After Joey Jordison departed Slipknot in 2013, he played in numerous other bands before his death last month, including the international extreme-metal supergroup Sinsaenum. Today (August 5th), his former Sinsaenum bandmates (who include current and former members of Mayhem, Dragonforce and Chimaira) have shared a poignant tribute to their late drummer, which includes a passage about how they tried to help but couldn't get through to him.
"We are deeply saddened by the loss of our friend and brother Joey Jordison," the band wrote on Faecbook. "He was of course one of the most influential drummers in the genre, completely rewriting the game of metal drumming, and it was truly an honor to share even just a small part of that with him. He brought something to the table that no other musician could, and his love and passion for music was unmatched in a world of jaded artists."
They continued, "For us Joey was family, and like family we argued and cried, but mostly laughed, and cared deeply for one another. His public image had a serious tone, with an evil exterior, yet he had the biggest heart, and we were lucky to be able to see the softer side of him."
Then, the band alluded to non-specific mental health issues that Jordison was allegedly struggling with, and made it seem like they tried confronting him about his troubles to no avail.
"Joey also had his demons, and nothing hurts more than knowing that we did everything in our power to help and couldn't get through to him. He never felt he was better than anyone and would go out of this way to put everything, and everyone above his own needs."
"Our hearts go out to [Jordison's girlfriend] Amanda, to his family, and to the true friends that were checking in on him," they continued. "And to all our fans and friends who reached out to us in this time of mourning, thank you."
The rest of the tribute mentions that the band will continue to move on without Jordison behind the kit. You can read the full post below.
In 2016, Jordison revealed that he had been suffering from a condition called transverse myelitis since 2010, which impacted his ability to play drums toward the end of his time in Slipknot. He died on July 26th and, according to his family, passed away peacefully in his sleep.
