Jan Axel Blomberg

Jan Axel von Blomberg, or as his moniker has it, Hellhammer, is a black metal drummer. He joined Mayhem in 1988, after former drummer Kjetil Manheim left the band to pursue a business career and a love

Jan Axel von Blomberg, or as his moniker has it, Hellhammer, is a black metal drummer. He joined Mayhem in 1988, after former drummer Kjetil Manheim left the band to pursue a business career and a love interest, and toured with the band while their lineup still included the legendary singer Dead (Per Ohlin). In a February 1996 Spin article Hellhammer claimed that he had made a necklace out of Dead's skull fragments after he commited suicide. He is rumoured to have re-recorded bass for the Mayhem album "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas" as Aarseth's mother's request, due to the fact that Euronymous' murderer, Varg "Grishnackh" Vikernes, played session bass on that album. However, this is not true, as Hellhammer did not know how to play bass at the time, and did not know how to re-record it, and it got released with Varg's bass anyways. And since Mayhem, by then, with the exception of Hellhammer, was all session members, the band ceased to exist. Since then, Hellhammer joined a slough of bands, including Age Of Silence, Winds, Thorns, Immortal, (which he shortly left thereafter), Arcturus, Fleurety and The Kovenant, some as a full time member, and some as a session member. Also, Hellhammer remade Mayhem, with new member Blasphemer, and old members that left Mayhem earlier, Maniac and Necrobutcher. Hellhammer has also recorded with the Christian dark metal band Antestor. He is currently a session member of Dimmu Borgir.