SEPULTURA's DERRICK GREEN On ELOY CASAGRANDE's Abrupt Exit From The Band: 'I Was Really In Shock'

During an appearance on the latest episode of the "One Life One Chance With Toby Morse" podcast, SEPULTURA vocalist Derrick Green reflected on the departure of the band's longtime drummer Eloy Casagrande in February, less than a month prior to the start of SEPULTURA's "Celebrating Life Through Death" farewell tour. Eloy has since been replaced by Greyson Nekrutman, who previously played with SUICIDAL TENDENCIES.

Derrick said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We had already announced that we're going to do a farewell tour. It was in December that we announced it. And so then I think it was February, we started playing shows. And so it was, like, Andreas [Kisser, SEPULTURA guitarist] calls me was, like, 'Yeah, we're gonna do rehearsals. It's all set. Everybody's in line. You'll come down to Brazil and then we'll rehearse a few days and then we'll start the tour.' And I was, like, 'Great.' [I was] literally waking up, packing my shit. I think I was flying out literally the next day to start rehearsals. Andreas [gets in touch with me and he] is, like, 'Yo…' I was, like, 'What's going on?' He's, like, 'He's out.' I was, like, 'What do you mean? What are you talking about? Who's out?' And then he was just, like, 'Yeah, Eloy's out.' And I was just kind of like falling in a black hole, like, 'What are you talking about?' It was totally surreal. It was like literally in slow motion. I was just trying to get my breath. And he explained everything. [Eloy] wanted a meeting with everybody in the band and with the managers and everything, and I wasn't there. But he 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. And I was just really in shock. I was, like, 'Dude, what are we gonna do?' And we've been in this position where it's just, like, so crazy changes. I'm sure when Max [Cavalera] left [SEPULTURA], [Andreas] was in that position, like, 'What are we gonna do?' And then when Jean [Dolabella] left and Igor [Cavalera] left, like different people: 'What are we gonna do?' It wouldn't be the first time of total chaos… I'm on the phone with [Andreas]. He's, like, 'My son showed me a video of Greyson.' I was, like, 'Greyson, he's in SUICIDAL. Yeah. I just saw the show.' And he's, like, 'I was thinking of maybe calling him.' I was like, yeah. 'Call him up. Call him up and see what's up with him.' I was, like, 'You should call him immediately.' He's, like, 'I am. I'm gonna get his number. I'm gonna call him up, see what's up. Just to see what's up.' I was, like, 'He's playing with SUICIDAL. Maybe he has some off dates.' And we're just, like panicking because we had no clue what to do. We weren't expecting this at all."

