Mayhem cancels North American tour due to medical emergency

Bend have announced their cancellation Fall North American 40th Anniversary Tour due to a medical emergency within the band.

The news comes just under a week before the trek was set to begin in Montreal on November 12. All six planned North American tour dates, running through November 23, have been canceled; however, Mayhem’s European dates in December will go ahead as planned (order tickets here).

The Norwegian black metal legends shared the unfortunate development in one Facebook post, promising American and Canadian fans a surprise sometime next year:

“MAYHEM regrets to inform fans that the upcoming 40th anniversary performances in North America have been canceled due to a member of the band experiencing a medical emergency requiring immediate surgery, which will result in an extended recovery period. Tickets are refundable at the time of purchase.

Don’t worry, American and Canadian Legion, because Mayhem will have something to offer next year that will make up for those of you disappointed by this news.

The upcoming tour dates marked four decades since the band’s formation in 1984. Mayhem is considered one of black metal’s most important pioneers, leading the ‘second wave’ of the genre and the Norwegian scene of the late 1980s/early 1990s, as depicted in the 2018 film. Lords of chaos. They also found themselves at the center of the violence that surrounded the scene at the time, including the infamous 1993 murder of guitarist Euronymous by former bandmate and Burzum founder Varg Vikernes.

The band has continued through the years with various lineups – consisting of Necrobutcher (bass), Hellhammer (drums) and Attila Csihar (vocals) – and recently released the Daemonic rituals live album in 2023 and the Atavistic black disorder EP in 2021.

You can see Mayhem’s cancellation notice below.