Sepultura’s Derrick Green has looked back at Eloy Casagrande’s abrupt departure from the band earlier this year, stating that it left him “in shock”.
Back in February, the Brazilian thrash-metal icons announced that their longtime drummer, Eloy Casagrande, had suddenly left the band after having been in the line-up for 13 years. The news came as a shock to fans, as it broke shortly before they were set to kick off their ‘Celebrating Life Through Death’ farewell tour dates.
He would later be confirmed as having joined Slipknot, following Jay Weinberg being unexpectedly ousted from the Iowa band around the same time.
Now, during a new interview vocalist Derrick Green has said that fans weren’t the only ones left surprised by Casagrande’s departure, as the news left him “in shock” too.
“I think I was flying out literally the next day to start rehearsals,” he said on the One Life One Chance With Toby Morse podcast (via Blabbermouth), recalling the day he found out his drummer was leaving. “Andreas [Kisser, Sepultura guitarist, got in touch with me and was] like, ‘Yo…’ I was like, ‘What’s going on?’ He’s like, ‘He’s out.’”
Green continues: “I was just kind of like falling in a black hole, like, ‘What are you talking about?’ It was totally surreal. It was literally in slow motion. I was just trying to get my breath. And he explained everything.”
Adding how they had a meeting with the drummer to clarify the situation, Green continued: “[Eloy] came in and it was just like, ‘I’m doing this gig. I signed a contract. And I’m out.’ And I was just trying to get my head around it, because it’d been 13 years playing with this guy.
“I was just really in shock. I was like, ‘Dude, what are we gonna do?’”
After news of the departure, the band quickly got in touch with Suicidal Tendencies drummer Greyson Nekrutman, who later joined the line-up. He was replaced in the iconic thrash band by ex-Slipknot sticksman Jay Weinberg.
Sepultura are currently well underway with their ‘Celebrating Life Through Death’ farewell tour, and the run of dates continues next month with three dates in São Paulo, Brazil, between September 6 – 8.
Green and co. will then kick off the European leg in October, starting with a slot at the Zenith in Paris on October 30. The tour continues into late November, and includes shows in Manchester, London, Glasgow and Dublin. Visit here for remaining tickets.
Back in May, Casagrande opened up about his decision to leave Sepultura, saying that it was the farewell tour that led to him accepting the Slipknot offer.
“The band was going to break up, and I didn’t want to stop playing drums at the age of 33,” he said. “It was complicated. I told [Sepultura my decision] when I had closed the deal [with Slipknot] on February 5 or 6. That very day I called a meeting and explained the situation. That was it, an individual decision.”
Casagrande made his debut with the Corey Taylor-led band during a last-minute intimate club show at the Pappy + Harriet’s barbecue bar in California on April 25. The surprise gig had been announced one day prior to the show date on April 24. Later that week, they headlined the Sick New World festival in Las Vegas.
The intimate gig came after percussionist and founding member Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan told NME that the band are “going back to basics” this year to celebrate their 25th anniversary. “We’re going back to basics. I’m ready to kick everybody in the face again! I’m ready to do a 100-person venue again! I’m ready to do a 500-person venue…”
Speaking to NME about what Slipknot have planned for 2024, Crahan said: “I’m ready to move on from what has been, and move onto a world that I know needs to be. For instance, normally we’d have about two years on and one-and-a-half years off — we’re not doing that anymore.”
