Slipknot’s decision to part ways with longtime member Jay Weinberg left the drummer “heartbroken and blindsided,” but grateful nonetheless.
“Even on the hardest days, I’d like to think he’d be stoked about the adventure that was in store for him,” Weinberg said of his 10-year-old self as he addressed his departure from the heavy metal band on Instagram.
In a statement shared Sunday, Weinberg reflected on his 10 years with Slipknot and the “outpouring of love and support” he has received since the band revealed his exit. Last weekend, Slipknot said in a since-deleted statement on its website that it was “intent on evolving.” Weinberg was the second longtime member to get cut this year; Slipknot ended its partnership with sampler and keyboardist Craig “133” Jones — who joined the band in 1996 — in June.
“The band has decided to make a creative decision, and to part ways with Jay,” the statement said. “We wish Jay all the best and are very excited for what the future holds.”
Numerous fans on social media criticized Slipknot for its decision. One Instagram user wrote on the band’s page that Weinberg “gave the old slipknot flavor to the band again.” The group disabled comments on its Instagram page after splitting with Weinberg
On Sunday, Weinberg shared a photo of himself maskless playing his drum kit. He made it clear to his Instagram followers, “This is not the ending to the journey I’d dreamt of … not by a long shot.”
Weinberg wrote that his time on Slipknot had connected him to a community of music lovers, despite the “confusion and sadness” of his ouster. He added that his passion for drumming and making music remained unwavering.
Jay Weinberg performs with Slipknot in Louisville, Ky., in September 2022.
(Amy Harris / Invision / Associated Press)
“I don’t know how, and I don’t know when, but I look forward to creating loud, passionate, and heartfelt music that we enjoy together again,” he wrote. “Until then, please know it’s been the joy of a lifetime to spend the last 10 years with you, sharing in our love for this special corner of the music and art world.”
Weinberg, son of Bruce Springsteen drummer Max Weinberg, joined the “Duality” band in 2014. The New Jersey drummer played for bands Madball and Against Me! before filling in for Slipknot founding drummer Joey Jordison, who left the band in 2013. Jordison died in 2021.
During his Slipknot tenure, Weinberg played on several albums, including 2014’s “.5: The Gray Chapter” and 2022’s “The End, So Far.” In September, a Modern Drummer readers poll named Weinberg “Metal Drummer of the Year.”