Massachusetts metallers SHADOWS FALL have tapped Willis Mathiasen of 2CENTS to sit behind the drums for their current shows while SHADOWS FALL drummer Jason Bittner continues to receive treatment for acute pancreatitis.

In a new posting on his Facebook page, Bittner writes, “Well, I'm happy to say that I'm feeling much better, back to playing, and almost feel 100%. Too bad my insides are still not 100%, but they're healing nicely, primarily due to me staying off the road and resting. I have another round of bloodwork next week, in which the docs think I should be back to all normal internal functions by then, but they still are prohibiting me from leaving until after my endoscope on December 18 (they need to hopefully find the cause of the pancreatitis, and whether or not anything else is going on as well — but I feel pretty confident that I'll be OK).

"So what does this mean to SHADOWS FALL? It means that I, sadly, will not be able to return until after [December] 18. In the meantime please go continue to support the band on the KILLSWITCH ENGAGE tour with my boy Willis Mathiasen covering for me. He's got a tough job and he's handling it like a pro, from what I've seen and heard… I'm really missing the band, and the fans and tour, but I promise that I WILL be on the last dates of the tour after [Christmas starting with the Baltimore concert on December 27]. Well, unless the apocalypse actually comes on [December] 21!!!"

SHADOWS FALL is touring in support of its new album, "Fire From The Sky", which sold around 10,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 38 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was released on May 15 via Razor & Tie.