INSOMNIUM And OMNIUM GATHERUM Cancel North American Tour After One Show

Finnish melodic death metal masters INSOMNIUM and OMNIUM GATHERUM have been forced to cancel their North American tour after playing just one show: Thursday, March 12 at The Fillmore in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The trek was scheduled to conclude on April 18 in Halethorpe, Maryland.

INSOMNIUM and OMNIUM GATHERUM announced the tour cancelation in a joint statement earlier today. They wrote: "With heavy hearts we inform you that we are forced to cancel this North American tour after just one show. All these government actions, bans and restrictions to fight the Corona virus are basically cancelling our shows and shutting down the country so there is nothing we can do.

"We came all the way here and really tried to make this tour happen. But the situation has quickly gotten a lot worse during the last 48 hours. This is very sad and frustrating for us but also a huge financial disaster for both INSOMNIUM and OMNIUM GATHERUM. Right now we don't know how we can continue.

"All tickets will be refunded. Please contact the place where you bought your ticket.

"Once we get home we will think about how we can salvage the financial situation of both bands. We will try to come up with some sort of fundraising campaign or something. We are going to need the help of our fans. If we can get past these difficult times we will try to make this same tour happen again in the future.

"Stay safe, wash your hands, stay calm."

INSOMNIUM was touring in support of its latest album, "Heart Like A Grave", which came out last October. The disc entered the official Finnish chart at No. 1, German chart at No. 10 and Swiss chart at No. 15.

OMNIUM GATHERUM's most recent LP, "The Burning Cold", was released in August 2018 via Cenury Media.

Until this past week, the virus had mainly impacted the live scene in Europe and Asia. But with rising infection and death counts in the United States, the American industry has begun to see the effects, with the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival postponed and South By Southwest canceled.

COVID-19 is the infectious disease caused by the most recently discovered coronavirus.

This new virus and disease were unknown before the outbreak began in Wuhan, China in December 2019.

The virus has infected more than 135,000 people — including at least 1,500 in the U.S.