It's been over five long years since the release of the 9's last studio album, 'All Hope Is Gone' in 2008. Since that time the band has suffered the tragic loss of bassist Paul Gray to an accidental overdose in 2010 and more recently, the puzzling and as yet unexplained departure of drummer Joey Jordison. While there has been no title or formal release date announced there have been signs that 2014 will certainly see a new Slipknot album. These include a tweet by vocalist Corey Taylor who responded to the initial uproar over Jordison's departure on December 29, 1013 by saying, "For those who think The Knot are falling apart, you are greatly and sadly mistaken. Bring On 2014. Great Things Are Coming. Stay tuned..." For his part guitarist Jim Root recently posted a photo on Instagram that showed him holding a signature guitar in studio with the hashtags, #fenderguitar #work #thecoffeesucks #slipknot2014. Further evidence of a new 'Knot release on the near horizon is that Root is reportedly not participating in Stone Sour's winter 2014 tour and is focusing on recording for Slipknot instead. It doesn't take a great detective to conclude that we'll have a new Slipknot album before 2014 gets too long in the tooth.