Jan 'Hellhammer' Axel Blomberg (Mayhem, Arcturus) - drumtalk [episode 55]
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- Опубліковано 17 тра 2024
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"There was no frustration, only inspiration!"
Hellhammer can be considered one of the most popular drummers in metal music through his work with Mayhem and many Black Metal bands. He's not only a very creative and versatile drummer but also one of the real pioneers in extreme drumming. So here we chat about his upbringing on drums, the techniques he developed, on creative ways within extreme music, on some of his remarkable beats and of course about the Black Metal scene.
![Zbigniew 'Inferno' Promiński (Behemoth) - drumtalk [episode 46]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ANWnCvt-eRA/mqdefault.jpg)
![Zbigniew 'Inferno' Promiński (Behemoth) - drumtalk [episode 46]](/img/tr.png)
We opened a Show in Salzburg (austria) for mayhem back in 2004. We were a local metal Band and we were totally green. All of us were at the age between 17 and 19. We were very nervous and afraid of those guys, especially "Maniac". After our gig suddenly Hellhammer was standing in front of me with a smile on his face and he shook my hand and told me we did a great job. Later on we had a blast with all of the guys from Mayhem, they were great and especially Hellhammer, what a living legend he is🫡🫡🫡
Holy fucking shit, the golden era with maniac and blasphemer ❤
@@halosakte1946 Fuck yeah😁
You have to realize Hell hammer is in his 50s and still is one of the best BM drummers that ever lived. The man is a living legend\m/
He looks very young! Late 30s! He looks very young!💪💪
He is also one of the best drummers in extreme metal
Looks like 35 years old he's youthful
His drumming hits the soul hard
Darkside from Mgla would like a word. Hellhammer is basic. Frost, even blows him out of the water.
"Black metal is about thinking for yourself, not following anything"
Thats why i love it
"Black metal is about thinking for yourself, not following anything" sure, but isn't it weird that this is one of the most common things you hear from the NSBM clique? Which world view is based more on conformity, homogeneity and traditionalism than fascism? The greatest plague.
Meanwhile they all look and sound exactly the same
Was reading the comments while listening to the inerview and read your comment exactly at the same tim Hellhammer said it.
@@boodleboy Paranoia about racism and fascism is the more problematic plague id say.. Why do people act surprised when Norwegians in their early 20's would use the swastika as a tool for rebellion? Who cares, its evil and obscure. Fuck off.
Holy shit this is the best Hellhammer interview ever
For sure
Awesome drummer!!🔥😈🔥💪💪💪
Damn it is rare to see a decent Hellhammer interview haha. This is quite a rare treat. :D
This is the longest and most insightful Hellhammer interview I've ever seen. Maybe the longest and most insightful ever?
My first hellhammer interview
Fenriz 2005: "ding ding ding ding diling dalingding..."
Hellhammer 2020: "ding dingading dingading dingading"
Hahaha
When you ask the right questions, you get the right answers.
I find it funny how he looks like he's from Southern Europe or Latin America, while having the strongest, Norwegian accent.
And being a massive racist 🤣
He's adopted
@@Buko99999 didn't seth putnam write a song about that?
@@fatsdumbono2979 really? 😂 Name?
@@fatsdumbono2979 He is fukken Hellhammer dude.
Hellhammer has done so much for the black drummers community, since ages! He's a Legend!
So not racist?
@@AstronomyDomine definitely racist and homophobic
@@possumofdestruction My kinda drummer!
@@AstronomyDomine supee racist. Hahah i tend to learn from everyone...from this man we can learn :
A) dont be a racist
B) be yourself always and true to yourself..."i do my own shit"
Guys sorry I forgot to type "black metal" 🤣
he looks in a very high spirit and mood. good.
What’s he like normally or otherwise?
@@littlebear2477 very calm and emotionless. bit arrogant in phrases and sarcastic in tone
Giorgi Kavsadze arrogant I got but I’m not sure about sarcasm...
