# In Cauda Venenum Drum Setup: Martin Axenrot's Final Opeth Album

> Discover the drum kit, cymbals, and gear Martin Axenrot used on Opeth's In Cauda Venenum (2019) — his final studio album with the band. Complete breakdown of Axenrot's Pearl Reference Series setup, the dual Swedish/English recording, Dave Stewart's string arrangements, and the record that closed the Axenrot era before Waltteri Väyrynen took the drum chair in 2022.

**Type:** Album Drum Setup
**Drummer(s):** [Martin Axenrot](/llms/drummers/martin-axenrot.md)
**Band / Album:** Opeth — *In Cauda Venenum* (2019)
**Genre:** Progressive Rock / Progressive Metal
**Label:** Moderbolaget Records / Nuclear Blast
**Peak Chart:** #2 Finland, #5 Germany, #12 Sweden, #13 UK Albums, #59 US Billboard 200

## Overview

Released on September 27, 2019 through Moderbolaget Records and Nuclear Blast, *In Cauda Venenum* is Opeth's thirteenth studio album and, at 67 minutes and 57 seconds, the longest record of the band's career. It is also the most linguistically ambitious: Mikael Åkerfeldt wrote and recorded the entire album in Swedish first — his native language, and one Opeth had essentially never sung in before, aside from a single one-off cover of a Marie Fredriksson song years earlier. Åkerfeldt has said the Swedish version is the "real" record and his personal preference. Midway through the sessions, worried the language barrier would alienate longtime fans, he tracked a full parallel English-language version with his own translations — so the album exists as two complete, separately sung records sharing one set of music: *Livets trädgård* / *Garden of Earthly Delights*, *Svekets prins* / *Dignity*, *Hjärtat vet vad handen gör* / *Heart in Hand*, and so on through all ten tracks.

For Martin Axenrot, *In Cauda Venenum* was the culmination of everything he had built since inheriting the Opeth drum chair from Martin Lopez in 2006 — and it turned out to be his last studio album with the band. Axenrot departed in 2021, and Waltteri Väyrynen (formerly of Paradise Lost) took over the drum stool in September 2022, eventually recording *Last Will and Testament* (2024). That makes *In Cauda Venenum* the closing chapter of a thirteen-year Axenrot era running from *Watershed*'s twin-kick aggression through *Heritage*'s jazz-brush restraint to this record's full orchestral ambition.

Recorded between November 2018 and March 2019 at Park Studios and Junkmail Studios in Stockholm, with string sections tracked at Angel Recording Studios in London and arranged by Dave Stewart (Eurythmics), *In Cauda Venenum* is Opeth's most compositionally dense record. Produced by Mikael Åkerfeldt with longtime collaborator Stefan Boman co-producing, engineering, and mixing, it debuted at #2 in Finland, #5 in Germany, #12 in Sweden, #13 on the UK Albums chart, and #59 on the US Billboard 200 — while topping the UK's Independent, Progressive, and Rock & Metal charts.

## Gear Breakdown

- **Drums:** Pearl Reference Series (6-ply maple/mahogany hybrid shells, Natural / Custom Lacquer) — twin 22"x18" bass drums, 10"/12" rack toms, 14"/16" floor toms
- **Snare:** Pearl Reference Maple Snare, 14" x 5.5"
- **Cymbals:** Meinl Byzance Traditional + Dark series — 14" Traditional Medium Hi-Hats, 16" & 18" Traditional Crashes, 19" Dark Crash, 22" Traditional Medium Ride
- **Hardware / Pedals:** Pearl Demon Drive direct-drive twin pedals; Pearl H-2050 Eliminator hi-hat stand; Roc-N-Soc Nitro throne; Vic Firth American Classic 5A
- **Heads:** Remo Ambassador Coated (batter snare), Remo Ambassador Snare Side (resonant), Remo Powerstroke 3 Clear (kicks)
- **Snare tuning:** Medium tension — consistent with Heritage, Pale Communion, and Sorceress

### Pearl Reference Series: Eight Years In, Full Orchestral Context

By *In Cauda Venenum*, Axenrot had spent eight years with the Pearl Reference Series kit adopted for [Heritage](/articles/heritage-drum-setup) (2011) — through two further studio albums and multiple world tours. The twin 22"x18" bass drum, four-tom configuration remained unchanged from *Pale Communion* and *Sorceress*, but the demands were different: the album interleaves dense orchestral string passages and mellotron textures with extended song forms stretching past eight minutes, and Axenrot's job was to hold the rhythmic architecture together underneath music that was frequently more orchestral than metal.

The twin 22" kicks, held largely in reserve since *Heritage*'s minimalism and only partially reintroduced on *Sorceress*, return more assertively on the heavier "Dignity" and "The Garroter" — sustained double-bass passages that connect directly back to the *Watershed*-era vocabulary Axenrot built in Bloodbath and Witchery.

### Meinl Byzance: The Full Vocabulary, One Last Time

The Byzance setup refined across [Heritage](/articles/heritage-drum-setup), [Pale Communion](/articles/pale-communion-drum-setup), and [Sorceress](/articles/sorceress-drum-setup) carries into *In Cauda Venenum* largely unchanged, but the context is the most orchestrally dense of Axenrot's Opeth tenure — Dave Stewart's string arrangements occupy significant frequency space on tracks like "Heart in Hand" and "Next of Kin," and the ride and hi-hats have to cut through a denser overall mix than anything on the prog trilogy. The 19" Dark Crash, reintroduced on *Sorceress*, returns again on the heavier "Dignity" and "The Garroter" as a trashy, aggressive punctuation mark.

