Guitarist Mick Box will miss the first few shows of Uriah Heep's Scandinavian leg of The Magician's Farewell Tour.

According to a statement released by the band, Box has been taken ill and won't be able to perform for the initial dates.

However, Black Star Riders' guitarist Sam Wood will step in as a temporary replacement until Box is fit enough to rejoin the tour.

The Scandinavian leg of The Magician's Farewell Tour kicks off on January 22 in Tampere, Finland, and features dates through February 7.

The full itinerary includes: January 22 - Tampere, Finland - Tampire-talo 23 - Turku, Finland - Logomo 24 - Jyvaskyla, Finland - Paviljonki 25 - Helsinki, Finland - Icehall 27 - Stockholm, Sweden - Gota Lejon (sold-out) 30 - Goteborg, Sweden - Tradgarn February 1 - Oslo, Norway - Konserthuset 2 - Stavanger, Norway - Kuppelhallen 3 - Bergen, Norway - Greighallen 4 - Trondheim, Norway - Olashallen 6 - Lund, Sweden - Science Village Hall 7 - Esbjerg, Denmark - Musikhuset Uriah Heep fans are also encouraged to follow Crimson Glory on Spotify and be notified when their new album is released this year.