Although I don’t know him he’s obviously very comfortable in himself to be that calm before a show..
@@littlebear2477 hes an excellent dude anyway but he does have that sarcastic grin from time to time
Giorgi Kavsadze okay, humans are an odd lot I definitely aren’t good with interacting which is fine with me a my life...
Thanks for the conversation
An interview with Nick Barker would be awesome, Last time that I saw someone doing an interview to him was like 3 years ago.
Definitely would LOVE to see Nick Barker on the next one. He is awesome and really creative, so talented. So many drummers are here because of him.
Yeah, definitely Nick Barker! Way underrated IMO.
That would be fucking amazing!
Fuck yeah totally agree.
Yeah! Could also ask him about his recreational habits and the guy on crutches he beat up in XL's to see if he loses his shit. Just for the lols, like. 🤣 I wonder if randomly fighting kids in clubs has any impact on consistency of technique? If anything he seemed to improve over the years! I'll have to get on the phone to my dealer
Jan Axel has been one of my closest friends since the 1990s, and almost everyone who has commented on this video is spot-on- he is a genuinely great person, and a phenomenal drummer. To those who have spoken of his ethnicity, his father is Moroccan, but he is 100% Norwegian. It has been awesome to see Mayhem's popularity grow over the years; in the 90s, they were still "underground", and now they tour constantly all over the world. :)
How is he 100% Norwegian if his father is Moroccan? Doesn't add up.
His father was born in Morocco, then emigrated to Norway in the 1960s. Jan Axel was born and raised in Norway.
@@frostnettenes jan saved my life when I was 14 years old when I saw him in the until the light takes us documentary in 2009 his drumming made me feel again since then I have been a loyal fan of his I truly am greatful to him and all he does
@@frostnettenesdon’t mean to be rude but isn’t he mixed with anything else?
As with all of us, we are a mixture of ethnicities and origins. I can't speak of his lineage beyond his mother and father.
Hellhammer check, Inferno check, Lombardo check, Igor check, Sandoval check, Portnoy check... I wish you would interview FROST !! to complete la crème de la crème
Oooh yeah that would be awesome!
Frost would be iinterestimg. He is a weird dude. Met him on the Rebel Extravaganza tour in Bradford Rios.
@@ProjeKtWEREWOLF haha, Yeah, I've seen a few interviews of Frost and surely seems an oddbball. Inferno seem such a shy guy and man, this guy did an awesome interview of him.
What about Nick Barker? He’s definitely a suitable candidate for an interview
@@ericcurtis3536 got really drunk with Nick once. Nice bloke. He fell over a trailer hitch at a Nile gig.
Saw Mayhem last night at Brooklyn Steel and caught HELLHAMER's drumstick! HellHammer is a true legend of drumming, whether a person likes black metal of not- HELLHAMMER is an inspiration !
He threw his drumstick to me at one of their shows in helsinki last year. Best moment ever.
Helenski?
@@behindthen0thing525 Helsinki
@@Mantte14 I think it was Санкт Петербург
@@behindthen0thing525 What are you talking about?
@@Mantte14 I'm saying you were in saint Petersburg when that happened
He lives and breathes drumming, it is a joy to hear him talking about his passion.
The drum work done on Grand Declaration of War is a masterpiece. The whole album is a masterpiece.
it really is a work of art. people who recognize that album understand maaaan
also one of the very rare occasions where the Re-work of the album from a few years ago was even better imo.
It's a great and fucking wierd album!
@@CFHardstyle for sure!
That's totally right! The entire album is a masterpiece!!!
Best interview I've seen with Hellhammer
Hellhammer on learning drums and his formative years: "...it was no frustration...."
Wow, that must be nice. Great interview!
Was a total gent when Mayhem came to Mexico City, had some beers with him, a very cool chat and gave us some presents, legend.
¿En serio? órale, no pensé que fuera así.