### Recording: Three Studios, Two Languages, One Drum Take

*In Cauda Venenum* was recorded across Park Studios/Psykbunkern and Junkmail Studios in Stockholm, with strings tracked separately at Angel Recording Studios in London — a departure from the single-studio continuity of the Fascination Street era. Because Åkerfeldt tracked the entire album in Swedish first before recording a full parallel English-language vocal pass, the instrumental beds — including Axenrot's drum tracks — were recorded once and used for both versions. His phrasing, dynamics, and fills had to serve two sets of lyrics in two languages without favoring either. Consistent with every Opeth record since the Wilson era, the album was tracked without drum triggers.

## Key Track Analysis

- **Dignity** (*Svekets Prins*) — One of the album's heaviest tracks. Twin-kick double bass reintroduced assertively; the 19" Byzance Dark Crash punctuates the most aggressive arrivals, resurfacing the *Watershed*-era vocabulary eleven years later.
- **Heart in Hand** (*Hjärtat Vet Vad Handen Gör*) — 8:30 runtime. Drums recede behind Dave Stewart's string arrangement during the most orchestral passages; the Byzance 22" ride carries the melodic through-line beneath the strings.
- **Universal Truth** (*Ingen Sanning Är Allas*) — One of the album's most restrained, ballad-leaning tracks. Ghost-note vocabulary inherited from Martin Lopez still audible in the verses.
- **All Things Will Pass** (*Allting Tar Slut*) — Album closer, 8:33. Traces a closing arc from restraint to full-band, string-accompanied crescendo — the final drum performance Martin Axenrot recorded for an Opeth studio album.

## FAQ

**Q: What drum kit did Martin Axenrot use on Opeth's In Cauda Venenum?**
Martin Axenrot recorded *In Cauda Venenum* (2019) using the same Pearl Reference Series kit he had played since *Heritage* (2011): twin 22"x18" bass drums, 10" and 12" rack toms, 14" and 16" floor toms, and a Pearl Reference Maple Snare (14"x5.5"). His cymbals were Meinl Byzance Traditional and Dark series, driven by Pearl Demon Drive direct-drive twin pedals. Recorded at Park Studios and Junkmail Studios in Stockholm, with strings tracked at Angel Recording Studios in London, produced by Mikael Åkerfeldt with Stefan Boman co-producing, engineering, and mixing.

**Q: Why did Opeth release In Cauda Venenum in both Swedish and English?**
Mikael Åkerfeldt originally wrote and recorded the album entirely in Swedish — his native language, and one Opeth had essentially never sung in before aside from a single cover song years earlier. For a while, the Swedish version was the only planned release. Worried the language barrier would keep fans from hearing music he was proud of, he later tracked a full parallel English-language vocal version using his own translations. Both versions share the exact same instrumental performances, including Martin Axenrot's drum tracks — only the vocal language differs. Åkerfeldt has said the Swedish version is his personal preference.

**Q: How did Martin Axenrot's playing on In Cauda Venenum differ from the Heritage/Pale Communion/Sorceress trilogy?**
*In Cauda Venenum* asked Axenrot to serve the widest dynamic range and the most orchestrally dense arrangements of his Opeth tenure. *Heritage* established maximum restraint; *Pale Communion* added compositional ambition within that restraint; *Sorceress* reintroduced heavier riff passages. *In Cauda Venenum* combines all three: whisper-quiet passages receding behind string arrangements, restrained ghost-note verses from the Lopez tradition, and heavier tracks like "Dignity" and "The Garroter" bringing back sustained twin-kick double bass connecting to Axenrot's *Watershed*-era extreme metal roots.

**Q: Was In Cauda Venenum Martin Axenrot's last album with Opeth?**
Yes. *In Cauda Venenum* (2019) is Martin Axenrot's final studio album with Opeth. He departed the band in 2021, and after a period with stand-in drummer Sami Karppinen, Waltteri Väyrynen (formerly of Paradise Lost) officially joined Opeth in September 2022, going on to record *Last Will and Testament* (2024). *In Cauda Venenum* closes the thirteen-year Axenrot era that began with *Watershed* (2008) and ran through *Heritage* (2011), *Pale Communion* (2014), and *Sorceress* (2016).

**Q: Is In Cauda Venenum Opeth's newest album?**
No — as of 2026, Opeth's most recent studio album is *Last Will and Testament* (2024), recorded with new drummer Waltteri Väyrynen. *In Cauda Venenum* (2019) was Opeth's newest release for several years and remains significant as Martin Axenrot's final studio album with the band, closing out the drumming era that began with *Watershed* (2008).

## Related Articles

- [Sorceress drum setup](/articles/sorceress-drum-setup) — The Nuclear Blast era begins (2016)
- [Pale Communion drum setup](/articles/pale-communion-drum-setup) — The 70s prog peak (2014)
- [Heritage drum setup](/articles/heritage-drum-setup) — The prog pivot (2011)
- [Watershed drum setup](/articles/watershed-drum-setup) — Axenrot's Opeth debut (2008)
- [Martin Axenrot drummer profile](/drummer/martin-axenrot) — Complete career overview

**Source:** https://metalforge.io/articles/in-cauda-venenum-drum-setup

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*Last updated: 2026-07-01 · Source: [MetalForge.io](https://metalforge.io)*