R.I.P. - At the Gates Vocalist Tomas Lindberg Has Died at 52

At the Gates vocalist Tomas Lindberg has died at the age of 52.

The news comes a month after the Swedish death metal icon revealed he was receiving "around-the-clock" care in a hospital after first being diagnosed with adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) in December of 2023. ACC is a type of cancer that affects the mouth and palate and Lindberg had even undergone a surgical procedure that "took away a big part of the roof of the mouth," he explained in a statement that was written in March, but not released until last month.

In that same statement, Lindberg, who was also an active member of Lock Up and The Lurking Fear until his death, explained that "some remains of the cancer" were found in early 2025 after the aforementioned surgical intervention and followup radiation treatments.

He also took the time to inform fans that his vocals for the forthcoming At the Gates album had already been recorded in a single-day session the day before the surgery.

"I hope you are all well. Take care of yourself, your loved ones and the time you have on this earth," Lindberg wrote in closing last month.

Tomas Lindberg's Life + Career

While Lindberg is best known as the vocalist for Swedish melodic death metal pioneers At the Gates, he was a frequent collaborator and had spent time in several other bands as well. In addition to the seven studio albums with At the Gates, including the revolutionary 1995 masterpiece Slaughter of the Soul, Lindberg cut records with Disfear, Skitsystem, Lock Up, Nightrage, The Crown, Sign of Cain, The Lurking Fear, Grotesque and more.

The vocalist also designed the logo for Norwegian black metal legends Darkthrone.

Xavi Torrent, Redferns

A wild force onstage with a filthy, full-throated mid-range bark, Lindberg's role as one of extreme metal's best frontmen was tempered by his day job as a social studies teacher. In a 2021 interview for National Teacher Appreciation Day, Lindberg spoke with Loudwire about this lesser-known side of his life.

"It started as an extra job in-between tours, but I got into it more and more because of the gratitude I received from students," he said. "I was still in the teaching program when we were planning the band reunion [circa 2008] and I knew that I wanted to do social studies because of my interests in politics and religion. So, I got a master’s degree in it and spent the first few years teaching fourth- to sixth-graders. Pretty soon after, I realized that I wanted to deal with more adult kids [laughs], so now I’m with ninth-graders mostly."

"Some days, it’s hard," Lindberg confessed, "You get tired and you come home with big rings under your eyes, but every day is rewarding in some way."

Loudwire extends our condolences to the Lindberg family, Tomas' bandmates and all who knew and loved him.

Metal Musicians Mourn Tomas Lindberg's Death

As news of Lindberg's passing makes its way through the metal community, some of the vocalists peers have begun to salute the late legend.

Arch Enemy's Michael Amott recalled first meeting a 15-year-old Lindberg when he was 18, grateful that they were able to reconnect on a 2019 tour. "Today we lost one of the true OGs of the Swedish death metal scene," the guitarist says.

Municipal Waste frontman Tony Foresta shared a handful of photos of himself with Lindber over the years, saying that At the Gates were his "gateway drug into death metal."

"Tomas only pushed that love for me further by being such a real and genuine person on and off the stage. This man's impact on me as immeasurable. I wish I fucking could have told you that," Foresta also writes.

Opeth founder David Isberg also shared some photos of himself with Lindberg, quoting At the Gates' eponymous song from 1991 demo Gardens of Grief.