Slipknot announce departure of drummer Jay Weinberg

5 November, 2023

Slipknot have announced that they have parted ways with drummer Jay Weinberg.

In an official social media statement, the Iowa band said that they are “intent on evolving”, and have made the “creative decision” that Weinberg will leave the band.

It is the second time in five months that the band have lost a member, after keyboardist Craig Jones left the group in June.

The statement from the band reads: “We would like to thank Jay Weinberg for his dedication and passion over the past ten years.”

“No one can ever replace Joey Jordison’s original sound, style or energy, but Jay honored Joey’s parts and contributed to the last three albums and we, the band, and the fans appreciate it.”

“But as ever,” it continued, “Slipknot is intent on evolving. The band has decided to make a creative decision, and to part ways with Jay. We wish Jay all the best and are very excited for what the future holds.”

Weinberg joined Slipknot ahead of the release of the band’s 2014 album ‘.5: The Gray Chapter’. He replaced the original drummer Joey Jordison, who left in December 2013. Jordison died in 2021 at the age of 46.

In 2020, Weinberg talked about the pressures of joining the band. “I haven’t been in this band as long as they have, so it was a lot of learning,” he said. “And still, to this day, I approach this band with open eyes and open ears, ’cause I think every day, I’m learning more and more. And every day, I think, as an individual and perhaps as a collective, we get closer and closer to understanding the potential of what the band really has.”

The band have undergone a number of personnel changes over the years, including in 2019 when Michael Pfaff replaced percussionist Chris Fehn. Previously, bassist Alessandro Venturella replaced Paul Gray, who died in 2010.

Weinberg is the son of Max Weinberg, drummer for Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band.

Slipknot’s most recent album was 2022’s ‘The End, So Far’. In a four-star review, NME said: “Aside from the blood, the gore, the theatrics and the noise, there’s clearly always been much more to the band’s ability to shock and surprise – and now it seems their next left turn of an era could be their most daring yet.”

In June, they surprise-released a new EP, ‘Adderall’.

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