DOKKEN Guitarist JON LEVIN Recovering From Surgery, Says He Will Be Unable To Tour Until May

DOKKEN guitarist Jon Levin will be unable to perform with the band for the next several months while he recovers from surgery on his neck and shoulder for thoracic outlet syndrome (a condition when the nerves or blood vessels just below the neck are compressed, or squeezed). "My hand feels great, but I do need some time before I will be able to swing a strap on my shoulder and tour," he says. "We are going to wait until May before we start playing again."

Although DOKKEN frontman and namesake Don Dokken said in a recent interview with "Rich Davenport's Rock Show" that Levin "had to have surgery on his arm," the guitarist corrected his bandmate, explaining that the surgery, which was performed in October, "was on my neck and shoulder, not my arm or hand."

According to Don Dokken, both he and Jon Levin will "probably" play guitar on DOKKEN's next tour. He explained: "I think it will sound bigger and fuller with two guitars. Plus when it comes to solos, have a rhythm just keep going in the background. I played in DOKKEN on the first couple of albums and tours, I played guitar, and I'm gonna go back to that style."

DOKKEN's eleventh studio album, "Broken Bones", sold around 2,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 173 on The Billboard 200 chart. Released in North America on September 25 via Frontiers Records, the effort was made available in two configurations: standard CD and limited-edition CD in digipak with a bonus DVD, which features a comprehensive "Making Of The Album" documentary.

"Broken Bones" was produced by Don Dokken and was mixed by Bob St. John (EXTREME, DURAN DURAN, COLLECTIVE SOUL) and Wyn Davis (BLACK SABBATH, DIO, WHITESNAKE) and mastered by famed engineer Maor Appelbaum (HALFORD, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, SEPULTURA). The new set features a return to the band's signature sound of catchy melodies, hot riffs and monster production.