Mayhem Drummer Hellhammer to Miss Decibel Tour, Tony Laureano (Dimmu Borgir, Nile, ect) to Fill In

Due to a severe shoulder inflammation that has plagued Mayhem drummer Hellhammer for quite some time, he will unfortunately not be able to perform on the ninth annual Decibel Magazine Tour, which begins Friday.

Official statement from Mayhem: He has been working with a physiotherapist for the last couple of months in the hopes that he would be fully healed before the tour, but has ultimately been ordered to rest for some more weeks. Filling in for Hellhammer will be Tony Laureano, who has a prestigious track record as session and permanent drummer for a number of other bands such as Dimmu Borgir, Nile, Angelcorpse, Malevolent Creation, God Dethroned, Acheron, Belphegor, 1349, Brujeria, etc.

The Decibel Magazine Tour kicks off on March 13 in Denver, Colorado and concludes on April 10 in Chicago, Illinois.

Joining Mayhem on the bill are Norwegian black metallers Abbath, Arizona desert death dealers Gatecreeper and goth-infused metal upstarts Idle Hands