To say that Joey Jordison exiting Slipknot is a surprise is somewhat of an understatement. The drummer had been vocal over the years about Slipknot always being at the forefront of his mind and that he was continually writing for the band. He was also among the most vocal after the death of Paul Gray about continuing the band as soon as possible. But in a new statement, the band revealed that a split with Jordison is taking place.

In their statement, the band explains, "It is with great pain but quiet respect that, for personal reasons, Joey Jordison and Slipknot are parting ways. We all wish Joey the best in whatever his future holds." Though the group did not elaborate on the split, they did stated that they will do their best to respond to fan questions in the near future. They concluded, "It is our love for all of you, as well as for the music we create, that spurs us to continue on and move forward with our plans for releasing new material in the next year. We hope that all of you will come to understand this, and we appreciate your continued support while we plan the next phase of the future of Slipknot."

With Jordison out, that leaves a vacancy in the band and this Readers Poll wants to know who you would like to see replace the drummer in the band. There's Tommy Aldridge, a double bass pioneer that would musically fit, but may not be the long-term answer given his age. There's a wealth of drummers who have made their names playing with multiple groups and have a history of filling in admirably. Among these are Jon Dette, Steve 'Skinny' Felton, Ginger Fish, Josh Freese and Chris Vrenna. Along the same line, Chris Adler stepped in for Protest the Hero this year and could be open for more collaborations.

Other interesting choices could be Jason Bittner, as Shadows Fall has shown their comfort level with letting band members moonlight. There's also longtime Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo, who could be looking for his next major band. He also shared stages with Slipknot at the Mayhem Festival. Highly respected drummer Gene Hoglan has built an impressive resume with a wealth of bands. And with Motley Crue counting down to their retirement, the attention grabbing Tommy Lee could be an interesting choice. David Silveria has vowed to bring the groove back to Korn, and could do likewise with Slipknot. There's also the other option that Slipknot simply leaves the spot vacant given that Shawn 'Clown' Crahan and Chris Fehn are already handling percussion within the group.

So with those choices, which do you think would be the best option to replace Jordison? Vote for your choice in the Readers Poll below:

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