Hope This Isn’t What It Looks Like
This is weird, but not necessarily unfamiliar for Abbath, and that’s the part that worries me. I’ve seen up close what alcoholism does to a person’s life, so I’m not going to make a punchline out of this one.
His Friday night headline set at Saarihelvetti in Tampere, Finland ended during the opening song. Olve Eikemo walked out ahead of his band on August 14 without his corpsepaint or body armor, and the rest of them followed in full regalia. The band tore into “To War!”, and by the time they hit the verse Eikemo had thrown his guitar at the drum riser and walked off. Drummer Ukri Suvilehto came back out to apologize to the crowd, telling them “it probably won’t come as a surprise to anyone that our lead singer is struggling with health problems.” Organizers said afterward that the set ended because Eikemo was unable to perform.
Nobody has said what the health problem is, and I want to be careful here. But Abbath has a documented history of alcohol abuse. In November 2019 he played a two-song set in Buenos Aires that had fans demanding refunds, the band scrapped the rest of the South American tour, and weeks after that he issued a statement saying he was entering treatment to get clean “once and for all.” It’s unclear whether any of that is related to Friday. It’s worth noting anyway.
Because if it is, this stops being a bad night and becomes something that needs handling before the next tour instead of after it. People bought tickets to Saarihelvetti. Some of them flew. That matters, and so does he. Abbath built one of black metal’s foundational catalogs with Immortal, and none of that is in question. Whether he should be on a stage right now is.
The band’s camp hasn’t said a word since. I hope this is something else entirely. And if it isn’t, I hope he gets the help he needs, pulls the European run, and comes back when he’s ready. The records will still be there.
Source: Inferno
If you or someone you know is struggling with alcohol or substance use, SAMHSA’s National Helpline is free and available 24/7 at 1-800-662-4357.