Eloy Casagrande played a 10-day audition to join Slipknot ahead of their 2024 ‘Here Comes the Pain’ tour earlier this year. He reflected on the first day of the sessions in a recent chat with ProMark Drumsticks.
Noting that he had to learn a long list of songs right before the audition, the drummer shared, “I remember the first day that I was there. I was warming up in the studio. I had, like, my pad, drumsticks, pedals. And the guys from the band started arriving at the studio, and I was in shock. When we played the first song, I did several mistakes, because I was so in shock to see everybody in front of me. And I couldn’t think. I couldn’t even breathe.”
“But they were, like, ‘Okay, we understand that you’re in a difficult situation right now. We understand your side. So, just relax, have fun. We’re just here to see the vibe.’ And then from the second day, I think everything got better. I was more relaxed to play the drums and just let the music flow.”
Casagrande left Sepultura six months ago right before the rehearsals for their 40th anniversary farewell tour began. Shortly after, he took over for Jay Weinberg as the drummer for Slipknot’s 25th anniversary tour.
The band explained their former drummer’s departure as a creative decision while Weinberg said he felt ‘heartbroken and blindsided.’ He has since played with Suicidal Tendencies and Infectious Grooves.
Slipknot’s most recent album, ‘The End, So Far,’ marked their last with Weinberg and keyboardist Craig Jones.