Abbath’s performance at the SaariHelvetti festival in Tampere, Finland came to an abrupt end on Friday, August 14, with the Abbath frontman leaving the stage only a couple of minutes into the band’s set.
The band had just started its opening song, “To War!”, when Abbath, whose real name is Olve Eikemo, suddenly threw his guitar onto the stage and walked away. Fan-filmed footage from the performance has since surfaced online.
Unlike his bandmates, Abbath was not wearing his usual corpsepaint and stage armor during the appearance.
After Abbath left the stage, drummer Ukri Suvilehto addressed the crowd and reportedly explained that the singer had been dealing with health problems. He also apologized to those in attendance, saying the band had done everything it could and was prepared to deal with the situation.
Festival organizers later confirmed that the Abbath performance had been cut short because of Abbath’s health issues.
The appearance was part of this year’s SaariHelvetti festival, which took place August 14–15 on Viikinsaari Island in Tampere. Abbath was among the acts scheduled for the festival’s Friday lineup alongside Ensiferum, Havukruunu, Wolfheart, Omnium Gatherum and others.
This is not the first time an Abbath performance has ended unexpectedly. In November 2019, the band played only two songs during a show in Buenos Aires before the performance was called off. Abbath later revealed that he had been struggling with addiction and said he would enter a rehabilitation program.
Abbath’s most recent studio album, Dread Reaver, was released in March 2022 through Season of Mist.
Watch footage from the abbreviated SaariHelvetti performance below.
[Via Blabbermouth]
Photo by Francisco Munoz
