The man who has been the one constant in Tiamat for nearly four decades is in hospital: Johan Edlund has suffered a brain haemorrhage, and the band have cancelled their concert in Belgrade.
The show was due on Saturday 14 November at Zappa Barka. The band put out a statement the same day: "Due to a medical emergency involving TIAMAT founder and vocalist Johan Edlund, we regret to announce the cancellation of today's concert at Zappa Barka in Belgrade. Johan has suffered a brain haemorrhage and is currently hospitalized until further notice."
They added: "At this difficult time, we kindly ask you to keep Johan in your thoughts and wish him strength and a full and speedy recovery." No further dates have been addressed.
A brain haemorrhage is bleeding inside the brain tissue or between it and the skull, and it is a condition that needs immediate treatment.
Edlund formed Tiamat in Sweden in 1988 out of the earlier band Treblinka, and has sung, played guitar and written the records since. The band moved from death metal through Clouds and Wildhoney into the gothic and psychedelic sound they are known for, with Johnny Hagel, Thomas Petersson and Lars Sköld among the players who passed through. Their tenth and most recent album, The Scarred People, came out in 2012.