Abbath have canceled all of their remaining shows for 2026. The band announced the decision on Tuesday, September 15, but did not give a reason for the cancellations.
“Abbath have made the decision to cancel all remaining shows for 2026,” the band said in a brief statement.
“We sincerely apologize to the fans, festivals, and everyone affected. Thank you for your understanding and support.”
The news comes about a month after Abbath’s appearance at the SaariHelvetti festival in Tampere, Finland ended only a couple of minutes into the band’s set.
During the August 14 performance, Abbath — real name Olve Eikemo — took the stage without his usual corpsepaint and stage armor. The band launched into opener “To War!,” but Eikemo threw his guitar onto the stage and walked off before the song was finished.
Drummer Ukri Suvilehto subsequently addressed the crowd and said the frontman had been struggling with health problems. SaariHelvetti organizers also attributed the abbreviated performance to Eikemo’s health.
Abbath have not said whether those health issues are connected to the decision to cancel the remainder of their 2026 schedule, so at this point the two should not be assumed to be related.
Eikemo has previously spoken publicly about struggles with addiction. In 2019, following another abbreviated performance in Buenos Aires and the cancellation of a South American tour, he announced that he was entering rehabilitation. There has been no indication from Abbath that addiction played a role in either the SaariHelvetti incident or the newly announced cancellations.
The band’s most recent studio album, Dread Reaver, arrived in 2022 through Season of Mist.
Photo by Francisco Munoz
