Vocalist Tomas Lindberg of the renowned Swedish melodic death metal band At The Gates has publicly shared a difficult personal battle. The band’s recent period of silence was a result of Lindberg‘s diagnosis with Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma, a form of oral cancer, in December 2023. This news was delivered in a statement from the band and a personal message from Lindberg himself, which detailed his arduous journey over the past year and a half.
In a statement released by the band, it was revealed that Lindberg had been hospitalized in early May due to a health setback and is currently being closely monitored in a specialized ward. The band’s statement is as follows:
“We want to take a moment to update you on what’s been happening with At the Gates, and to do so, we need to take you back about a year and a half.
Below, you’ll find a message from Tomas, written this past March 2025, where he reflects on the past 15 months and the reasons for the radio silence. However, in early May, Tomas experienced a health setback. Since then, he has been hospitalised and has been receiving dedicated care in a specialized ward where he is being closely monitored around the clock.
While this is a challenging time, we’re staying positive but, even in a best-case-scenario we know the recovery will take a long time. We kindly ask that you respect Tomas‘ and his family’s privacy during this period.
We know how much the band and the music mean to him — Tomas is incredibly proud of the new At the Gates album we’ve been working on, and we will try to get you more details on this upcoming release very soon. Thank you for your ongoing support, patience, and understanding.”
Lindberg‘s own statement, written in March 2025, provides further detail on his health issues:
“Hello everyone. I guess some of you may have been wondering why it has been so silent on the At the Gates front lately. Well, in December 2023, I was diagnosed with Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma (a cancer in the mouth and pallet) and have since then gone through a lot, it has been a very tough year.
First there was a major surgery, where they took away a big part of the roof of the mouth. This was followed by radiation therapy for two months, and eversince it has been a long hard path towards recovery. Now, in the beginning of 2025, they have found some remains of the cancer, and it is inaccessible by surgery or radiation. So, we will see what the next step is, but probably some form of chemo therapy, to keep the cancer in check.
Luckily, we recorded vocals for the demos for the new album before all of this happened. The last version of the vocals, the ones that will end up on the album, were recorded in ONE day, mostly one takes, the DAY before the surgery, just to make sure we HAD the album, so to speak. So the vocals were actually recorded BEFORE the rest of the album…. a bit different, but it felt good to have it done.
We have now decided to not wait any longer to release this new album. We had first planned to wait with the release until we knew if/when I would be able to sing again, and we were able to support the release with shows. Now when everything about the future is a bit more unsure it feels good to deliver this album.
It is an album that we all are very proud of, and it’s the first time in 10 years that Jonas and I have worked together with Anders writing an albums’ worth of music. It is a bit more of a return to the ‘roots’, probably best described as a mix between the two last albums we did with Anders (Slaughter of the Soul and At War with Reality). Hope you all will enjoy it!
Please respect that we don’t want to make a big thing about all this, and that I won’t be answering interviews concerning the cancer, the treatment or the recovery. We just wanted this to be out in the open, as we wanted to explain to our fans why we have been quiet for such a long time. I hope you all are well. Take care of yourself, your loved ones and the time you have on this earth.”
The new album is particularly significant, marking the first time in a decade that Lindberg and Jonas Björler have collaborated with Anders Björler on a full-length record. Despite the uncertainty surrounding his health, Lindberg was determined to ensure the album’s completion, recording the final vocal takes in a single day, just before his major surgery. The band, proud of the new material, has decided to release the album without further delay. They have stated that the new record is a return to their “roots,” blending the styles of Slaughter of the Soul and At War with Reality. The band has asked fans to respect Lindberg‘s privacy during his recovery.
Photo credit: Andy Hayball
