Jan Axel Blomberg (born 2 August 1969), better known by his stage name Hellhammer,[1] is a Norwegian drummer known for his role as the drummer of the black metal band Mayhem, which he joined in 1988. He is the only member to have appeared on all of their studio albums. In 1987, Blomberg, alongside Steinar Sverd Johnsen and Marius Vold, formed the avant-garde black metal band Arcturus (initially under the name Mortem), which disbanded in April 2007 and reunited in 2011.[2] He adopted his stage name in homage to the Swiss extreme metal band Hellhammer.[3] Acclaimed as a talented musician,[4] Blomberg is a three-time recipient of the Spellemannprisen award.[5]

Early life

As a child, Blomberg's primary interests were football and wrestling. Initially, he had no interest in drums or drumming; however, as music became increasingly appealing to him, he began to find different instruments intriguing, which eventually led to an interest in drums.[citation needed] His grandparents purchased his first three drum kits, the first of which was a four-piece jazz kit. He started learning to play the drums by playing along with the albums he listened to. He was influenced by heavy metal bands such as Iron Maiden, Metallica, and Slayer, as well as bands like Depeche Mode and Duran Duran. Eventually, he discovered Venom, Celtic Frost, and jazz, inspired by a previous drum teacher.

Career

Before joining Mayhem, Blomberg played in various local bands, including the progressive metal band Tritonus,[citation needed] where he met Carl August Tidemann, who later became the guitarist for Arcturus and Winds. He also participated in live performances and was then hired by Mayhem, who needed to replace Kjetil Manheim. Blomberg secured the position and adopted the pseudonym Hellhammer.[4]

The first recordings he completed with Mayhem were two songs for a compilation album around 1989, featuring the tracks Carnage and The Freezing Moon. The first full recording he did with Mayhem was Live in Leipzig in 1990. Following that album, Mayhem encountered lineup difficulties due to the suicide of singer Dead and the departure of Necrobutcher. During this period, he co-founded the band Arcturus with Sverd in 1991, emerging from the remnants of the band Mortem. They released the 7" My Angel in 1991, followed by the mini album Constellation.

In 1995, he joined Immortal as a session drummer during their tour that year,[6] and he also contributed drums to their first official video, Grim and Frostbitten Kingdoms. He briefly played for Emperor during this time as well. The recording and release of Arcturus's debut album Aspera Hiems Symfonia also occurred in this year.

In 1997, Jan Axel began collaborating with Covenant, now known as The Kovenant, for the recording of their second album, Nexus Polaris. That album was released in 1998, followed by a European tour. During 1997, Arcturus also released another album, La Masquerade Infernale.

The following year, another album from The Kovenant, Animatronic, was released.

In 2000, he recorded a mini album with his new band Winds, titled Of Entity And Mind, which was released in May 2001. Winds also recorded a full-length album during the spring of 2001, Reflections of the I.

Jan Axel is a two-time Norwegian Grammy Awards winner, having received the award in 1998 for The Kovenant's Nexus Polaris and in 1999 for Animatronic. Both years, they won the prize for Best Hard Rock Album. In addition to these collaborations, Jan Axel has made numerous guest and session musician appearances on various releases.

Hellhammer performing in 2008

In 2005, he was interviewed for the black metal mini-documentary included with the 2-disc DVD edition of Metal: A Headbanger's Journey, alongside other Mayhem members Necrobutcher (Jørn Stubberud) and Blasphemer (Rune Eriksen).

In 2009, Hellhammer appeared on Eyes of Noctum's album Inceptum, where he played drums on six tracks. Eyes of Noctum is a black metal band from America featuring Weston Cage, the son of Nicolas Cage, as their lead singer.

Hellhammer collaborated with keyboardist Andy Winter on one of his albums.[7]

In 2010, he played on Nidingr's album Wolf-Father. In 2011, Arcturus reunited, including Hellhammer, and released Arcturian in 2015.

