Martin Axenrot's Drum Setup on Opeth's Heritage (2011) | MetalForge

Frequently Asked Questions

What drum kit did Martin Axenrot use on Opeth's Heritage?

Martin Axenrot recorded Opeth's Heritage (2011) using a Pearl Reference Series drum kit — a significant gear change from the Sonor Designer / SQ2 setup he had used on Watershed. The Pearl Reference Series uses thinner maple/mahogany hybrid shells that deliver more natural resonance and warmth, better suited to Heritage's 70s prog-rock aesthetic. Configuration: twin 22"x18" bass drums, 10" and 12" rack toms, 14" and 16" floor toms. He paired the Pearl kit with Meinl Byzance cymbals and Pearl Demon Drive direct-drive twin pedals. The kit was tracked at Fascination Street Studios in Örebro, Sweden, produced by Mikael Åkerfeldt.

Why did Opeth go prog on Heritage?

Heritage (2011) represents Mikael Åkerfeldt's long-signaled artistic evolution away from death metal vocals and toward the 1970s progressive rock he had always cited as a primary influence — Jethro Tull, ELP, early Genesis, King Crimson. Opeth's catalog had been moving in this direction since "Burden" on Watershed (2008) and even earlier with the clean vocal passages that ran through every Lopez-era record from Still Life onward. Heritage was the decisive commitment: no distorted guitars, no death metal vocals, full prog-rock statement. For Martin Axenrot, the question was whether he could make his drumming serve that direction — and Heritage's answer was yes, through jazz brush technique, ride-cymbal-forward phrasing, and the restrained vocabulary that 70s prog drumming required.

How does Axenrot's drumming change across Opeth's prog era?

Across Heritage (2011), Pale Communion (2014), and Sorceress (2016), Martin Axenrot's drumming undergoes a sustained evolution away from extreme metal vocabulary toward a broader progressive palette. Heritage is the most restrained — jazz brushes, ride-cymbal-forward phrasing, minimal twin-kick work, no China cymbal. Pale Communion expands the vocabulary slightly with the extended drum breakdown on "Eternal Rains Will Come" — the most technically demanding moment of the prog era. Sorceress reintroduces some of the heavier passages from the Watershed/metal era, but within a prog-rock framework that has now become Opeth's default mode. Together the three albums trace Axenrot's development from extreme metal technician to complete progressive drummer — capable of jazz brush restraint, melodic prog phrasing, and metal aggression, deployed according to what the song requires.

What cymbals did Martin Axenrot use on Heritage?

Martin Axenrot used Meinl Byzance series cymbals on Heritage: 14" Traditional Medium Hi-Hats, 16" Traditional Thin Crash, 18" Traditional Medium Thin Crash, and 22" Traditional Medium Ride. The China cymbal that appeared frequently on Watershed is largely absent on Heritage — the album's prog-rock direction had no use for aggressive metal accent voices. The 22" Byzance Traditional ride is the defining cymbal voice on Heritage, carrying melodic patterns across long arrangements in the jazz-influenced tradition. Jazz brushes on the Byzance hi-hats appear on several tracks, with the hand-hammered surface providing natural response to wire brush technique.

How does Heritage connect to Watershed and Pale Communion in the Axenrot discography?

Heritage (2011) sits between Watershed (2008) and Pale Communion (2014) as the middle chapter of Opeth's prog transition. Watershed was the bridge record — still containing death metal vocals and aggressive passages while leaning toward prog-rock textures. Heritage was the full commitment: no distorted guitars, no metal vocals, complete prog-rock statement. Pale Communion extended Heritage's vocabulary with a more refined 70s prog aesthetic, bringing Steven Wilson back to mix and delivering the most compositionally coherent of the three prog-era albums. The gear thread running through all three is the Pearl Reference Series and Meinl Byzance cymbals — consistent tools that Axenrot adapted to each album's specific requirements. For the full arc, see the [Watershed drum setup](/articles/watershed-drum-setup) and [Pale Communion drum setup](/articles/pale-communion-drum-setup).