JIM ROOT Says SLIPKNOT Is 'Really Lucky To Have' Drummer ELOY CASAGRANDE: 'We Didn't Even Try Anybody Else'

In a new interview with Tone-Talk, SLIPKNOT guitarist Jim Root reflected on the first two concerts the band played with its new drummer, former SEPULTURA sticksman Eloy Casagrande. The gigs took place on April 25 at Pappy + Harriet's in Pioneertown, California and on April 27 at the Sick New World festival in Las Vegas, Nevada. Jim said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We just did two new shows to sort of introduce our new drummer to the world. We did a secret show at Pappy + Harriet's in Pioneertown in the desert, kind of over by Indio, Palm Springs area. And man, that was awesome. I love the desert, and that whole vibe is just cool. And the people there were just so nice, so cool, so accepting. And they had to have a city council meeting for us to do the show there, 'cause they were kind of, like. 'Oooh, SLIPKNOT. This is a small kind of chill, hippie community. Do we want this chaos happening here?' type of thing. But it all turned out really cool and everybody was really accepting and everybody was really respectful. And we raised a bunch of money to donate for no-kill shelters and [generated] a bunch of money to pump back into the economy there in Pioneertown. And stuff like that to me is epic. That's way better than… I don't know. Some of the shit that you can end up doing in this industry for, let's just say, not the greatest causes, but when you can do stuff like that, it just hits harder. And it was something special. And it gave us a chance to do something that we hadn't done in years, if not decades — play for 300 people. That was much fun. I can't even describe it. So we did that to kind of, like, 'Boom, here he is. Yes, you were all right. It's Eloy Casagrande. He's our new dude.' And then — what? — two days later, we did a Sick New World in Vegas. So, we got those under the belt and out of the way, and now it's time to move forward and onward and upward and do a lot more jamming and rehearsing. I need to get myself into writing mode so that we can write music worthy of Eloy's drumming, 'cause that dude is a world-class drummer."

Asked if SLIPKNOT has commenced writing new music and whether Casagrande is involved in the creative process, Jim said: "We haven't really started doing that yet. We will be doing that real soon. Eloy has sent me some drum loops. He e-mailed me some… Eloy does a lot of drum videos on his own and play-alongs in his home studio and stuff like that. So he sent me five or six minute — from a minute long to one that's a couple minutes long of just him playing drums. And I downloaded those on to my computer and I converted them into files that I could import into Pro Tools. And I spent some time kind of trying to write some riffs to them. And it was a little bit difficult because he basically sent me two-minute-long drum solos. And I'm not really good at finding a bit, chopping it out and then looping it to make that, like, 'Okay, this sounds like it could be like an intro riff on the drums. And this sounds like it could be like a verse riff on the drums.' 'Cause the particular ones that he sent me, it's, like, a lot of real stunt drumming and really busy stuff. And I wrote riffs to most all of it. And 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."

Later in the chat, Root spoke in more general terms about how Casagrande came to join SLIPKNOT and his impact on the band's overall sound. He said: "We didn't even try anybody else. Eloy's name came up. 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 [Alessandro 'Vman' Venturella] might've had a little bit of a relationship before. I think they knew each other. They had mutual friends. And 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 [SLIPKNOT's original drummer, the late] 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. And Brazilians, South Americans in general, are so passionate about what they do. Our manager told me, he was out to dinner with four or five promoters from South America, and they were all really stoked. They're all, like, 'It's so good you've got a Brazilian drummer in SLIPKNOT now. We kind of feel like we've won the World Cup.' It's a cool feeling. And God, 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."

For both the Pappy + Harriet's and Sick New World gigs, SLIPKNOT adopted a classic look, bringing back the 1999 red jumpsuits and elements of their early masks into their modern versions, tying into the fact that SLIPKNOT is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.

After parting ways with Jay Weinberg last November, SLIPKNOT teased fans with a hint about a new drummer two months ago, posting a photo of a single broken drumstick online with the caption "Rehearsal."

The band explained in a statement that the split with Weinberg was a creative decision. Jay followed up with a statement of his own, saying that he was "heartbroken and blindsided" by his dismissal.

Weinberg has since joined SUICIDAL TENDENCIES and INFECTIOUS GROOVES.

Casagrande abruptly quit SEPULTURA three months ago, shortly before he was supposed to begin rehearsals for the band's recently launched 40th-anniversary farewell tour.

"February 6th, a few days prior to the first rehearsal, drummer Eloy Casagrande informed the band that he was leaving SEPULTURA to pursue a career in another project," the band said in a statement.

Casagrande joined SEPULTURA nearly 13 years ago as the replacement for Jean Dolabella.

SLIPKNOT's latest album "The End, So Far", arrived in August 2022. It marked the band's the last full-length LP before the departure of both keyboardist Craig Jones, who left the group in June 2023, and Weinberg.

SLIPKNOT recently announced the North American portion of the "Here Comes The Pain" tour. The band is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its seminal debut album, "Slipknot", which catapulted the band back in 1999.

In addition to recently announced dates across the globe, the "Here Comes The Pain" tour, produced by Live Nation, includes arena plays nationwide this summer. Highlights include New York City's Madison Square Garden, Los Angeles's Intuit Dome, Austin's Moody Center and more with direct support from Kentucky's young and vibrant hardcore/metal forerunners KNOCKED LOOSE. ORBIT CULTURE and VENDED are confirmed as support on select dates.

Photo credit: Jonathan Weiner