Abbath were forced to cut their performance at Finland’s SaariHelvetti Festival short yesterday, August 14th, with the set ending during its opening song.
The black metal outfit had just begun playing “To War!” at the Viikinsaari festival in Tampere when frontman and guitarist Abbath Doom Occulta put down his guitar and walked offstage.
Occulta also appeared without his usual corpse paint and stage attire for the performance, while his bandmates maintained the visual presentation typically associated with the group.
With the frontman no longer onstage, drummer Ukri Suvilehto addressed the audience and explained that Abbath had been dealing with health issues. According to Inferno, he stated:
“Let’s just say that it probably won’t come as a surprise to anyone that our lead singer is struggling with health problems, so we’re very sorry if this gig has been interrupted. But we, as solid professionals, are prepared for anything, so we’ll see. But thank you and sorry. We have done everything we can.”
The specific nature of the health problems affecting Abbath Doom Occulta has not been disclosed.
The frontman has experienced a number of troubled performances over the years amid his previous struggles with sobriety, although it remains unclear whether that played any role in Friday’s incident.
There is currently no word on whether the abbreviated set will impact Abbath’s upcoming live schedule.
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