Abbath have canceled every show they had scheduled for the remainder of 2026. The project led by former Immortal vocalist and guitarist Olve “Abbath Doom Occulta” Eikemo announced the decision on September 15 through a brief social media statement, without providing a reason for the cancellations.
"Abbath ha tomado la decisión de cancelar todos los conciertos restantes de 2026. Pedimos sinceras disculpas a los fans, festivales y a todas las personas afectadas. Gracias por su comprensión y apoyo”, señaló la banda.
At this stage, there is no word on whether any of the dates will be rescheduled or when Abbath might return to the stage. The band have also made no official statement directly connecting the cancellations to the health issues mentioned during their troubled festival appearance in Finland last month.
The announcement comes roughly one month after Abbath's SaariHelvetti appearance on August 14 in Tampere ended only minutes after it began. The band opened the set with “To War!”, but Eikemo left the stage before the first song had been completed.
Audience-shot footage showed the musician performing without his usual corpsepaint or stage armor. During the track, he forcefully dropped his guitar and walked offstage, bringing the performance to an abrupt end.
Drummer Ukri Suvilehto subsequently addressed the audience and explained that the frontman had been dealing with health problems, apologizing on behalf of the band. SaariHelvetti organizers later confirmed that Eikemo had been unable to continue performing because of health issues, although the specific nature of the condition was never publicly disclosed.
Eikemo has spoken publicly about personal and health struggles at other points in his career. In November 2019, following a South American run marked by an abbreviated Buenos Aires performance and subsequent cancellations, the musician disclosed that he had been battling addiction and had voluntarily committed to a rehabilitation program.
Abbath launched his namesake project following his departure from Immortal and has since released three studio albums: Abbath in 2016, Outstrider in 2019 and Dread Reaver in 2022. His live sets have also continued to preserve a substantial part of his former band's legacy, combining solo material with classic Immortal songs.
