BW&BK; spoke with DIMMU BORGIR "hired gun"/MAYHEM drummer Hellhammer (aka Jan Axel Blomberg)

recently for an upcoming feature set to run in BW&BK; Magazine #103, due out later this month. The famed skinsman also lists ARCTURUS and WINDS as current projects - in fact he says the new Winds album may see the light of day in April. Meaning he'll have three records on the street in the same month: Dimmu Borgir's In Sorte Diaboli (out on April 27th in mainland Europe, April 24th in North America and April 30th in the UK via Nuclear Blast Records), Mayhem's Ordo Ab Chao (out on April 23rd via Season Of Mist) and the as-yet-untitled Winds album (although The End Records says it'll be out later this year).

Here's an excerpt from BW&BK;'s chat with Hellhammer:

BW&BK;: How do you view your role in Dimmu Borgir?

Hellhammer: "I'm a hired gun. I do things that I'm told. I'm a session musician for this band. As for musical ideas for this record, I was free to do what I wanted. That's due to the band's trust in me I guess. Also, if they wanted another drum style they would ask somebody else. So, I guess they like my style, but I'm also free to do my own stuff. If there is specific stuff, then we try it out. They are pretty easy to work with. I never have any problems or arguments about how the drums should sound or how they should be played. It works out very good. In terms of orchestration I came with ideas because the guys brought a skeleton of the songs into the rehearsal place and we worked it together with the guitars, drums and everything into a song. In that way I was very much involved in the writing process, but not in terms of riffs or writing any music. The guys say that I'm very welcome to contribute to the riffs and music. I'm very happy with the new new drum sound, because with the Stormblåst rerecording the kick drums were too far back in the mix. But this time around the drums are in front of the mix. I think that guys know that it propels the music in a good way. On the Puritanical album, the drums were very low and sterile sounding. On this album the drums sound more natural and it's the way I play them."

BW&BK;: Comparing both Dimmu Borgir and Mayhem - from a distance they are two black metal bands, but upon closer look the styles are very different.

Hellhammer: "The drumming for the new Dimmu album, I had to be more strict. For the new Mayhem I was flying all over the place and I enjoyed it. It suits the music. Lots of fills and fast stuff. Also the time signatures for Mayhem are different - it's not all four-on-the-floor beats. It's stuff that make it Mayhem. I enjoy both. I enjoy both sides of that kind of metal. Also, outside of metal I enjoy playing."

Compare the production of the drums on the new Dimmu Borgir vs. Mayhem...

Hellhammer: "I have always been criticized on the net for triggering the drums. For the new Mayhem record I didn't even EQ the drums. The way they sounded going into the board is the way they sounded. So fuck all those people who are criticizing that. The drums don't sound synthetic. These people are spoiling the fun. It really gets me aggravated. It's cool to have different productions. The Dimmu production is very clear and clean and the Mayhem production is totally necro. It's raw, it's brutal - it's got a fuck-you attitude."

Dimmu Borgir's live schedule is filling up ... what are Mayhem's plans for the road?

Hellhammer: "I have a free month, that's July - so there will be a US tour with Mayhem for July. That's the only time I have. I'm also recording a new album with Arcturus during the year. The whole for me is booked. I like to be busy. I hate sitting around doing nothing. I like to see that things are going somewhere. I want to progress, to go further and further."

As previously reported, Mayhem's first North American live date is July 24th at Jaxx in Springfield, VA.