GODSMACK has released the following statement:

"Due to an unfortunate illness with Sully Erna, [GODSMACK] will be forced to cancel several dates on their current European tour. Erna has been advised by doctors to not sing for the next five days. Their performance at Luxembourg's Rock A Field festival; The Bataclan in Paris, France for Saturday the 23rd; and Zurich, Switzerland at Komplex 457 on June 26th will, unfortunately, all be cancelled. Information regarding ticket refunds can be found at the box office for each venue."

GODSMACK bassist Robbie Merrill was recently asked by Loudwire when fans can expect to hear the follow-up to the band's last collection of all-original music, "The Oracle", which came out in 2010. "We're going to Europe next week, we're there for a month, and then we're home for a month before [the] Uproar [tour]," he said. "We've actually been writing on tour, or trying to anyway. So after that, what I hear is that at the beginning of next year we're going to go in, start writing, and hopefully we'll have a new disc out in 2014."

The Rockstar Energy Uproar Tour kicks off on August 17 in Bonner Springs, Kansas and features STAIND, SHINEDOWN, PAPA ROACH and a number of other acts. Merrill said about the tour, "We're all friends with them so to me it was going to be fun and it was going to be a nice easy summer . . . (each show) should be a good day."

GODSMACK issued a concert album last month called "Live And Inspired", which also featured newly recorded studio covers of some of the band's favorite classic rock songs, including JOE WALSH's "Rocky Mountain Way", METALLICA's "Nothing Else Matters", THE BEATLES' "Come Together" and PINK FLOYD's "Time".

Later this year, the group will also perform as part of ShipRocked, a five-day cruise that will feature a lineup of rock acts including FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, SEVENDUST and more.