Tomas Lindberg, vocalist of pioneering Swedish demise metallic band On the Gates, has died on the age of 52. Lindberg’s household confirmed his passing to Swedish public service tv firm SVT Nyheter on Tuesday (September sixteenth).
In December 2023, Lindberg was identified with adenoid cystic carcinoma — a uncommon slow-developing most cancers of the minor salivary glands across the head and neck space. He then underwent surgical procedure to take away a big portion of the roof of his mouth together with radiation remedies, although traces of the most cancers had been found by docs earlier this 12 months.
Lindberg was positioned in long-term care following an undisclosed setback in Might. Earlier than that, in March, Lindberg penned a message to followers that was shared by his bandmates on August fifteenth:
“Howdy everybody. I suppose a few of you will have been questioning why it has been so silent on the On the Gates entrance recently. Properly, in December 2023, I used to be identified with Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma (a most cancers within the mouth and palate) and have since then gone via loads, it has been a really powerful 12 months. First there was a significant surgical procedure, the place they took away an enormous a part of the roof of the mouth. This was adopted by radiation remedy for 2 months, and ever because it has been a protracted laborious path in direction of restoration. Now, to start with of 2025, they’ve discovered some stays of the most cancers, and it’s inaccessible by surgical procedure or radiation. So, we’ll see what the subsequent step is, however most likely some type of chemotherapy, to maintain the most cancers in verify.
Fortunately, we recorded vocals for the demos for the brand new album earlier than all of this occurred. The final model of the vocals, those that can find yourself on the album, had been recorded in ONE day, largely one takes, the DAY earlier than the surgical procedure, simply to ensure we HAD the album, so to talk. So the vocals had been really recorded BEFORE the remainder of the album…. a bit totally different, but it surely felt good to have it executed.
We now have now determined to not wait any longer to launch this new album. We had first deliberate to attend with the discharge till we knew if/after I would have the ability to sing once more, and we had been in a position to help the discharge with exhibits. Now when the whole lot concerning the future is a little more not sure it feels good to ship this album. It’s an album that all of us are very happy with, and it’s the primary time in 10 years that Jonas and I’ve labored along with Anders writing an album’s price of music. It is a little more of a return to the ‘roots’, most likely finest described as a mixture between the 2 final albums we did with Anders [Björler] (‘Slaughter Of The Soul’ and ‘At Battle With Actuality’). Hope you all will get pleasure from it!
Please respect that we don’t wish to make an enormous factor about all this, and that I received’t be answering interviews in regards to the most cancers, the therapy or the restoration. We simply needed this to be out within the open, as we needed to elucidate to our followers why we’ve been quiet for such a very long time.
I hope you all are properly. Maintain your self, your family members and the time you will have on this earth.”
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Lindberg helped kind On the Gates in 1990 alongside drummer Adrian Erlandsson and guitarists Anders Björler and Alf Svensson. After releasing the Gardens of Grief demo in 1991, the group dropped its 1992 debut The Purple within the Sky Is Ours, which acquired approval for its progressive and melodic tackle the Swedish demise metallic model.
On the Gates went on to launch seven full-length studio albums in complete, together with the 1995 masterpiece Slaughter of the Soul, which was included in Consequence‘s 75 Finest Steel Albums of All Time. The as-yet-unreleased album described by Lindberg in his letter could be the follow-up to 2021’s The Nightmare of Being.
Whereas On the Gates themselves will not be a metalcore band, their affect on the subgenre is monumental, with bands like Killswitch Have interaction, All That Stays, and As I Lay Dying owing an enormous debt to the Swedish band.
All through his profession, Lindberg additionally carried out and recorded vocals with different acts together with Grotesque, Liers in Wait, grindcore supergroup Lock Up, Nightrage, Skitsystem, Disfear, The Nice Deceiver, and The Crown. Outdoors of music, Lindberg was an educator, educating topics akin to English and social research on the middle-school and high-school ranges.
Our condolences exit to Tomas Lindberg’s household, buddies, and bandmates throughout this troublesome time. Revisit a stay efficiency of “Slaughter of the Soul” under.