Regarding how he got involved with SEPULTURA, Greyson, who turned 22 in June, told "One Life One Chance With Toby Morse": "I'm home, and I get a text from Chloe Trujillo, Robert's [Trujillo, METALLICA bassist] wife, and she says, 'Hey, can Paulo [Xisto Pinto Jr.] from SEPULTURA have your number?' And I said, 'Absolutely.' About five hours after that, I get a DM from Andreas, and it's very nice, and it's very straightforward, and he says, 'Hey, man, I love your stuff,' yada yada. 'Can I call you? I have something I would like to talk to you about.' And I said, 'Hey, man. Absolutely. Here's my WhatsApp.' So I tell my parents. My parents are, like, 'Well, what the hell's going on?' My parents think I'm joking. So then I'm also not getting ahead of myself. 'Cause I'm, like, 'I don't know what it could be,' whatever. So this is where it gets funny. And I actually never told Derrick this… So Andreas says, 'We're gonna talk at 2 o'clock Eastern Standard Time. So I wake up, I go to the gym, I'm at the gym and Andreas texts me. He says, 'Hey, man. My meeting at noon got canceled. Can I call you at noon?' So in my head, I'm, like, 'Damn, it's almost like, like an aggressive girlfriend.' So I was, like, 'Shit.' Like, 'All right.' So I was, like, 'Sure.' So he calls me. And I'm in my room. And he just tells me, he says, 'Hey, man, I love your stuff.' He said it exactly like this. He says, 'I'm kind of in a situation.' That's the exact words he said. And I said, 'What's up?' And he says, 'Eloy quit yesterday. And we have this tour planned out for a long time and it starts very soon. And I have the dates.' And I remember sitting in my room, literally, like… It was the weirdest feeling… It was a feeling of, like, 'Oh, no,' but not a bad or not a good. It was like — you know when you're learning to drive and you're on the highway and you know you have to do this. You have to, because you've got 50 years left to live, 90 years left to live, whatever it is. But it's, like, you have to. You have no choice. But, like, 'Damn, I'm gonna really have to do this?' So I was, like, 'Okay.' And again, I still had no clue. I had no clue what he meant, though. I thought he meant maybe do like a show. Because then Andreas was, like, 'I think [Eloy is] going to SLIPKNOT,' kind of thing. He's, like, ''Cause I don't know why else [he would leave on such short notice].' I was, 'Okay.' So I go on my phone, and I remember looked up SLIPKNOT dates while I'm on the phone, and I realized they started in April. So I said, 'Okay, maybe then I'll start doing the [SEPULTURA] shows that are in April, May.' So I was kind of chilling. And he's like, 'If you're interested, let me know.' I was, like, 'Dude, I am interested.' And I said — this is so funny — I said… I think Andreas laughs every time we talk about it. He's, like, 'So you can do it?' I said, 'Yes, I'm gonna do it, but I've gotta go tell my parents.' [Laughs] And Andreas is, like, 'Okay.' [Laughs]"

This past May, Casagrande opened up about his decision to leave SEPULTURA and join SLIPKNOT. The 33-year-old musician, who was a member of the veteran Brazilian/American metal band for 12 years before exiting the group in February in order to hook up with the Iowa-based masked metallers, told Brazil's Veja São Paulo in an interview that he was originally approached about auditioning for SLIPKNOT last December by the band's manager, shortly after SEPULTURA had already announced its 40th-anniversary farewell tour. "They asked me to record and send them some videos from right here in Brazil," he explained in comments that were published in his native Portuguese but translated to English by fans on Reddit. "Initially there were three songs, then they asked me for three more, and asked if I had any plans to go to the United States, and I was scheduled to perform there in January with my instrumental music project, CASAGRANDE & HANYSZ. So they moved my flight up a bit, and I spent five days in Palm Springs, rehearsing with the full band. Then they asked me to extend my stay by another five days, so we could record some things. I think that was also part of the audition. They threw new ideas at me to see what my songwriting was like. They wanted to test me in every way."

Asked when he finally got the confirmation that he was the new drummer of SLIPKNOT, Eloy said: "SLIPKNOT is made up of nine musicians, so there are many spheres and layers, and they needed everyone's approval before they gave me the okay. I think it was on February 5th [or February] 6th that I received confirmation that I had passed the test."

On the topic of his decision to leave SEPULTURA, Eloy said: "I received the invitation to audition [for SLIPKNOT] after the [SEPULTURA farewell] tour was announced. The big thing, the reason I agreed to audition, was the end of SEPULTURA. The band was going to break up, and I didn't want to stop playing drums at the age of 33. I had a chat with SLIPKNOT, asked about their schedule and if it would be possible to juggle the two bands, but they said no, it wouldn't be possible, I'd be exclusive. So it was my decision to leave SEPULTURA. It was complicated. I told [SEPULTURA my decision] when I had closed the deal [with SLIPKNOT] on February 5th or 6th. That very day I called a meeting and explained the situation. That was it, an individual decision."

Casagrande's addition to SLIPKNOT was officially announced on April 30.

SLIPKNOT made its first festival appearance of 2024 on April 27 as one of the headliners of Sick New World in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show marked SLIPKNOT's second performance with Casagrande.

Prior to Sick New World, SLIPKNOT played an intimate show on April 25 at Pappy + Harriet's in Pioneertown, California.

After parting ways with Jay Weinberg last November, SLIPKNOT teased fans with a hint about a new drummer five 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.