In his latest Jumping Darkness Parade column, DAATH guitarist Eyal Levi reveals why he had to miss over a week of the band's tour: he was hospitalized with a bad case of pneumonia and came close to death.

An excerpt follows:

"For those that don’t know, pneumonia is a danger if you have a broken rib. When your rib is broken, you don’t breathe as deep because it hurts. You aren’t really using your lungs to their fullest. which means that whatever bacteria, fungus, homeless people, or stalker fans that you inhale can just hang out and fester. Well, considering that this was somewhere around twenty five days into one of the most brutal tours of our career, I bet that what was residing in there, growing, wasn’t too good.

So anyways, they gave me some antibiotics and sent me on my way. I thought I was going to get better. We kept on playing. Hit NYC, played a great show which left me almost unable to speak ’cause I could barely breathe. The next night we played one of the best shows of our career at Jaxx. Things were going straight except that I was feeling worse and worse. Right after Jaxx, it was right back to where it was prior to my Nashville emergency room visit. I was FUCKED UP. Breaking fevers all the time, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move, couldn’t live, etc.

In Hartford I just couldn’t take it anymore and did the thing I’ve never in my entire time playing shows even considered doing. I called a cab and left the show. Went to the emergency room. Didn’t play the show with the band. I just couldn’t. I felt like such an asshole and so pathetic, but I just couldn’t do it.

Well, I thought I was going to be in there for a night and they were going to tell me to go home. Boy I was wrong. They admitted me to the hospital and began a week of hell that I wouldn’t wish on anyone except for my worst enemies, and dudes, I do not wish it on you. I’m not going to go into the hospital stay too much, except to say that it sucked ass. I’ve never come that close to dying and I hope to never come that close to dying again. Makes you realize how quickly things can change and how easy it is to go down.

I was discharged yesterday. I flew home. I’m not healed, I’m not 100 percent, and I’ve got weeks until I am, but I’m going to live and life will go on. Emil and I just signed a deal with Magna Carta records and are going to write an album of guitar music with Sean Reinert from Cynic. That’s on my agenda, and then after that its Europe with DAATH, Unearth, Chimaira, and Throwdown. I can’t wait to do these things. I’m fucking ready."

Read the entire account here.

Daath recently unveiled their new video, for the track 'Day Of Endless Light' - click below to view. The video was produced by renowned director Robin Fuller (GHOST OF A THOUSAND, SHAPED BY FATE) in Atlanta, GA.

The song is from the band's new album, The Concealers, which was released in April. The Concealers was produced and mixed by Jason Suecof and Mark Lewis (TRIVIUM, ALL THAT REMAINS, DEVILDRIVER).