Tankard Drummer Olaf Zissel Hospitalized After Suffering Potential Stroke

Frightening news coming from German thrash veterans Tankard. Drummer Olaf Zissel has been admitted to the hospital after suffering a possible stroke.

Tankard have put over 30 years into their craft, 21 of which have featured Zissel manning the kit for the German beer lovers. A total of 16 studio albums have been released by Tankard, with 2014's R.I.B. acting the the group's most recent effort.

Tankard informed fans of Zissel's medical emergency through a Facebook post:

We unfortunately have to announce that our drummer Olaf Zissel was taken to hospital due to a suspected stroke. Olaf is doing well according to circumstances at the moment. He will undergo a examination by the team of doctors during the next days. So he won’t be able to play the shows at Summer Breeze Festival, Germany and Motocultor Fest, France.
Gerd Lücking (Holy Moses), who would be on the road as a sound tech for us. consented short dated to jump in as stand-in for Olaf and to play the two upcoming gigs. So both shows don’t have to be cancelled.
We’re shocked and keep our fingers crossed for Olaf, that the suspicion doesn’t confirm and that he will be released from the hospital soon. We wish, that he will get well soon and fast. And we want to thank Gerd, who consented short dated to play these both shows with us.
Certainly, we'll keep you up to date.

We'd like to extend our best wishes to Olaf Zissel and we hope for a speedy and full recovery for the thrash drummer. Stay tuned for further updates as news continues to break.

100 Metal Facts You May Not Know