In my early days of playing live I shared stage with both Mayhem and Arcuturus so I've met Hellhammer half a dozen times or so and this guy is the real deal. Friendly and social, we also at one point made a drumcircle with him, his daughter, the other guitarist in my band and me. Jan Axel = Legend.
That’s an incredible story bro
When Varg Vikernes describes your drumming as "Totally Awesome" you know you've made it.
yeah, because varg has definitely the competence to evaluate that...
@Welcome To Hell You mean like having a cell wtih view on the mountain side?
@Metal Albums Archive must have been some Burzum cover band I heard then... I'M KIDDING
yeah like having the approval of a talentless racist fucking moron who knows jackshit about drumming matters...
Lol Varg is a loser and will be remembered as nothing more than a child who was desperate to fit in with the kids he thought were cool.
One of my all time favourite drummers. His playing is FULL of dynamics.
imagine having played in so many bands that on day you turn on the radio and a song comes up , you think damn that drummer plays exactly like i would play it and then when they say the name of the band you remember it was actually you who played it but completly forgot about it hahaha
His drumming in Arcturus is absolutely mindblowing. Same for Chimera.
You should check out his band Winds & Age Of Silence
@@aztronaut I actually own 2 Winds albums and the Acceleration as well. Even the stuff he did with Covenant and Antestor is incredible. I just happen to enjoy more his work with Arcturus, especially LMI and TSM
Chimera is the best Mayhem album
@@aztronaut Neither of those are great drummimg albums though really. He was on autopilot there in my opinion. Didn't have a great deal to do because the compositions were generally so straightforward.
aztronaut my favorites !
i swear this man doesn’t age at all
I don't know if Jan Axel realize how talented he is. Have met him, would love to hire him for a few metal sessions. His playing is effortless and I love the way he creates his grooves. One of the best drummers alive, regardless of genres.
"Not following an idiot who says you have to do that to be true" I think he's talking about his ex bandmate Euronymous.
we all know but shh ;)
At what minute does he say that?
I love how he laughs with that grin, he is thinking of how stupid and ridiculous Euronymous was. That whole Trve shit was so corny and cheesy and I never bought into it as a black metal fan. Like Hellhammer said, it's about not following and confirming to anything. Like him, I love differnet genre's as well as metal and that should never make you less of a true black metal fan
@@bigalexxx I agree 100%, as he said BM is about following your instincts and being free, it's not a sect.
@@bigalexxx It's more ridiculos to hold grudges and speak ill of someone 25 something years later
13:04 Where did I listen that before? Oh, yep. Fenriz.
Hellhammer is the most complete drummer of all times. Absolute musician on so many albums.
The most in depth interview of him ever. How you made him open up himself is awesome
thanks mate!
Yes! waiting for this one. thanks!
Hey Dan,
I hope you are one of the next drummer here in Drumtalk!
@@-Miroslav would love to some day, one of my fav drummer podcasts
@@DanPresland You are definitely ideal candidate to be here!
You and God himself Jamie Saint merat would be amazing!
Same here bro!
I’m not even a drummer but absolutely love Mayhem and his work. Fantastic interview, he seems happy and really enjoying “geeking out” over his craft. If you play metal and can’t pull creative inspiration from Mayhem, man Idk what to tell ya!
The audio/video quality of the scenes where he's playing is excellent... Now we need a full drum-cam setlist of him playing with this exact quality. PLEASE!
I'd love to know where that footage came from. Looks great, sounds great.
Indeed. Also, it's more work I guess, but adding a note admit which song is being played would be really great for people who want to check out the music.
Saw Mayhem live last night in The Wiltern in Los Angeles and I’ve got to say Hellhammer’s drumming live is unreal. He’s far too good and definitely made his presence known and killed it.
I agree with you, in my opinion Hellhammer live drumming definitely cuts through the audience and venue.
I saw Mayhem live at the Fonda Theater the max capacity is 1500 people.
