Slipknot On New Drummer: ‘We Are Really Lucky To Have That Dude’
Slipknot guitarist Jim Root has spoken about how the band recruited Eloy Casagrande as their new drummer.
In late April, the former Sepultura drummer was confirmed as a member of Slipknot, taking over from Jay Weinberg. Casagrande played his first show with the band at the Pappy + Harriet’s barbecue bar in California on 25 April.
“We didn’t even try anybody else. Eloy’s name came up,” Root told Tone-Talk. “He contacted us actually, about wanting to be a part of it and started sending a bunch of videos in. I think him and our bass player might’ve had a little bit of a relationship before. I think they knew each other. They had mutual friends. And [Slipknot bassist] Vman’s really in tune with a lot of really great, proggy, heavy musicians that are passionate about their instruments. And it just seemed like a no-brainer.
“And he’s really respectful of the legacy of Joey [Jordison], and Joey was a huge influence on him. And he’s so humble. The dude has so much humility. And you could tell he just lives and breathes his craft, to the point where I see his passion and it ignites my passion for my instrument.
“It’s a cool feeling. He just fits in so well. I don’t know, man. I mean, there’s a lot of things I can say about it. I’m just glad it happened when it did. And we’re lucky to have him — we are really lucky to have that dude.”
When asked about writing new material with Eloy, Root explained: “We haven’t really started doing that yet. We will be doing that real soon. Eloy has sent me some drum loops… There’s one in particular that I’m thinking about that if it does turn into a song, it’s gonna be an awfully chaotic song, which could be really cool. So, yes and no, he’s contributing, but we haven’t really gotten there yet. We’re trying to get these shows under our belt first and then it’s time to put our nose to the grindstone and start the creative writing process.”