During a recent episode of the “One Life One Chance With Toby Morse” podcast, SEPULTURA vocalist Derrick Green discussed the departure of the band’s longtime drummer, Eloy Casagrande, who left in February, just weeks before the start of SEPULTURA‘s “Celebrating Life Through Death” farewell tour to join SLIPKNOT.
Derrick said (as transcribed by Blabbermouth): “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 s**t. 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.”
During an interview on UOL Prime this past May, Casagrande spoke about his decision to join SLIPKNOT which led to departure from SEPULTURA.
Eloy said: “The first factor for me wanting to play in SLIPKNOT was the end of SEPULTURA. I’m 33 years old. I respected Andreas‘ [Kisser, SEPULTURA guitarist] decision, but I needed to move on with my life. SLIPKNOT’s invitation had no like waiting a year. It was yes or no.”
The drummer states that he arranged a meeting with SEPULTURA immediately after receiving confirmation of his hiring by SLIPKNOT.
“How they understood the news I don’t know, because I didn’t talk to them anymore,” he said. “From the moment I broke the news about what was happening, they didn’t talk to me anymore, and I think they asked everyone from the team not to talk to me anymore.”
“But like that, I still have a great affection for them,” he continued. “If they came to talk to me today I would say it cool, because we never had any professional, personal or friendship problems, it was always very peaceful, especially because we traveled together, spent months on tour buses and everything.”
“So, I took that attitude too, because I was never part of SEPULTURA, I was always an autonomous musician, I was always a musician hired by the band,” Eloy added. “So, from the moment I took this action it was because I had freedom, it wasn’t that I was part of SEPULTURA‘s social contract.”
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