Due to sudden health issues of drummer Inferno, Poland’s Behemoth have announced that they will not be taking part in this summer’s installment of the annual Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, scheduled to kick off in late June in North America. Rather than using a tour fill-in drummer, the band has opted to stand by Inferno, rather than continue on as an incomplete unit. Behemoth was scheduled to perform on the Musician’s Institute Stage (one of four on the tour) right before stage headliners Children of Bodom.
Commenting on the decision, frontman Nergal stated: “This must have been the most difficult decision we were forced to make in recent years. Behemoth is known for not canceling any shows or tours. But this is not something we can do when we are missing our driving force, the man behind the drums – Inferno. Unfortunately, he was hospitalized due to appendix surgery and it’s gonna take him few months to fully recover and get back to shape. We are trying to save selected European Festivals with a fill in drummer (Krimh, ex-Decapitated), but we won’t be risking doing a full-on prestigious tour like the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival without Inferno. Behemoth is a solid unit and any part of this unit missing makes us weaker, and that is not how we want to present our new material to our fans. Please, accept our apologies and be patient, we shall return to Europe (this fall) and US (early 2014) empowered and motivated as never before!”
Behemoth’s tenth full-length album, entitled “The Satanist,” is scheduled to be released this fall on Nuclear Blast in Europe, and Metal Blade in North America.
