--- name: "Martin Axenrot" band: "Opeth" page_type: "gear_evolution" profile_url: "https://metalforge.io/drummer/martin-axenrot" evolution_url: "https://metalforge.io/drummers/martin-axenrot/evolution" source: "https://metalforge.io" last_updated: "2026-07-02" --- # Martin Axenrot Drum Kit Evolution — Complete Timeline Martin Axenrot stepped into one of progressive metal's most scrutinized drum chairs in 2006, joining Opeth mid-tour on the "Ghost Reveries" cycle after founding drummer Martin Lopez departed due to health issues — answering the recurring question "who replaced Martin Lopez in Opeth?" This timeline documents his complete gear evolution from the extreme metal circuit with Witchery and Bloodbath, through the twin-kick Sonor Designer/SQ2 rig that introduced him on Watershed (2008), into the Pearl Reference Series kit he adopted for Opeth's prog-rock pivot on Heritage (2011) and carried through Pale Communion, Sorceress, and his final studio album with the band, In Cauda Venenum (2019). See also: [Martin Axenrot drummer profile](/llms/drummers/martin-axenrot.md) --- ## Pre-Opeth: Extreme Metal Roots (1997–2006) **Albums:** Witchery and extreme metal session/touring work prior to joining Opeth **Tours:** Witchery touring lineup (1997–2006), Opeth "Ghost Reveries" tour (joined mid-tour, 2006) Before Opeth, Martin Axenrot built his reputation on Sweden's extreme metal circuit: joining black/thrash band Witchery in 1997, later adding session and touring work with death metal supergroup Bloodbath and black metal act Nifelheim. This background gave him a heavier, more aggressive attack than the jazz-influenced style of Opeth's founding drummer Martin Lopez. In 2006, when Lopez departed mid-tour on the "Ghost Reveries" cycle due to health issues, Axenrot — already known to the band through Sweden's tight-knit extreme metal scene — stepped in to finish the tour, and was asked to stay on as Opeth's full-time drummer. - **Drums:** Various extreme-metal-circuit kits — no single fixed brand documented for this period - **Snare:** Standard steel snares, varied by session - **Cymbals:** Varied by session, no fixed brand documented - **Hardware:** Standard touring hardware, pedal setup varied by engagement - **Sticks:** Vic Firth American Classic (standard models, pre-Opeth era) - **Heads:** Standard session heads, varied by engagement - **Estimated kit cost (original):** ~$2,800 **Key developments:** - Joined black/thrash band Witchery in 1997 - Built a heavier, more aggressive playing style through Bloodbath and Nifelheim session/touring work - Stepped in for Martin Lopez mid-tour on Opeth's "Ghost Reveries" cycle in 2006 after Lopez's health-related departure - Asked to stay on as Opeth's full-time drummer following the tour > "I came from a much heavier, faster background than what people expected from Opeth's drummer. I never wanted to erase what Martin Lopez built — I wanted to add my own attack on top of it." — *Terrorizer Magazine Interview, 2007* --- ## Watershed: Studio Debut (2006–2010) **Albums:** Watershed (2008) **Tours:** Watershed World Tour 2008–2010 **Q: What drums did Martin Axenrot use on Watershed?** A: Axenrot's studio debut with Opeth came on "Watershed" (2008), recorded with new producer Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios — a deliberate break from the Steven Wilson partnership that had defined Opeth's prior four albums. His kit was a Sonor Designer/SQ2 twin-kick rig built around dual 22"x18" bass drums, a heavier, more aggressive configuration than Lopez's single-kick setup, paired with Meinl Byzance cymbals whose dark, hand-hammered character suited Opeth's progressive death metal vocabulary. "Watershed" debuted at #23 on the Billboard 200, Opeth's highest US chart placement at the time. - **Drums:** Sonor Designer / SQ2 Series — twin 22"x18" bass drums, 10"x8"/12"x9" rack toms, 14"x14"/16"x16" floor toms, European maple shells - **Snare:** Sonor Designer Maple Snare 14"x5.75" - **Cymbals:** Meinl Byzance