Triptykon frontman Tom Gabriel Fischer broke his right arm last weekend in his native Switzerland following what the singer and guitarist is calling "an unprovoked, ultra-violent, and drug-fueled attack." The ex–Celtic Frost bandleader shared an account of the incident on his personal blog, plus a photo of himself in the hospital wearing an all-black cast.
"I had certainly pictured my return home from the extraordinary 20th anniversary celebrations of the HR Giger Museum [in Gruyères, Switzerland] to take an entirely different course," he writes in the post. "Alas, this is the real world, and these are the realities of life. I detest violence, and I equally detest the effects of alcohol and drugs, which solely serve to amplify the grave shortcomings of us members of the human race."
Even with his arm broken, the frontman reports he was able to defend himself against the attacker. "I was ultimately able to regain the initiative and defend myself, with a broken arm and in spite of being disadvantaged due to the element of surprise, and the ferocity of the attack," he writes. "True to his obvious disposition as a coward, the attacker swiftly took flight when he realized I was subsequently going for his life."
Fischer says his doctors expect him to make a full recovery by August. "As my arm is entombed in a full-length cast right now, I am rather clumsy with my utterly unprepared left hand, and writing (and everything else) is a quite challenging proposition at the moment," he explains, going on to joke, "The hospital staff felt sufficient pity to at least provide me with a suitably black cover for the cast."
The band's upcoming dates are still a go despite the setback, although whether or not Fischer is able to play guitar remains uncertain. "We will not cancel any Triptykon concerts, of course, but I will only be able to sing at the moment, returning to the guitar as the speed of my recovery will permit." Their next show takes place August 18th at the Metal Méan Festival XIV in Havelange, Belgium.
