Presenting: Sex Dwarf

New Swedish punk featuring Per Thunell of Bruce Banner fame. Actual cassette release coming soon.

MP3: Bruce Banner - Shut the fuck up

There are two things I'd love to post more of: raging hardcore punk and jazz. If I could find people to contribute a regular column on either subject I would be stoked. Talking about the same boring indie crap week in/week out is so tiring. Sure, there's plenty of gems out there, but there's so much bullshit to sift through to find it.
The jazz will wait until next week - today you get a track from Sweden's Bruce Banner off their 2004 full-length "I've had it with humanity". The group featured scene vets from all sorts of bands such as DS-13 and Filthy Christians and they play raw, no-frills early 80s-style hardcore with a two-pronged vocal attack. The song I've posted today: "Shut the fuck up". A totally self-explanatory, no slow/all go 35-second thrash onslaught. I'm not an angry teenager anymore, but this hits the spot for me right now.

Bruce Banner - Shut the fuck up

Tess of Kamikatze and the person behind the "Who Killed Marilyn?" club is now Bruce Banner's 2nd vocalist, replacing the recently departed Kristoffer.

138 (ex-DS-13, Bruce Banner) has joined up with Imperial Leather on bass. The band has a new album due out in October/November via Profane Existence and will be tour the US east coast from December 10 through January 15, 2006. Dates soon.

Top 10s for 2004: IAT! writers

Some new mp3s from Swedish hardcore act Bruce Banner:

01. STFU
02. Nostalgia

Aversionline has switched to a more daily-updated format, thank god. As always, head over to check out good straight-up reviews from the international hardcore/punk/noise scene. Today's highlight includes a review of the latest from Swedish punks Bruce Banner: http://www.aversionline.com/reviews/1608/

There's a special website for all the latest info on the Bruce Banner tour that kicks off next week. Head on over for the latest updated tourdates and some mp3s: http://www.karaterex.com/tour/

Disfear will be flying over to the US to play Pointless Fest in Philadelphia in August. Other Swedes playing the event include Bruce Banner.

Updated US tourdates for Swedish hardcore band Bruce Banner: http://www.brucebannerhc.com/ustour.htm

US tourdates for Swedish thrashcore band Bruce Banner (with Deadfall):

07/23 - 924 Gilman St., Berkeley, CA w/Muga (JAP), Tomorrow (JAP)
07/24 - The Smell, Los Angeles, CA w/Harto, Slit Wrists
07/25 - Che Café, San Diego, CA
07/26 - Phoenix w/Rad Squad
07/27 - Albuquerque
07/28 - Fort Worth, TX
07/29 - Austin, TX w/Sbitch
07/30 - Memphis, TN w/Bury The Living
07/31 - St. Louis, MI
08/01 - tba
08/02 - Columbus, OH
08/03 - Pittsburgh, PA w/Caustic Christ, STFU, Strung Up
08/04 - Washington DC
08/05 - Richmond, VA w/Municipal Waste
08/06 - Philadelhia, PA w/Fighting Dogs
08/07 - ABC-No-Rio daytime show, New York City w/STFU, Strung Up
08/07 - night show in Brooklyn w/Witch Hunt, Wreckage
08/08 - tba
08/09 - Providence, RI w/Get Killed
08/10 - Boston
08/11 - Albany, NY
08/12 - Allentown, PA
08/13 - Pointless fest, Philadelphia, PA
08/14 - Pointless fest, Philadelphia, PA
08/15 - Cleveland, OH
08/16 - Michigan
08/17 - Chicago
08/18 - Milwaukee
08/19 - Minneapolis, MN
08/20 - Lincoln, NE
08/21 - Denver w/Catheter
08/22 - tba
08/23 - tba

For samples of the new album "I've had it with humanity" go here and scroll down: http://www.bustedheads.com/
US label 625 will be handling the vinyl and Busted Heads will be doing the CD. I'm not seeing an official release date yet, but I assume it'll be ready in time for the tour.

