Sepultura guitarist Andreas Kisser has described drummer Eloy Casagrande's skills as "not human."
Casagrande joined the band in 2011 as a replacement for Jean Dolabella, who himself replaced founding member Igor Cavalera in 2006.
And while Kisser is full of praise for the previous two sticksmen, he believes Casagrande has taken things to another level.
He tells Dan Newton: “The Sepultura music, it’s very demanding drum-wise. Igor was the first ‘monster.’ He set up some standards, and, of course, Jean and Eloy are big fans of what Igor did, and they respect him so much, and Eloy respects Jean so much.
“But I think Eloy is the next level. It’s something else. Maybe he’s not human. It’s just insane. Every drummer, it doesn’t matter how experienced or how big the drummer is, when they see him playing, they say, ‘I have to go back to school.’”
Kisser adds that Casagrande’s music school background, mixed with his live experience, gives him a perfect blend of Igor and Jean’s styles.
He says: “Eloy has that kind of animal, free feeling of a drummer, but lots of technique as well. He can read, he can organise that kind of stuff that Igor was totally away from. So I guess he’s the perfect drummer for Sepultura. He really fit like a glove with us, and he’s working out great.”
Casagrande has appeared on one Sepultura album so far, 2013’s The Mediator Between Head and Hands Must Be the Heart.