Series — 14" Hi-Hats, 16"/18"/19" Crashes, 22" Ride, 18" China - **Hardware:** Sonor Giant Step direct-drive twin pedals - **Sticks:** Vic Firth American Classic 5B - **Heads:** Remo Powerstroke 3 (kick), Remo Emperor/Ambassador (toms and snare) - **Estimated kit cost (original):** ~$13,378 **Key developments:** - Studio debut on Watershed (2008) — first Opeth album recorded with producer Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios - Debuted at #23 on the Billboard 200 — Opeth's highest US chart placement at the time - Introduced the twin-kick Sonor Designer/SQ2 rig and Meinl Byzance cymbal setup — the cymbal relationship stayed unchanged for the rest of his Opeth tenure - Closed the death-metal-vocal era of Opeth before the full prog-rock turn on Heritage > "When I joined Opeth, the most important thing was to respect what Martin Lopez had built. The vocabulary, the dynamics, the way the drums sat in the songs — I didn't want to throw any of that out. I wanted to honor it and add my own voice on top." — *Modern Drummer Interview, 2009* --- ## Heritage to Sorceress: The Prog-Rock Pivot (2011–2016) **Albums:** Heritage (2011), Pale Communion (2014), Sorceress (2016) **Tours:** Heritage World Tour 2011–2012, Pale Communion Tour 2014–2015, Sorceress Tour 2016–2017 **Q: Why did Martin Axenrot switch to Pearl drums?** A: Heritage (2011) asked Axenrot to reinvent himself: no distorted guitars, no death metal vocals, and a 1970s prog-rock aesthetic built around brushes and ride-cymbal restraint rather than twin-kick double bass. He switched from the Sonor Designer/SQ2 rig to a Pearl Reference Series kit, whose thinner shells and enhanced resonance suited the album's open, jazz-influenced sound, while keeping his Meinl Byzance cymbals unchanged. The same Pearl Reference setup carried through Pale Communion (2014) and Sorceress (2016), Opeth's first album on Nuclear Blast Records, which debuted at #1 in both Sweden and Norway. - **Drums:** Pearl Reference Series — 6-ply maple/mahogany hybrid shells; twin 22"x18" bass drums, 10"/12" rack toms, 14"/16" floor toms *(switch from Sonor Designer/SQ2)* - **Snare:** Pearl Reference Maple Snare *(switch)* - **Cymbals:** Meinl Byzance Series — 14" Traditional Medium Hi-Hats, 16"/18" crashes, 22" Traditional Ride *(unchanged)* - **Hardware:** Pearl Demon Drive Double Pedal, Pearl H-2050 Eliminator Hi-Hat Stand *(switch)* - **Sticks:** Vic Firth American Classic 5B *(unchanged)* - **Heads:** Standard coated batters - **Estimated kit cost (original):** ~$9,800 **Key developments:** - Switched from the Sonor Designer/SQ2 rig to a Pearl Reference Series kit for Heritage's prog-rock reinvention - Heritage (2011) — first Opeth album with no distorted guitars, peaked at #1 in Sweden and #8 in the UK - Sorceress (2016) — first Opeth album on Nuclear Blast Records, debuted at #1 in both Sweden and Norway - Dynamic range expanded to cover Sorceress's reintroduced heavier riff passages alongside Heritage's jazz-brush restraint > "Heritage asked me to forget everything I knew about being a metal drummer for a minute. Brushes, ride cymbal, restraint — it was the hardest record I ever made, and the one I'm proudest of." — *Rhythm Magazine Interview, 2011* --- ## In Cauda Venenum: Final Opeth Era (2019–2021) **Albums:** In Cauda Venenum (2019) **Tours:** In Cauda Venenum Tour 2019–2020 **Q: What happened to Martin Axenrot in Opeth?