Finally a decent Hellhammer interview! I've waited long for this.
Um-
Really Jesus?
The man himself, one of the great masters that took extreme's drumming to the next level, and since the early 90s.
He was doing stuff that others caught up only in recent years, and still he had this unique jazz twist that separared him from everyone else.
His cymbals work has always been fantastic. Other than Mayhem people should check him out in his countless other bands/project to get his capabilities and versatility fully.
This man knows his shit, the only man who changed the drums game in black metal
Hellhammer hates social media.
Smart man.
I know exactly the part he is talking about on Life Eternal where it sounds like multiple hi-hats. Really cool to learn about the thought process behind such techniques.
He’s a pretty cool guy. When I met him we talked about his excellent work with Antestor
That's a very overlooked band obviously only because their lyrical concept
Covenant's 'Nexus Polaris' is another gem he played on. A masterpiece of catchy, melodic black metal.
Such an underrated melodic BM release and yet one of the best albums of the genre.
One of the greatest albums ever. His drumming is exceptional on it
Thanks to Hellmammer for agreeing to interview. I'm also 52 and into this music and drumming since high school. I can tell you that are the real thing. You've rei-inspired me. Greeting from Los Angeles
This guys drum hittin' on Des mysteris is phenomenal
Man I've loved his drumming for 20 years now.
Excellent interview - it’s good that interviewers are finally realising that Mayhem have a lot of interesting things to say about the music itself and the compositional process. For a lot of years it seemed that all they were asked was gossipy questions about the old members’ headline grabbing personal lives, which have already been documented a million times. Good work guys - you have a new subscriber
thanks a lot Danny. btw. drumtalk is a one-man-army show, so no plural necessary... ;-)
@@drumtalkofficial Fantastic work, let alone for a one-man project! Cheers from Belgium!
I totally agree, so refreshing not to hear any questions about Øystein or Varg.
@@drumtalkofficial WOW!! THIS IS A VERY RARE INTERVIEW!!
\HELL-HAMMER/!!💪💪🔥😈🔥..MAYHEM!! SO BAD ASS!!💪💪🔥🔥🔥💥😈
@@drumtalkofficial You should convince him to produce a tutorial series with you. I'm dead serious!!!
Hellhammer is one of the most best drummers in blackmetal scene..one of the greatest..the way he playing and the sounds he made..it is always good to listen the song..then also involved in many other genres...FULL RESPECT TO HAILHAMMER! BLACLMETAL RULES!!!🤘🏼🤘🏼🖤🖤
I just found out about Hellhammer, thanks for the interview, he's a super cool dude!
Enjoyed this interview. Hellhammer IS true to himself, to his drumming, and to black metal.
What a great Mindset.
AWESOME!!! An interview with Frost would be amazing as well. You seldom hear him talk about his drumming in his interviews.
So glad he mentioned the weird set up in Chimera.
Chimera is a stroke of genious!
BASED HAMMER BABY
I bet it was him on the studio recording of Immortal's Battles in The North album!
Super smart to give social media the arse!
I also avoid social media. In my eyes it's one of the ways to focus on my goals and craft.
one of my favorite drummers of all time - cheers
That snare tone is,,, holy shitski brother
And so we have the fenriz hello kitty: DING DING DING DING DIDIDI DING DING and the hellhammer: DING DIGGA DING DIGGA DING.
What more could you ask for in an interview.
There is one song on Daemon where I swear Hellhammer is playing the Fenriz Hello Kitty. Strangely enough,it sounds like a Enslaved song of sorts,Enslaved even dedicated some Hello Kitty playing to Fenriz on "E" I think....
He’s got perfect posture man. What a legend
It’s so rare too see a proper interview with him, this is so nice!
Work for it, pay for it. Now that’s a get it done attitude!
