Behemoth - Inferno Drummer Profile & Gear | MetalForge
Behemoth, formed in 1991, evolved from black metal to become a leading blackened death metal band.
Explore Inferno's extreme drumming with Polish blackened death metal band Behemoth.
Behemoth History
Behemoth formed in Gdańsk, Poland in 1991, founded by guitarist/vocalist Adam "Nergal" Darski during the country's early black metal scene. The band's first two albums, Sventevith (Storming Near the Baltic) (1995) and Grom (1996), were recorded with original drummer Adam "Baal Ravenlock" Muraszko in a raw, traditional black metal style typical of the era.
Zbigniew "Inferno" Promiński joined in 1997 and, apart from a brief gap around the 1999 release of Satanica, has remained Behemoth's drummer ever since, recording every album from Pandemonic Incantations (1998) through the band's 30th-anniversary release Opvs Contra Natvram (2022). Under Inferno, Behemoth progressively folded death metal's density and technicality into its black metal foundation, arriving at the "blackened death metal" style that defines albums like Demigod (2004) and The Apostasy (2007).
Nergal's 2010 leukemia diagnosis and subsequent bone marrow transplant threatened to end the band, but his recovery led directly to The Satanist (2014), widely regarded as Behemoth's creative peak and one of the most acclaimed extreme metal albums of the 2010s. Behemoth's elaborate stage productions and Nergal's outspoken public persona have made the band one of the most visible extreme metal acts to emerge from Eastern Europe.
Behemoth's Place in Metal Drumming
Inferno's drumming — precise blast beats combined with tightly controlled double-bass runs, played entirely live — became a benchmark for blackened death metal, a subgenre that demands both black metal's relentless tempo and death metal's rhythmic complexity simultaneously. His two-and-a-half-decade tenure, one of the longest of any drummer in extreme metal, has made him a reference point for drummers looking to bridge the raw intensity of black metal with the technical control of modern death metal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the drummer for Behemoth?
Zbigniew "Inferno" Promiński has been Behemoth's drummer since 1997 (with a brief gap around 1999-2000), making him the band's longest-serving drummer by far.
Who drummed for Behemoth before Inferno?
Adam "Baal Ravenlock" Muraszko was Behemoth's original drummer from the band's 1991 formation through 1996, playing on their early black metal releases including the debut album Sventevith (Storming Near the Baltic) (1995) and Grom (1996).
How did Nergal's leukemia diagnosis affect the band?
Frontman Nergal (Adam Darski) was hospitalized with leukemia in August 2010 and underwent a bone marrow transplant; the band cancelled multiple tours during his treatment and recovery before he returned to performing.
How has Behemoth's genre evolved?
Behemoth started as a traditional black metal band in the early 1990s and gradually incorporated death metal elements through the late 1990s (notably by Satanica, 1999), becoming classified as "blackened death metal" by the 2000s.
Where does the name Behemoth come from?
The band's name derives from the biblical creature referenced in the Book of Job.
Who played drums on Behemoth's "Sventevith (Storming Near the Baltic)"?
Baal Ravenlock played drums on "Sventevith (Storming Near the Baltic)" (1995).
Who played drums on Behemoth's "Opvs Contra Natvram"?
Inferno played drums on "Opvs Contra Natvram" (2022).