Between Us has announced that they'll be heading out on the road in March with fellow Burning Heart bands Randy and Voice of a Generation on the 'In Close Up We Trust' tour. Full dates for the band (all in Sweden unless otherwise noted):

01/30 - Tilflykt, Kongsberg (NOR) w/Damage Control, The Change, Award and Turn Cold
01/31 - Magasin 15, Trollhättan The Change releaseparty w/Damage Control and The Change
02/13 - Slakthuset, Nyköping w/Award and Labour
02/14 - Calhall "Heartbreaks and Fights", Falun w/The Change, Path of No Return, Award and Parade
02/19 - Ungdomens Hus, Uppsala w/Bruce Banner and Hero Dishonest
02/20 - Kungen, Sandviken w/Hero Dishonest
02/21 - Stallet, Umeå w/Rabid Grannies and Auktion
02/22 - Club 25, Vaasa (FIN)
02/23 - Lutakko, Jyväskylä (FIN) w/Security Threat and Abduktio
02/24 - Tvo, Turku (FIN) w/On a Solid Rock, While I'm Alive and Unity Murder
02/25 - tba (FIN)
02/28 - LKPG HC Fest, Linköping
03/05 - Kartago, Sölvesborg w/Voice of a Generation

In Close Up We Trust w/Randy and Voice of a Generation:
03/06 - Festival 035, Halmstad
03/11 - Debaser, Stockholm
03/12 - Sticky Fingers, Göteborg
03/13 - The Rock, Linköping
03/17 - Ungdomens Hus, Uppsala
03/18 - Club 35, Strängnäs
03/19 - Klubb Kaliber, Mariestad
03/20 - Garage, Oslo (NOR)
03/24 - Tavastia, Helsinki (FIN)
04/01 - Inkonst, Malmö
04/02 - Perrong 23, Hässleholm
04/03 - Stengade 30, Copenhagen (DK)

Swedish hardcore act Bruce Banner is currently booking a US tour for July and August along with Deadfall (SF, CA). Anyone willing to lend a hand is encouraged to contact scottykarate@hotmail.com.

Magnet's new album "On Your Side" comes out June 30 in Norway and July 7 in UK. They'll be heading over to the latter to support Bebel Gilberto on the following dates:

07/19 - Manchester Bridgewater Hall
07/22 - London Shepherds Bush Empire
07/30 - Bristol Academy

The band also has a feature in the June issue of The Fly magazine along with a four-star review of the new album. They also received quite a nice write-up in Q who describe them as "blissed out electronic pop that sounds like Simon & Garfunkel restructuring Radiohead's most fragile moments." Head over to their website for more details.

Madrugada has added two new festivals to their summer tour plans:

06/29 - Nel Nome Del Rock, Palestrina ,Italy
08/30 - Bizarre Festival, Flughafen Niederrhein, Germany

Check this link out to view and listen to performances and interviews from Spain's Sonar Festival including Bjorn Torske, Jaga Jazzist and much much more.

Here's the schedule for the Uppsala Summer Hardcore Fest. Doors open at 17:00 both days.

06/23
22:30 - Tear it Up (New Jersey, US)
21:45 - Between Us (Stockholm)
21:00 - Regulations (Umeå)
20:15 - Last Hope (Linköping)
19:30 - The 21st Impact (Uppsala)
18:45 - Labour (Cästerås)
18:00 - Rabid Grannies (meå)
06/24
22:30 - What Happens Next? ("Canada", acutally from the SF Bay Area, CA)
21:45 - Second Thought (Stockholm)
21:00 - Victims (Nyköping)
20:15 - The Jam Session (Mjölby)
19:30 - Bruce Banner (Stockholm)
18:45 - One Step Ahead (Nyköping)

Sleeping arrangements at the fest can be booked for 20sek along with your ticket purchase. For more info go here: http://uahc.diskonto.org/festival

Here's some information on the new "Autovision" CD single from CDOASS by way of Dolores Recordings. There will also be a 7" version with a remix of the title track on the b-side as part of the Dolores Singles Club.

