have the gods inside us. You just need to keep the balance, and that’s what Slipknot talks about. Eloy Casagrande

Ahead of Slipknot‘s first show of 2024 in April, fans discovered a few possible hints on youcantkillme.com. A Reddit user discovered a hidden video on the platform, and upon opening the source code, they discovered the identities of every member. While Eloy and Jeff were among the names discovered in the code, Casagrande’s identity had not yet been formally verified by the band. Accordingly, some Reddit users conjectured that Jeff is actually Jeff Karnowski, who in the 2000s collaborated with Clown and Michael “Tortilla Man” Pfaff on the project Dirty Little Rabbits. Karnowski previously played with Pfaff in a different group named The Snacks.