BLACK SABBATH guitarist TONY IOMMI, who is currently in England, undergoing treatment for the early stages of lymphoma, has issued the following message:

"Hiya,

A little update on how it's all going:

Well, I've had the last dose of chemotherapy so hopefully my body will start to get back to normal soon, the steroids were the worse. I've now got three weeks of radiotherapy coming up which I'm told can be very tiring so we'll see.

A big thanks to Ozzy and Geezer for coming over to England, it was a big incentive for me, we managed to work most days and have some great new tracks.

And, importantly thanks again for your kind messages, hope to be seeing you soon."

Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne and Geezer Butler are still working on their first new album in more than 33 years and long-awaited full-length follow-up to 1978's Never Say Die at a Birmingham studio. Drummer Bill Ward is currently in a public battle with his old mates "unless a “signable contract is drawn up" he stated recently and has refused to join the rest of the band.

At this time, Black Sabbath will perform only one show of this summer’s previously scheduled European tour. It will take place Sunday, June 10th at the UK’s Download Festival. In late February, Sharon Osbourne leaked the following exciting announcement for North American fans: “(Black Sabbath will) be doing one show in America this summer but I can’t say yet because we can’t announce it, the promoters have to, but they are doing one show in August here together.”

Black Sabbath's new studio album is being produced by Rick Rubin (METALLICA, SLAYER) expected to be released in the fall by Universal Music.