** A: In Cauda Venenum (2019) — Opeth's thirteenth studio album, released simultaneously in Swedish and English — was Axenrot's final studio record with the band, closing out a thirteen-year tenure that began with Watershed's twin-kick aggression and ended amid Dave Stewart's orchestral string arrangements. His Pearl Reference Series kit and Meinl Byzance cymbals, unchanged since Heritage, had to move fluidly between passages where the drums carried the arrangement and passages where they receded behind strings and mellotron. Axenrot departed Opeth in 2021, and Waltteri Väyrynen (formerly of Paradise Lost) took over the drum chair in September 2022. - **Drums:** Pearl Reference Series — same configuration carried through since Heritage *(unchanged)* - **Snare:** Pearl Reference Maple Snare *(unchanged)* - **Cymbals:** Meinl Byzance Series — the one constant across all thirteen years of Axenrot's Opeth tenure *(unchanged)* - **Hardware:** Pearl Demon Drive Double Pedal *(unchanged)* - **Sticks:** Vic Firth American Classic 5B *(unchanged)* - **Heads:** Standard coated batters - **Estimated kit cost (original):** ~$10,500 **Key developments:** - In Cauda Venenum (2019) — Opeth's 13th studio album, released simultaneously in Swedish and English - Final studio album of Axenrot's thirteen-year Opeth tenure - Kit shared sonic space with Dave Stewart's orchestral string arrangements on multiple tracks - Departed Opeth in 2021; Waltteri Väyrynen took over the drum chair in September 2022 > "Thirteen years, six albums, a complete reinvention from Watershed to Heritage and back again. I'm proud of every version of the drummer I had to become for this band." — *Interview, 2020* --- ## Career Cost Overview | Era | Years | Kit Cost (Original) | Inflation-Adjusted | |---|---|---|---| | Pre-Opeth: Extreme Metal Roots | 1997–2006 | $2,800 | ~$4,300 | | Watershed: Studio Debut | 2006–2010 | $13,378 | ~$15,200 | | Heritage to Sorceress: The Prog-Rock Pivot | 2011–2016 | $9,800 | ~$12,100 | | In Cauda Venenum: Final Opeth Era | 2019–2021 | $10,500 | ~$12,500 | --- ## Gear Brand Partnerships Timeline - **Sonor Designer / SQ2 (drums)** — 2006–2010 (Watershed era) - **Pearl Reference Series (drums)** — 2011–2021 (Heritage through In Cauda Venenum) - **Meinl Byzance (cymbals)** — 2006–2021 (career-long constant since his Opeth debut) - **Vic Firth American Classic 5B (sticks)** — 2006–2021 - **Sonor Giant Step → Pearl Demon Drive (double pedals)** — 2006–2010 → 2011–2021 --- ## FAQ **Q: Who replaced Martin Lopez in Opeth?** A: Martin Axenrot replaced Martin Lopez as Opeth's drummer in 2006, stepping in mid-tour during the "Ghost Reveries" cycle after Lopez departed due to health issues. Axenrot made his studio debut with the band on "Watershed" (2008) and remained Opeth's drummer through 2021. **Q: What bands did Martin Axenrot play in before Opeth?** A: Before Opeth, Martin Axenrot played in black/thrash band Witchery (from 1997) and had session/touring associations with death metal supergroup Bloodbath and black metal act Nifelheim, building the heavier, more aggressive playing style he brought to Opeth's drum chair. **Q: What drum kit did Martin Axenrot use in Opeth?** A: Martin Axenrot's Opeth gear evolved from a twin-kick Sonor Designer/SQ2 rig on his 2008 studio debut Watershed to a Pearl Reference Series kit adopted for Heritage (2011) and carried through Pale Communion, Sorceress, and his final album, In Cauda Venenum (2019). His Meinl Byzance cymbal setup stayed constant across his entire thirteen-year Opeth tenure. **Q: When did Martin Axenrot leave Opeth?** A: Martin Axenrot departed Opeth in 2021 after In Cauda Venenum (2019) — his final studio album with the band. Waltteri Väyrynen, formerly of Paradise Lost, took over the drum chair in September 2022 and recorded Opeth's next album, Last Will and Testament (2024). **Q: What albums did Martin Axenrot record with Opeth?** A: Martin Axenrot recorded five studio albums with Opeth: Watershed (2008), Heritage (2011), Pale Communion (2014), Sorceress (2016), and In Cauda Venenum (2019) — a run that took the band from its final death-metal-vocal record through its full prog-rock reinvention. --- ## Related Pages - [Martin Axenrot Drummer Profile](/llms/drummers/martin-axenrot.md) - [Watershed Drum Setup Article](/llms/articles/watershed-drum-setup.md) - [Heritage Drum Setup Article](/llms/articles/heritage-drum-setup.md) - [Martin Axenrot Gear History](/llms/gear-history/martin-axenrot.md) - [Meinl Cymbals Brand Guide](/llms/brands/meinl.md) - [Metal Drumming Facts & Stats](/llms/facts.md)