Thank you for uploading this interview. It's a rarity and a pleasure to see him in a long one. Good vibes!
you're welcome Tamara! but to be honest... I wouldn't consider this long ;-)
@@drumtalkofficial Haha, that is also true... ;))
I've been a fan of his work since mid 90's and I'm not even a drummer. One band of his that rarely gets mentioned is a classically inspired prog group called Winds, which I really recommend checking out. It's some of my favourite music to listen to in a car, cause you can still enjoy it even if you just hear the cymbals.
I was always a bit disappointed by them. The drumming was always pretty straightforward compared to the other stuff he was doing at the time.
Then came The Kovenant...
I had the first Winds album, they were very good!
@@AdAstra78 Check out Prominence And Demise from 2007, their last record, the drumming there is INSANE.
Winds were great!!!!
Have to say out of all the interviews I have seen HellHammer do, this is the best. Great questions, a very connected vibe throughout. And he was pretty tame. Well done.
Thank you for this Interview. 🤘
That was the most pleasant and involved in an interview I have ever seen Hellhammer, you’ve got to have him back!
My hero! Man, I miss talking to Jan on Facebook. I was wondering why he disappeared from social media abruptly, but I totally understand. Anyways thank you for this interview, an absolute legend 🙌
I miss that too...it was a pleasure to be in contact with him...like the pleasure to be in contact and interaction with you Lord Marco
bc facebook, twitter, instagram and alike are not only time wasters, they're fire dumpsters of shallow enraged frustrated people. The only social media i use is YT. The rest i deleted years ago.
Same here , was friends with him on Facebook then it disappeared.
I’m 52, will be 53 in Nov., and a brand new drummer. One of my bro’s on Gene Hoglan’s Discord server uploaded this video on there, and I’m so glad! It is refreshing to see the delight that is evident shown on their countenance. Finally....an interviewer who is talented at asking a lot of the right questions! Selfishly...it is sad what social media has become. But what do you expect when a plethora of unintelligible primates are given cameras and audio, and then given free range to the world??! I say selfishly, because evidently he’s fun to talk to.
If only regular people knew how interesting extreme metal is..
We know, don't worry.
All the more for us my child
They’d rather listen to shitty rap and pop music that’s easy for the brain to process. My guitar teacher use to say it’s “simple music for simple minds”. Dead on true.
regular people LMAO
@@Metalwhore89 that's a bullshit. you don't understand the fundamental thing - not everybody are interested in music by default. if you do and you think it makes you better as a person OR it's indicates that you're not "simple minded" or whatever - you're so wrong. actually pretty funny how metal elitists always trying to show how intellectual they are when in the most cases they are not. I know a lot of people who don't give a shit about music and listen to it just because it helps them to focus on their work more = some of them are very clever people. and clever means they successful programmers, teachers etc. On top of that, pop music is not shitty by default, more of the trendy music is, because it's easy to sell, and why I said above - not everybody interested in music by default. When you're trying to define person by music you're already failed.
Thank you so much for this in-depth interview. Hellhammer was one of my first inspirations as a teenager to play drums, there isnt a lot of content of him out there but he is such a genuine and cool guy.
Finally a good interview with Hellhammer. Thanks for this!!
Wow, I was NOT expecting this! The best interview I've ever seen, heard, or read with this most elusive (and influential) fellow. Well done, as always, good sir!
Yeees, perfect interview! Hellhammer was, is and will be a great inspiration for me!
BIG THX Drumtalk for this!! 🤘🤘🤘
Amazing interview!
What a cool dude! Thanks for doing this interview! I feel like this is the first time I’ve ever gotten any insight on Hellhammer as a person and as a player ✊
My favorite drummer 💕 I still have your drumstick. Come back to me in New Mexico sometime soon. Wish I could have seen Mayhem and Abbath before covid19
I.know sweet heart!! Me too! I wanted to see that tour so bad!!🙏🙌💪👏😭😭😥😈😈🔥🔥🔥
As mentioned several Times, Grand Declaration of War is a masterpiece. What a distinctive atmosphere, sound and technique. Even at age 41 (An unwanted debt slave...thanks Varg 😄) I still enjoy the mystique of Mayhem. Love them to dead ;). A pioneer and still one of the inspirators.
