FREDRIK ÅKESSON Explains How WALTTERI VÄYRYNEN Became OPETH's New Drummer

In a recent chat with Rock Antenne's David Loebe at Guitar Summit 2024, Opeth guitarist Fredrik Åkesson shared insights on the band's decision to bring drummer Waltteri Väyrynen in September 2022. Väyrynen, known for his work with Paradise Lost, Bloodbath, and Bodom After Midnight, stepped in to fill the shoes of Martin "Axe" Axenrot, who had previously exited Opeth.

Initially, drummer Sami Karppinen, Axenrot's drum tech, took over as a temporary fill-in, covering two U.S. tours and a summer festival run until the band was ready to announce a permanent addition. Åkesson explained how Opeth discovered Väyrynen by watching him tackle "The Devil's Orchard" – a track requiring finesse beyond just the typical extreme metal drumming he was known for.

"We had a guy that helped us out in between, a guy called Sami, who actually was Axe's drum tech. So he did the two American tours we signed up for, and also the festival summer season," Åkesson recalled (via Blabbermouth. "And then we had Waltteri in mind because we saw him play the track 'The Devil's Orchard', which is… He's more of, I would say, an extreme metal drummer, but in Opeth, you need to have a bigger spectrum, you need to know the prog, the more calm stuff, and tasteful stuff, and he played that track, which is not a death metal track, but he just nailed everything; he really had the entire spectra as a drummer — all the different elements that are required within Opeth, because we kind of switch in between '70s prog rock, hard rock, metal, death metal, progressive metal, blah, blah, blah, etc. Some slightly jazzy stuff as well."

After performing three tours together, Väyrynen joined Opeth in the studio to record their upcoming album, The Last Will And Testament. The first track, "Paragraph Three," was completed in one take. Still, Väyrynen wanted to give it another shot, showing his dedication.

"We did three tours with Waltteri before we recorded the album The Last Will And Testament with him. So he just nailed everything directly. When we went into the studio, the first track we recorded was 'Paragraph Three', and he just nailed it on the first take. So, we went, 'That's it.' But he was, of course, as I would be, 'No. Another one.'"

While Axenrot hasn't publicly discussed his departure, his Bloodbath bandmate Nick Holmes, who also plays with Paradise Lost, revealed that Axenrot's exit may have been related to his decision against COVID-19 vaccination. It remains uncertain if this was the sole reason behind his departure, as neither Axenrot nor Opeth has confirmed further details.