[4] In an interview with Loudwire, singer Corey Taylor revealed that the then new bass player and drummer would both be on stage (as opposed to former bassist Donnie Steele who played backstage out of sight) and both would wear the same mask, as the band felt it would be disrespectful for them to have individual masks at that time.

Shortly after the reveal of "The Negative One", another countdown was put up on Slipknot's official website telling fans to come back on August 11, 2014 at 10 am PDT for "A special announcement".

This was disappointing for some fans as Corey Taylor had already revealed the title of the single in an interview for BBC Radio 1 on August 4.

[4] Blabbermouth.net noted that the single "chugs out of a warbling doom line at the beginning and sets itself onto a morose but tuneful course with moody guitar chimes, dirge-loaded bass and empathetic swills from Corey Taylor," as well as noting that "The choruses are a little too safe, but a massive and quick-stepped breakdown plus a grinding bridge thereafter keeps the song robust and hectic.

The band commits suicide in various ways, such as Corey Taylor setting a bomb off while he sits at a table, Mick Thomson ripping his face apart, Sid Wilson eating himself, Craig Jones being locked in an elevator with an attack dog, Chris Fehn pecked to death by crows, Jim Root blowing himself up with dynamite (losing his beard in the process), and Shawn Crahan lighting himself on fire and hanging himself.