The pads are stuck to the base via a very sticky double-sided tape. Use a sharp edge (knife) to carefully pry the pads off. Make sure the tape comes off with the pad. If you rip the pads from the tape, you'll have to remove any residue tape and resort to buying new replacement pads, so be patient and take your time!
The screws are not for the earpads. Removing the screws will give you access to the drives themselves. So yeah, either "rip" the earpads off or "rip" the foam out.