The Brazilian drummer revealed, exclusively to Rolling Stone Brasil, how his creative interference is going in the North American band’s rehearsals
In a great phase after the commented departure of Grave, Eloy Casagrande returned to Brazil to fulfill personal commitments after a series of presentations with the Slipknot in the United States, establishing himself as a member of the masked band’s drumsticks. In an exclusive chat with Rolling Stone Brazilthe Brazilian detailed the emotion of sharing the stage with the North American group.
Classifying the invitation as “an immense pleasure”, Eloy states that they had a ten-day testing period, where they already composed new songs — including the already announced one “Long May You Die”, with no release date scheduled. However, he did not emphasize any particularity of the group, stating that, despite having nine musicians, the tune to play the songs in the shows is that of a common band, like any other.
The most notable change was due to the musician’s drum kit, much larger than the ones he has used throughout his career: “For many years, I used a reduced kit that was a bass drum, snare drum, two toms and two floor toms. It was a very minimalist kit and I always identified a lot with that, but nothing stopped me from also changing, from playing a bigger kit and, in Slipknot, this change was necessary because of the band’s existing arrangements”.
The new set, with four bass drums — even though three are decorative with the use of the double pedal in the main one — also has three toms, a Bell Brass snare drum, two floor toms, a gong and a multitude of cymbals, as reported by the Beat portal. it based on cameras from recent shows. Among so many pieces, Eloy added that only now, after five months with the kit, does she feel comfortable creating.
“I can now flow in a more natural way, without having to think so much about what I’m going to do. […] And I think this change came at a very good time, after almost 15 years using the same kit. You change your instrument, new ideas appear and you open up to new possibilities!”, he added.
Creative interference
Anyone who believes that the musician arrived in the group just to fill a hole is mistaken; Shortly after joining, Slipknot confirmed, via Twitter, that the new lineup is already producing new songs. Eloy, in turn, highlighted the freedom he has with his members:
“From what I feel, they want me to bring as many ideas as possible. Whether it’s a mix of Brazilian music with metal, or different rhythms.”
When talking about his learning with great Brazilian teachers, he also recognized the Brazilian essence in his musicality, emphasizing that the group certainly sought this in the decision, even more so after his international projection when he was elected, for two years in a row, best drummer in the world in Drumeo’s election, even when he was in Sepultura.
“They respected that from the beginning. At no point did they come to me and say: ‘You have to play this this way, how it was recorded or how we played it live’. No, they left me very free”, emphasized Eloy.
Source: Rollingstone
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