Beliefs

Blomberg joined Mayhem after being introduced by mutual friends and offering his demo tape.[8]

He, however, came to distrust the attitudes he considered "weird":

Drums/techniques

Equipment (2012)

  • Sonor Drums: Black Nickel Hardware – White Marine Pearl (Outer), Blue Stratawood (Inner)
  • Bass Drums: 20x20 – Remo Powerstroke 3 – Medium Maple
  • Snare Drum: 13x4.25 – Remo Coated Ambassador – Heavy Beech – Pearl Masterworks Snare, Pearl CZX Snare
  • Toms: 8x10, 10x12, 12x13, 13x14, 16x18 – Thin Maple (Remo Smooth white Emperor)
  • Cymbals: Paiste Rude (some custom-made)
  • Pedals: Axis A Short-boards – Variable Drive: Lowest – Springs: Highest
  • Sticks: Vic Firth Rock Nylon tip

Techniques

Discography

As a member

Mortem

  • Slow Death (Demo) – (1989)
  • Ravnsvart – (2019)

Arcturus

Mayhem

Covenant/The Kovenant

Troll

Winds

Mezzerschmitt

Shining

  • Angst, Självdestruktivitetens Emissarie – (2002)
  • Dolorian/Shining – (2004)
  • Through Years of Oppression – (2004)
  • The Darkroom Sessions – (2004)
  • The Eerie Cold – (2005)

Age of Silence

Dimmu Borgir

Carnivora

  • Judas – (2004)

Umoral

  • 7" Umoral EP – (2007)

Nidingr

  • Wolf-Father – (2010)

As a session musician

Tritonus

Emperor

  • Live drummer – (1992)[citation needed]
  • Moon over Kara-Shehr – on the compilation Nordic Metal: A Tribute to Euronymous – (1995)

Immortal

  • Live drummer, Sons of Northern Darkness Tour Part II – (1995)[6]
  • Grim and Frostbitten Kingdoms music video – on the Masters of Nebulah Frost video cassette – (1995)

Jørn

Thorns

Vidsyn

  • On Frostbitten Path Beneath demo – (2004)
  • On Frostbitten Path Beneath – (2004)

Antestor

Endezzma

  • Alone (EP) – (2007)

Suchthaus

  • The Dark Side and the Bright Side – (2011)[14]

Andy Winter

  • Incomprehensible – (2013)

Dynasty of Darkness

  • Empire of Pain – (2014)

Circle of Chaos

  • Crossing The Line – (2014)

As a guest

Ulver

  • Synen – on the compilation Souvenirs from Hell – (1997)

Fleurety

Eyes of Noctum

  • Inceptum (tracks 2, 3, 4, 8, 10, 11) – (2009)

Lord Impaler

  • Admire the Cosmos Black (all tracks) – (2011)

References

  1. ↑ Grow, Kory (9 February 2017). "Mayhem's Long, Dark Road to Reviving a Black-Metal Classic". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2 February 2019. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  2. ↑ "Announcing two Arcturus gigs". ArtisanNorway.com. 16 September 2011. Archived from the original on 22 October 2011. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
  3. ↑ Christe, Ian (17 February 2004). Sound of the Beast: The Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal. HarperCollins. p. 281. ISBN 978-0-380-81127-4. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
  4. 1 2 Kaplan, Jeffrey (2000). Encyclopedia of White Power:A Sourcebook on the Radical Racist Right. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 28. ISBN 978-0-7425-0340-3. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
  5. ↑ "Spellemannprisen award winners for 2008". Spellemann.no. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  6. 1 2 MEMBERS.
  7. ↑ Mayhem's Hellhammer Completes Drum Recordings For New Andy Winter Project Archived 21 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine blabbermouth.net. 6 November 2007. Retrieved on 10 January 2012.
  8. ↑ "New Page 1". 23 August 2007. Archived from the original on 23 August 2007. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  9. 1 2 Interview with Hellhammer conducted by Dmitry Basik June 1998
  10. 1 2 Skogtroll (7 January 2007). "Hellhammer (Jan Axel Blomberg): 'I just have wonderful memories of your country!'". Metal Library (in Russian). Open Publishing. Retrieved 24 June 2008. Quote 1: "To be honest, it was a big 'fuck off!' to them all. I will repeat again that I decide what I do and I play not only in black metal bands." Quote 2: "In my opinion, black metal today is just music. I will tell you that neither I nor other members of Mayhem never really were against religion or anything else. We are primarily interested in music."
  11. ↑ Dmitry Basik: Interview with Hellhammer conducted by Dmitry Basik June 1998, Web.archive.org
  12. ↑ Dan Zimmer: Interview with Hellhammer taken from Sounds Of Death Magazine, Web.archive.org
  13. ↑ Kemman, Max. "Antestor interview" at the Wayback Machine (archived June 12, 2008). Jesus Metal. Retrieved 2007-10-30. Archived from the original on 2008-06-12.
  14. ↑ Sculptor Spacebrain Launches Debut Album from His Suchthaus Project Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine patriciathomasmanagement.com. 13 December 2011. Retrieved on 26 August 2012.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Axel_Blomberg