Legendary extreme metal drummer Nick Barker — known for his work with Cradle Of Filth, Dimmu Borgir, Brujeria and Lock Up — has revealed that he recently developed calciphylaxis, a rare and life-threatening condition he says carries a roughly 50 per cent survival rate. Speaking on The False Face podcast, Barker explained that the illness came three years after he announced he was battling kidney failure, and that it was triggered by the blood-thinning drug warfarin, which caused the blood vessels in his calves to calcify. The disclosure matters as an update on the health of a widely respected figure in the metal scene, whose touring career has been halted by serious illness.

Barker described developing severe, deep lesions on his lower legs that were likened to "raw meat", along with excruciating pain that left him unable to sleep despite being treated with morphine, methadone and nabilone. Doctors stopped the warfarin immediately and placed him on dialysis five times a week to flush the drug from his system, but his wounds became infected, he contracted cellulitis and he narrowly avoided sepsis around a month before the interview. The 53-year-old, who began his professional career with Cradle Of Filth in 1993, said he had feared amputation at one point, but is now recovering. He had previously spoken in January 2025 about a 10-day intensive care stay in North Carolina during a US tour that generated a $98,000 medical bill.