What drums did Hellhammer use on Mayhem's Ordo Ad Chao?

Hellhammer played a Pearl Reference kit on Ordo Ad Chao (2007) — the same double-bass, five-tom configuration documented across his 1999–2014 Mayhem/Dimmu Borgir dual era. The album was recorded at Mølla Studio in Gjerstad, Norway. See the [full Hellhammer gear profile](/articles/hellhammer-drum-setup) for his complete career-spanning equipment breakdown.

Is it true Ordo Ad Chao was recorded without a bassist?

Effectively, yes. While Jørn Stubberud (Necrobutcher) retains the album's bass credit as a full band member, he did not record bass parts for the sessions. Guitarist Rune Eriksen (Blasphemer) recorded all of the album's bass himself, largely doubling his own guitar lines rather than providing an independently voiced low end — which left Hellhammer's kick drums carrying an unusually large share of the record's structural and harmonic weight.

Did Ordo Ad Chao win any awards?

Yes — Ordo Ad Chao won the Spellemannprisen, the Norwegian Grammy equivalent, for Best Metal Album in 2008. This came despite the album's polarizing critical reception at release, with its raw, deliberately harsh production dividing black metal press and fans between those who saw it as genuinely unsettling artistic commitment and those who found it alienating.

Why is Ordo Ad Chao considered one of Hellhammer's most demanding performances?

With no independently recorded bass part providing harmonic cover, Hellhammer's kick drum work on Ordo Ad Chao functions as one of the record's primary low-end structural elements rather than simply reinforcing a bass guitar. This gives the drum performance unusually little room for inconsistency, and it is widely cited — within Hellhammer's own documented equipment and career record — as among his most technically and structurally demanding studio sessions.

Who sang on Ordo Ad Chao?

Attila Csihar sang on Ordo Ad Chao (2007), marking his return to Mayhem as vocalist thirteen years after his defining performance on De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas (1994). He replaced Maniac, who had departed the band in November 2004 following the release of Chimera.

Ordo Ad Chao Drum Setup: Hellhammer's Most Demanding Mayhem Session | MetalForge

Hellhammer's drum gear on Mayhem's Ordo Ad Chao (2007) — the Pearl Reference kit and Zildjian cymbals behind a Spellemannprisen-winning album recorded withou...

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