Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy recently named the drummer he thinks is the best fit for Slipknot.
In a recent interview with Marcelo Vieira and Mateus Ribeiro, the drummer was asked whether he believes Eloy Casagrande is the perfect drummer for Slipknot. He said:
“I do. Eloy really… Well, actually, no. The perfect drummer for Slipknot would have been [my son] Max Portnoy.”
He then agreed that Casagrande is the second best fit for the nu-metal band:
“But the second-best drummer for Slipknot, behind Max, is definitely Eloy. I mean, he’s a perfect fit, a perfect pick. He has so much incredible technique, but beyond technique, he plays with a lot of spirit and balls and personality. And sometimes, for me, that’s way more important than technique. But in his case, he has both. He has it all. And I couldn’t be happier for him.”
Portnoy’s appreciation extends beyond Casagrande. The musician also acknowledged the talents of both former Slipknot and Sepultura drummers. He continued:
“And I’m also happy for Greyson [Nekrutman] who took his place in Sepultura, ’cause he’s another favorite modern drummer of mine. So, the kind of triangle between Sepultura, Slipknot and Suicidal Tendencies, with [former Slipknot drummer] Jay Weinberg going to Suicidal, it’s the perfect metal triangle. I think all three of those drummers are tremendous, and they’ve all Gotten great gigs.”
Why Slipknot Chose Casagrande
In another interview, Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor revealed that the band announced Casagrande as their new drummer because he was enthusiastic about joining them.
Taylor explained that Slipknot is currently in a positive place with improved communication and support among its members. He was asked if this improved communication led to the announcement of Eloy as the new drummer. Taylor responded with:
“I think we just kinda went, ‘You know what? Let’s just tell people.’ It was really as simple as that, you know? Eloy was the only one who was brave enough to get in the room with us. There were a handful of other people that we were looking at, and none of them wanted to jam with us.”
He also talked about how the current drummer got his place in the band:
“He didn’t get it right away — getting to know him was just as important as jamming with him — but by the time we made that decision, we were like, ‘Let’s tell the world now. He’s earned it.’ Our audience is so used to us kind of keeping our cards close to our chest, but to me it was more refreshing to just kind of come out and go, ‘Yeah, he’s our dude.’”
You can watch the interview below.