Eloy Casagrande began playing drums when he was just 7 years old and at 20, he became the drummer for the legendary band Sepultura. After a decade on the road with the group, he is still torn between performing live and producing content for his almost 300,000 followers on different social media channels. This article dives deeper into the life and tribulations of this drumming sensation.

Born in January 1991 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Casagrande came to the spotlight at the age of 13 when he won the Batuka International Drummer Fest in 2004. He also won the Modern Drummer’s Undiscovered Drummer Contest in 2005, at the age of 14. 

Eloy’s background in Brazilian music reflects his cultural upbringing, and he naturally fuses it into even the heaviest of drum parts. He grew up loving both metal and traditional Brazilian rhythms (like maracatu, samba, bossa nova, baião, and maxixe), particularly those developed in Northeast Brazil. 

Combine that with an early love of Black Sabbath and receiving his first drum kit at age 8… He was the perfect recipe for an innovative drummer that blends genres like nobody’s business.

He was the drummer for the bands AcllA, Iahweh, and 2ois, as well as being a member of singer Andre Matos’ backing band. In 2011, at the age of 20, he became the drummer for the band Gloria. Despite having only spent a few months in the band, Eloy participated in important moments in the band’s history, such as the show at Rock in Rio in 2011 and the recording of the CD “(Re)Nascido”, released in 2012. 

As for drummers who have influenced Eloy Casagrande, he took some key advice from a recent Vinnie Colaiuta interview… saying…

“Thought is the enemy of flow.”

This means that if you think too much while you’re drumming, you’ll lose the feeling of the music.

Influencing Metal Drumming with Sepultura

While he’s become an experienced clinician and session drummer since that time, Eloy is known largely in the heavy music community as the drummer of the legendary Brazilian metal band Sepultura, which he joined in 2011. Casagrande officially hopped into the band in November 2011, replacing Jean Dolabella.

With Sepultura, he has toured 5 continents and recorded 2 studio CDs as well as 2 DVDs. He was on a world tour with group, presenting the songs from his latest work “Machine Messiah,” as well as conducting workshops and masterclasses. He’s also developed several studies on drums, individually or in partnership with other musicians.

He recorded three albums with the band before his departure in February 2024 and was the second youngest member of Sepultura, with his replacement Greyson Nekrutman being 11 years his junior.

It doesn’t end there! Casagrande is also known for his time with power metal singer Andre Matos and post-hardcore/metalcore band Gloria and has a project called Casagrande & Hanysz with guitarist João Hanysz.  

Though he was voted “Metal Drummer Of The Year” at the 2022 Drumeo Awards and “Best Metal Drummer” in the 2021 Modern Drummer Readers Poll, Eloy is a gifted all-around player who has also been touring and releasing music with his progressive instrumental duo, Casagrande & Hanysz (featuring guitarist João Hanysz).

The Eloy Casagrande band is titled Casagrande & Hanysz and he performs alongside guitarist Joao Hanysz. They have released one album, titled LIMINAL.

In 2009, he featured in the second solo album by Andre Matos, titled Mentalize. With the band Gloria, he recorded the album (Re)Nascido, which was released in 2012. He then went on to record four albums with Sepultura, namely The Mediator Between Head and Hands Must Be the Heart, Machine Messiah, Quadra, and SepulQuatra. 

His status in the metal and drum community regularly leads Eloy to participate in clinics, workshops, and drum masterclasses.  

Eloy Casagrande’s Slipknot Era

In April 2024, Slipknot officially confirmed that Casagrande would be replacing Jay Weinberg as the band’s drummer. His first show with the band was on April 25, 2024, at Pappy & Harriet’s Palace in California, USA.

The drummer first noted that he was approached by the band’s manager in December and ultimately spent ten full days in Palm Springs with the band rehearsing and recording. Slipknot “wanted to test me in every way,” Casagrande said. This included auditioning him with a list of 32 songs. After finding out he passed all their tests in February, he had to begin prepping for his first Slipknot show, a smaller performance on April 25. Casagrande felt “lucky.”

“The first big change when wearing a mask is mental. It’s another persona in there. The mask has life. If someone else puts it on, it won’t be the same,” he shared in the interview. “I created it together with Shawn, we worked out the design together, so it’s a combination of Slipknot and my personality.”

Here’s Eloy Casagrande drum kit setup:

TAMA Drums:

Starclassic Bubinga

22″x16″ Bass Drum

22″x16″ Bass Drum

14″x5.5″ Snare Drum

10″x8″ Tom Tom

12″x9″ Tom Tom

16″x14″ Floor Tom

18″x16″ Floor Tom

Eloy likes to tune his toms high, which is common in Latin drumming. He keeps his highest tom tuned extra high for percussive “effect”.

Paiste Cymbals:

20″ 2002 Wild Crash

15″ Formula 602 Modern Essentials Hi-Hat

12″ RUDE Shred Bell (as stack top)

14″ RUDE Blast China (as stack bottom)

19″ Formula 602 Modern Essentials Crash

14″ PST X Swiss Flanger Stack

14″ Formula 602 Modern Essentials Hi-Hat

20″ Formula 602 Modern Essentials Crash

20″Formula 602 Modern Essentials Ride

18″ 2002 Novo China

Evans Drumheads:

14″ Evans Genera HD Dry Drum Head

14″ Evans Clear 300 Snare Side Drum Head

12″ Evans G2 Clear Drum Head

22″ Evans EMAD2 Clear Bass Drum Head

Eloy Casagrande Drumsticks:

Classic Forward 5B Hickory Drumstick, Oval Wood Tip

FAQs

Does Eloy Casagrande use triggers?

No, Eloy Casagrande does not use triggers when playing with Slipknot. In a 2024 interview, Casagrande said he doesn’t use the electronic element of triggers and prefers an old-school style of playing. 

Why did Eloy Casagrande leave Sepultura?

Casagrande gave an interview to Brazil’s Veja Sao Paulo which was translated from his native Portuguese by fans on Reddit. He revealed that he asked about playing in both bands but had to leave Sepultura after being told he would have to be exclusive to Slipknot.