Setting up a new rhythm section in a veteran metal band is never a minor adjustment. When Brazilian drummer Eloy Casagrande took over the kit for Slipknot in 2024, replacing Jay Weinberg, it signaled a distinct shift in how the group operates. As they dig into the tracking of their eighth studio album alongside producer Matt Wallace, Casagrande insists the band is intentionally ignoring current market expectations and commercial checklists.
Speaking with Radiónica, the drummer gave some insight into the ongoing sessions, describing a room that feels open, energized, and clear of typical music industry anxieties. According to Casagrande, the group is currently sifting through a heavy volume of raw ideas without wondering which riffs might translate to massive festival stages or drive streaming numbers. He noted that trying to tailor songs for commercial success usually gets in the way of honest writing. For Slipknot, the immediate goal is far simpler: putting their weight behind material they genuinely believe in.
Naturally, Casagrande's presence brings a different feel to the band's foundation. While he has been clear that listeners should not expect overt, traditional Brazilian rhythms forced awkwardly into heavy metal arrangements, his musical upbringing inevitably bleeds through. His playing identity is deeply tied to those roots, and finding the balance between his instinctive percussion background and Slipknot's established vocabulary has been an ongoing part of their creative routine.
That desire to push forward rather than rely on familiar comfort zones matches the stance taken by guitarist Jim Root. While Root acknowledged that the current recording sessions share some of the unpredictable, uneasy tension of their earliest studio days, he warned against expecting another self-titled record or a straightforward sequel to Iowa. Root has also been critical of the band's recent history, admitting that their 2022 album, The End, So Far, suffered from pandemic-related fragmentation that left the finished record feeling disjointed and somewhat unfocused despite its strong parts.
These studio dates arrive after an eventful run of releases and roster shifts. Last month, Slipknot unveiled Arsenal, their first piece of original music in three years and their first recording since parting ways with turntablist Sid Wilson. Root has already pointed out that Arsenal will likely stay an isolated single rather than an album cut, sitting beside Long May You Die, a track previewed shortly after Casagrande entered the fold. That productivity also followed the resolution of a long-standing curiosity for fans, as the band finally released their unreleased side project, Look Outside Your Window, first as a Record Store Day title and then on broader physical formats.
Those studio milestones are building toward live commitments well down the road. Slipknot have mapped out their massive (sic)est Stadium Tour for 2027, including an appearance at Wembley Stadium in London on July 3, which marks their only scheduled date across the UK and Europe. The bill features Bring Me The Horizon and Marilyn Manson, though Manson's presence has sparked severe backlash from fans who cite the widespread sexual and domestic abuse allegations made against him. Against that external friction and the logistics of stadium touring, Casagrande and company seem intent on keeping their recording environment insular, committed strictly to writing songs that satisfy their own standards.