Just a few new skool black metal bands nowadays can approach a sortlike feeling.
love how different he is from his band mates from mayhem meaning necrobutcher saying he wanted to kill a certain person varg being varg and um euronymous and dead except attila was awesome
Great interview!!
At 10.50 he talks about "Slaughter Of Dreams" on Chimera...great song, 2 drummers in 1 Person.
Just saw mayhem and they were really tight! This man is a monster on the kit
What a great get! Hellhammer has always been one of my favorite extreme metal drummers and yet it's so rare to see interview footage with him in english. Very cool!
Finally ! A real interview about the master, thanks a lot guys ! 15 years that i hear him, learn from him, many informations are here, ho boy, so good !
The only Drummer that can't be replaced. Every other band has side drummers. Not Mayhem. It's Hellhamer or NO Mayhem!
What about Tomas haake
@@behindthen0thing525 What about him?
Wesley Warsmith agreed bands like the one Tomas is in and lamb of god are ok not great
@@joshferguson6069 That wasn't my point. I know nothing of that music. My point is that Hellhammer can't be replaced. He was supposed to come to America for us to see them in 2008ish. But Hellhammer got injured and that canceled the whole tour. Any other band would get a replacement drummer. But Mayhem declared they won't tour without him.
No. Can't imagine Tool without Danny Carey.
hellhammer has even played pop metal with jorn lande on the album worldchanger. he is one of the most talented and versatile drummer in the metal world. he is so much more than the drummer of mayhem. i discovered him in the early nineties with the first arcturus ep: constellation. arcturus is my favorite band. i am an amateur astronomer and i always listen to arcturus when i stargaze. arcturus is a beautiful star of the northern skies.
I love you for ever , man. Stay on mayhem, i drink a good red wine and listening your drums performance. Thanks bro
This is awesome, thank you!
The mighty Hellhammer, always great!
Amazing interview! Let's get Trym on here soon!! And of course Frost :)
Liked before watching! Thank you man, I really appreciate what you do.
Awesome interview. One of my favorite drummers
I met Hellhammer for 37 seconds when he walked past me at the Mayhem concert in Auckland NZ
- These are ALL of the questions i wanted to ask but didn't have time to!
Thanks for the GREAT interview!
cool, glad it is helpful!
@@drumtalkofficial BAD ASS INTERVIEW!!💪💪💪💪💪🔥😈🔥..BEST INTERVIEW ON YOUR CHANNEL SIR!! THIS GUY IS AMAZZZING LIVE!! HOLY SHIT!! SUPER FAST AND TIGHT!!
\HELL-HAMMER/!!🔥😈🔥💪💪💪
Such a nice great drummer! His work at Dimmu Borgir in the 2007's album is amazing!
Great interview, by the way, as always, Drum Talk!
Greetings from Brazil!!!
@Andrew Hollingshead That's correct, dude!
Very inspiring person and a great interview with the legend overall. Plus I think we need more of that footage what was shown here!
Great interview 🤟
He looks younger than me and I'm 25
There's no denying that he's a great looking guy for sure! The guy is 51! Compare him to Necro who is 52... Yikes!
@@metal_monocle7334 yea Necro did not age well
@@fernandezmarkbrianc.2542 I dunno, Necro looks like a regular 52 year old, Hellhammer looks like he's in his fucking 30's hah!
@@metal_monocle7334 ..he could pass for 29!! He looks young!!👏💪💪💪🔥🔥🔥💥😈
Damn he looks YOUNG!! 29! Must be all them black metal Blast beats!!💪👏😂🔥🔥😈😈
Definitely one of the best drummers in the genre!
Very good job man!!! Wow can’t wait to see more of these amazing interviews.
there are a few more on this channel I believe.... :-)
your interviews are so good!!