Sepultura Drummer Leaves Band Ahead Of Final World Tour
Some rumours suggest Eloy Casagrande is preparing to join Slipknot.
Sepultura (Credit: Marco Hermes)
Sepultura drummer Eloy Casagrande has shocked the band and fans of the Brazilian groove-metal pioneers by announcing his departure ahead of the band’s final world tour.
The 33-year-old drummer joined Sepultura in late 2011 and was the youngest person to join the band until Sepultura welcomed his replacement, Greyson Nekrutman, 11 years his junior.
In his time with the group, Casagrande recorded three albums with them – 2013’s The Mediator Between Head And Hands Must Be The Heart, 2017’s Machine Messiah, and 2020’s Quadra.
Casagrande announced his departure on social media this week (28 February), writing that he needed to leave as he was “thinking about new cycles that will come” as Sepultura prepare to disband after a four-decade career.
Sepultura announced their break-up in December and revealed 2024 world tour dates that, at the time of writing, take place in Europe and the UK in October and November.
After recapping his history with the band, Casagrande wrote, “Maybe for the band’s fans it doesn’t make sense at this point, but decisions needed to be made thinking about new cycles that will come. We are made of choices and they are not always easy. My departure will never erase my respect and gratitude to the band.”
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Casagrande concluded the post by teasing what’s to come in the future: “There is a lot to come, and I hope to continue making a lot of music and art”.
In response to Casagrande’s statement, Sepultura shared that they were “taken by surprise” by their former drummer’s decision, indicating that he’s already found a new project.
After introducing new drummer Nekrutman, the band wrote on social media, “On 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 were taken by surprise. Without prior warning, he immediately left the band, abandoning everything related to Sepultura.”
Rumours have been circulating about Casagrande possibly joining Slipknot for months. The rumour mill started churning in November after the Iowa metallers sacked drummer Jay Weinberg, with Casagrande’s name thrown around as a possible replacement – his name is particularly popular amongst fans as he already covers Slipknot on his YouTube channel.
After Sepultura announced their break-up in December, speculation around Casagrande’s career increased, and with Sepultura revealing that Casagrande has left to “pursue a career in another project”, it hasn’t taken much for fans to connect the potential dots.
Slipknot’s next tour date is at Sick New World festival in Las Vegas on 27 April – stay tuned to find out who will be their next drummer.
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