Check out the video for "B.L.O.S.S.O.M.", the new track from Komeda right here.

The Barbarella garage/rock'n'roll festival is now set for August 27-28. Bands confirmed so far include Dixie Buzzards, Sons of Cyrus, and Finland's Flaming Sideburns.

Word on the street is that Parasol is currently in negotiations to release the upcoming Moonbabies album "The Orange Billboard" in the US. Details when they're confirmed.

The Haunted have their new website up and running.

Moneybrother has been added to the Roskilde lineup.

Speaking of Roskilde, any of you Swedes thinking of going might consider taking the train where they'll have even more bands playing on the way to the fest. Seriously. So far Como and Little Miss Swede are booked for the occasion. Read more: http://www.tuborg.se/roskilde/taget.html

Isolation Years have been confirmed for the Västrahamnsfesten/Woody West in Malmö on June 13 along with Woodrock in Bern, Switzerland on August 8.

Via Unioncarbideproductions.com comes word that the upcoming Hultsfred-fest single will indeed be released commercially in Sweden, but no dates have been revealed as of yet. View the cover art here. In related news, Björn Olsson made a few contradictory comments to P3 Musikjounalen about his participation in the upcoming reunion gig. Will he or won't see? No one's saying for sure. Go to the UCP site to read the translated transcript.

The first group of bands have been announced for the upcoming Uppsala Summer Hardcore Festival: Between Us, Regulations, Victims, The Jam Session, Bruce Banner, The 21st Impact, Labour, Second Thought, Rabid Grannies, and One Step Ahead. The event takes place June 23-24 at Ungdomens Hus. More info here: http://uahc.diskonto.org/festival/

Webzine Samson & Rourke has posted another slew of demo reviews, this time featuring the likes of Hospital, The Clarks Royale, and Autumn Swing. (in Swedish)

Abba has gone gold yet again in America, this time with the "20th Century Masters - The Best Of ABBA" collection.

Service Records reports that Franke will have a new single "Drunknandets Färg" from their album "Optimismens Hån" out sometime by the end of summer. They also say that The Embassy is currently working on a video as weather permits and Studio is uh, in the studio working on a new album. They also hint that they have signed some new acts, but no details have been revealed yet. I'll let you know.

DigitalMetal.com reviews "Trigger", the new EP from In Flames.

It's kinda silly, but here's a contest for the best photoshopped picture featuring someone from Immortal, found via Musique Machine.

Download the mp3 for the song "Dominate" from Project Hate's forthcoming album "Hate, Dominate, Congregate, Eliminate", due out in August from Threeman Recordings.

Via Blabbermouth, comes this amazing commercial for Coop Prix, a Norweigan food store. Why is it relevant? Well, that's Masterplan and ex-Yngwie frontman Jorn Lande.

Internet-only label Monotonik's latest release is "Oll Tolk'n' no Ding atcheev'd" from Ernesto Aeroflot aka Teemu Kiiskilä of Raahe, Finland. Their description:

Mr. Aeroflot is a mysterious fellow who's released on net.label Commie and a host of smaller labels under names/groups such as TranceYlvania, Sky Wide Jazz, Oodi & Elegia, High Grade Multi Purpose Intelligent Terminal (!), and more. This 10-track album showcases his unpredictable but riveting style excellently, as '80s bleep sounds and stuttering electro mix up with distorted unrest, sweeping electronica, and a wholly surprising bonus cut to create something truly different.

Read more and download from here: http://www.mono211.com/content/releases/mtkmp111.html

Thy Primordial has parted ways with vocalist Isidor due to "lack of interest and inspiration" and has already been replaced by Nicke Holstensson of Nominon. The band says "his voice are of course a bit different compared with Isidor's but fits the new material really well!" They are scheduled to go into Abyss Studios later this month to commence work on their sixth album "Pestilence Upon Mankind". Look for it late 2003 from Blackend Records.