Martin Axenrot
Erik Martin "Axe" Axenrot[1] (born 5 March 1979 in Linköping, Sweden) is a Swedish death metal drummer. Known for his intricate playing style, Axenrot is currently the drummer for the bands Opeth, and Bloodbath. His drumming has been highly praised by Opeth members and fans, with Mikael Akerfeldt calling him "a joy to play with."[3] Axenrot has also been jokingly referred to as The Lord of the Rings character Legolas by band members and fans.
Martin Axenrot | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Erik Martin Axenrot[1] |
Also known as | Axe, Devastator, Skeleton,[2] Legolas |
Born | Linköping, Östergötland, Sweden | 5 March 1979
Genres | Progressive death metal, death metal, progressive rock, thrash metal, black metal, jazz fusion |
Occupation(s) | Musician |
Instruments | Drums, percussion, guitar, piano, vocals |
Years active | 1995–present |
Associated acts | Opeth, Bloodbath, Witchery, Satanic Slaughter, NCO, Nifelheim, Nathalie Lorichs, Jon Lord |
Website | www |
On Blabbermouth.com, Åkerfeldt also stated that Axenrot completed his drumming part for eleven tracks on the Opeth album Watershed in just seven days.[4]
Axenrot's girlfriend, Nathalie Lorichs, performed vocals on "Coil" on Opeth's Watershed album.
History
Martin Axenrot's first band, Triumphator, formed in 1995 and made 2 records ("The Ultimate Sacrifice" EP and full length "Wings of Antichrist"). Martin Axenrot was only involved with Triumphator's demo "The Triumph Of Satan", released 1996. He left Triumphator after the release of "The Triumph Of Satan."
In 1999, Axenrot became a member of Witchery and Nifelheim. In 2004, he joined Bloodbath as their new drummer after Dan Swanö who continued in the band as one of the guitarists and songwriters. He met Mikael Åkerfeldt sometime after 15 February 2005, when Peter Tägtgren quit Bloodbath and Åkerfeldt came back into the band again to replace Tägtgren. Axenrot commented on meeting Åkerfeldt, stating "I knew Mikael Åkerfeldt because of the Bloodbath project. I met the other members a couple times because I played festivals with other bands at the same time as Opeth. Sweden is too small to not know every band here. Everybody knows everybody."[5] On 29 August 2005, Martin Lopez of Opeth, had to leave the band again temporarily due to his illnesses. With Opeth searching for a temporary drummer, Patrik Jensen suggested to Åkerfeldt his bandmate in Witchery, Axe, to fill in. Åkerfeldt knew Axe a bit from being bandmates in Bloodbath, but going on Jensen's reference, Åkerfeldt got Axe to play with Opeth for five tours. On 12 May 2006 Axenrot officially joined Opeth, as Lopez never returned to Opeth after deciding to focus on Soen.[6]
Equipment
Axenrot is endorsed by DW Drums, Sabian cymbals, Evans heads and Pro Mark sticks.[7]
References
- Erik Martin Axenrot (1979-03-05). "Ratsit - gratis upplysning på företag och privatpersoner". Ratsit.se. Retrieved 2011-10-02.
- "Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives - Triumphator". The Metal Archives. Retrieved 2011-10-02.
- "Opeth's Mikael Akerfeldt: my top 9 tips for guitarists". Retrieved 2016-08-08.
- "Interview with Opeth drummer Martin Axenrot" Archived 2006-07-21 at the Wayback Machine. Drummerszone.com. Retrieved on August 10, 2011.
- Rex_84 (14 August 2012). "Opeth's Martin Axenrot Weighs in on "Heritage," Opeth's Current and Future Direction and His Career". Metal Underground. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
- "Martin 'Axe' Axenrot". MetalStorm, Retrieved on August 4, 2009
- "Opeth website". Roadrunner Records. Archived from the original on 24 September 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2012.