Matthew Leone update

As some of you may know, I had a charity evening for Matthew Leone, who was nearly beaten to death after interfering a domestic dispute between a man and his wife last summer.
His brother Nathan says they're in the progress of making plans (tours etc.) for their new record, and it looks like they're going for a soft start in late March with a gig in their hometown, Chicago, depending on Matthew's condition. But he says they're very optimistic about the healing process.

Here's an update - a letter from Matthew himself, in UK's music magazine "Kerrang!":

"Hey Kerrang! readers,
Well, here's my Christmas letter to you all. It's been a tough year, but I'm doing good. I'm slowly regaining my strenght and energy. I've been going to physical and neural rehab, and I'm starting to improve my test scores.

Looking back on 2010, I'm very eager to get it over and dispose of it. When I was attacked in June, it was a typical summer night, but a situation started between a man and his wife. It was one of those moments that was right in the now, and I just dived in. I guess it was kind of a shitty decision!

Being in a coma and going through everything that I have since that night has really brought me and my brother Nathan [Madina Lake singer] closer together. We've always been grateful that we've both got a best friend who'll be there no matter whaat, who'll help you find perspective when you can't see it, and to have almost lost that is a stark reminder of just how important it is. But what happened to me hasn't change my outlook on life. I've always known that evil exists, and you just have to deal with whatever hand you get dealt in life to the best of your abilities. People often commend me on my positive outlook, but it's hard to always have a positive outlook on life. Life is a pain in the ass! There's no doubt about it!

The support you guys have given me this year has been incredible. Painkillers weren't working on me, so I had to deal with pretty much beyond the maximum amount of pain that a person can take for a really long time. But receiving so many letters and emails of support made me forget about it for a second, and all that felt really great.

Christmas is going to be a good time, but I'm more focussed on getting back into it all in the new year as I'm being kind of sidelined from the life at the moment. When life is carrying on around you without you, it's horribly frustrating, so to have shows booked and to be writing and recordning is enough to keep me going. The new year is one of those subconscious markers - it's arbitrary, no big deal - but it's a global subconscious where everyone looks at it as a new start, like, 'Starting now, things are going to be different'. I'm very much looking forward to my first gig back, but I have a really intense rehab schedule until I'm ready for it. I'm confident that whatever shape I need to be in to play, though, I'll get there.

So have a good Christmas, Kerrang! readers, and thank you for all your support over the year. Let's hope next year has a summer - I missed out in 2010!"