ungreatfull morons. Although i havnt heard him play yet so i wouldnt know :S

lol @ him being a bitch.

i think he's got every right to lose it like that, i mean, on this site alone, i've seen several people saying they're "doubtful" that axe is as good as lopez, from the mere evidence of a few, or even just one, live show.

now, aside from the fact that you may have just caught him on a bit of an off-night, you've got to consider that he's still settling into the band, and so obviously won't be playing the old stuff with quite the same proficiency or vigour as lopez did yet. fuck's sake, lopez would've known them like the back of his hand, whereas axe had to step in at the drop of a hat and take over, and i think that, especially in such a musically complex band, has to be applauded.

it's nice to see someone finally has the balls to actually come back with a big "fuck you" to all these know-it-alls who slag off new members of bands with seemingly no rhyme or reason.

I thought Akerfeldt's, "I don't recruit members while taking a **** comment," comment was hilarious.

Opeth fans just don't want the music to change in style. Lopez had a background in Latin and jazz and Axe is purely a metal drummer. But I seriously doubt Mikael would pick someone that couldn't handle the music.

Hasn't this guy been touring with Opeth for quite some time anyway?

I think it's been for the better part of a year or 2 now. I mean, out of the 2, I do prefer Lopez, simply because of all the extra crap he did. There were a whole bunch of Latin influences and whatnot in his drumming. However, I DO think Axe is holding his own quite well with the band. He's a very good drummer.

Meh, Mikael may has overreacted a bit, but I guess I'd be pretty perturbed in his position.

let's wait till we hear the new album and THEN decide if axe is such a bad drummer

There's no real basis to judge Axenrot on. He's only been heard playing somebody elses parts. Give him a chance to actually contribute something to the band. Just because you've only heard him in a purely metal situation doesn't mean he isn't capable of branching out.

I love Mikael because deep down inside, he really is an asshole.

Axenrot sucks.

I thought Akerfeldt was going to slam the idiot fans who always scream during the quiet parts. Damn, that pisses me off. Just like the people who kept trying to clap during the orchestral parts of Dream Theater's Score cd/dvd. It's the conductor's job to keep the tempo, not yours. This Message Edited On 01.13.07

Lopez never did anything great, how can anyone be pissed in the first place?

Idiot fans get pissed off at any change. It's like when Bruford left King Crimson and people wouldn't stop FUCKING BITCHING long enough to actually listen to Pat Mastelotto and realize he is awesome. He's not Bruford, but he's not trying to be. Same with Axenrot.

Still, Axenrot sucks.

Lopez was amazing. I can't wait to hear the new guy's stuff. If Åkerfeldt recruited him, hes bound to be a great drummer.

Honestly, what are you guys judging Axenrot on? Bloodbath?

Oh yeah, bass his drumming on an old-school sounding death metal band. Obviously you've never heard him play the style of music Opeth plays, but clearly Mikael feels he's capable. What have you guys heard Lopez play that makes him so special?

Opeth.

So give the guy a fucking shot.

Dude Axenrot has been on tour with Opeth for a year or more. We've all seen him play live with the band. That's what we're judging it on.

Lopez was one hell of a drummer.
I've never heard Axenrot, but he should be pretty good. Make a judgment on their next album i guess. I can't friggin wait. I've been on an Opeth binge again lately.

Dude Axenrot has been on tour with Opeth for a year or more. We've all seen him play live with the band. That's what we're judging it on.

It's not so much the parts themselves as just his overall feel as a drummer.

Good to know Mikael is mad, heh.

Also I'd like to point out I won't judge until I see what's up with the new album. so let's all lol while that happens.

lol

hey i work at arbys

Ironic, how Akerfieldt is being bashed now. First it was Axe being bashed for having not a feeling as good as Lopez. Akerfieldt protected him, for saying you got no right to say anything before he put out some work (which I completely agree with). After that Akerfieldt is bitched at, only for being defensive towards the fans.

