Dark Funeral Frontman Heljarmadr Sidelined by Blood Clots
(Editor’s note: The original post claimed that Dark Funeral had canceled the shows in question. That was not the case, as the rest of the band will deal with his absence. We regret any misinformation in the post.)
A pair of upcoming Dark Funeral shows will see a temporary lineup change after frontman Andreas Vingbäck, known by fans as Heljarmadr, was hospitalized for severe blood clots. And given the likely result if he didn’t seek treatment, we’re all happy that the worst thing to come out of that is that the band’s guitarist will also handle vocals during those shows.
In a post to the band’s social media pages yesterday, Vingbäck issued a statement explaining to fans both why he won’t be at both shows and how he’s recovering from the admittedly scary situation. The band’s January 26 show in Athens and their February 3 show in Stockholm were affected.
“Who wants to live forever? I’ve just returned from a really close conversation with Death himself but I’m not dead or dying yet. I suffered from a pretty severe thrombosis (blod clot), luckily I got hospitalized in time and I got the treatment needed to manage my condition, there’s also a long term plan in the making for maximum recovery. I’m being well taken care of and have the right people, and family, right here with me. Please respect my privacy.
“What I need to tell you though, and this is the reason I feel obligated to make this ordeal public, is that I will not be able to perform on two of my upcoming shows and for that I am very frustrated. We don’t know exactly how extensive this will be, but as of now I will definitely not be able to do the Grá shows in Athens (Jan 26) and Stockholm (Feb 3). I am not allowed to by the medical team that is taking care of me, as it could put my health at risk. However! The shows WILL be executed by the rest of the band and Niklas will step in on double duty with guitar and vocals so the gigs are NOT cancelled. I do encourage you all to go and enjoy them, you are being given a unique performance and by doing so, you support Grá and you also support me.
“Regarding future shows, me and my medical team are certain that I will be fully recovered in time and to fulfill everything else that is on my schedule.
“Thank you for understanding and I will tell you more when I can. Right now this is all there is to be said and I need time to rest to recover, thanks for your time. /Heljarmadr”
Blood clots are no joke. According to Yale Medicine, thrombosis “affects up to 900,000 people in the United States per year and kills up to 100,000.” It goes without saying that we’re happy to hear Heljarmadr will make a full recovery.