If we just WAIT until the first album with Axe comes out, then see how good it is, and then discuss it. Wouldn't that be an idea?

I don't think this will hinder Opeth much. I mean, sure, Lopez was a fantastic drummer, but I trust Mikael's judgement.

[quote="altmer"]let's wait till we hear the new album and THEN decide if axe is such a bad drum[/quote]

EXACTLY.

it should also be pointed out that opeth were still amazing when they had anders nordin on drums, and he's not a patch on lopez.

even if, thats IF, axe isn't as good as lopez, it doesn't mean opeth aren't still gonna kick arse.


however, their old bassist was amazing.

Saw ax play with them at exeter, frackin awesome

I saw opeth last year with axe and he naild all of lopez's parts perfectly, so I know he can play the old stuff. Now I'm just curious if he can come up with some creative beats of his own on the new album.

We'll see...

If anything, I trust Akerfeldt more than any other musician in the world to choose a musical path, and whoevers invited for the ride. Basically, his decision, IMO, will no doubt probably make the band better. Im sure the new drummer is amazing, and to all the OLD SCHOOL METAL HEADS out there who think a band shouldnt change it up a touch here or there, FUCK YOU! You know nothing about music! God damn I hate you purist metal heads!

can we really expect nothing less

can we really expect nothing less

I saw Axe with Opeth when they came out to Australia and I can tell you that he is a fucking ace drummer. He nailed every part in every song and they played a wide variety of songs off all their albums.

Seriously, who talks about drummers period?

I'm no drummer, but when I saw Opeth last year I thought Axenrot did an incredible job. Lopez was never anyone I got excited about though, so maybe I'm just not seeing the difference a lot of people are.

NB: Drummer friends of mine who attended the same show said he was great as well.

"Lopez never did anything great, how can anyone be pissed in the first place?"


Stupid comment.

I saw Axe twice last year and thought he nailed Lopez's parts perfectly fine: and his mastery of a more straightforward death metal drumming style is still pretty cool and impressive in the context of Opeth's work (which is not at all striaghtforward). It's like home base for me, and the solo they let him have during the crescendo section of "Closure" at the end was mind-blowingly fabulous. Loved it.

I doubt people know what they're talking about. I think Opeth has needed some new blood in the drummer seat for a while, especially by Ghost Reveries. The feel there was pretty samey and not all that great on Lopez' part, I felt.

Damn......

I don't think he'll be a bad drummer at all, even though Lopez was great. Who know's maybe a different style drummer would make a turn for the better, though that's unlikely cause Opeth is already so much more kickass than probably any band (except maybe Children of Bodom) It'd be interesting to see what the next album is like. I thought Ghost Reveries was really good, one of my favorites from Opeth. Maybe they'll be able to crank off another Blackwater Park. That be freaking awesome.

I'm with the "wait for the next album, then you can talk crap" camp here. I agree that it's plainly not fair to judge the new drummer based on the recent shows that he's played with the band - YOU try taking on the role of "keeping the rest of the band together" and learning the drum parts to 10+ years worth of complicated, technically challenging music. After that, you can diss the new kid all you want.
"You" in this case means "those of the world that would trash talk the drummer".
I'm actually excited for Opeth's next album. Ghost Reveries, while not Opeth's best, was extremely even throughout, and took the band's music in a slightly different direction with the songwriting. The change in sound was minor, and the music was still recognizably Opeth, but at the same time it set the album apart from the rest of their work. This new drummer could help push Opeth's songwriting even further and introduce new subtleties and nuances into the band's sound, and that would be something to look forward to.

Man i cannot wait to hear how they cope together with Axe being the new guy and all, i would take Akerfeldt's opinion and cherish it anyday of the week, i think he id genius enough to make a good descision for the band along with company.

'Idiot Fans'... LOL

btw, he seems like a nice and down to earth guy, so it's quite funny to see him bitching at the ^.