Interested in winning a copy of "Crucify My Heart" from Lullacry? Go here to enter.

Dimmu Borgir reports that they have finished mixing their new album "Death Cult Armageddon". Guitarist Silenoz comments:

"We're pleased to announce that this will be considered our most epic, majestic, somber, evil and grimmest release to date, containing absolutely everything we're known for — the never-ending presence of atmosphere, diversity and variety! In other words, it's huge! Darkness is once again upon us!"

Look for it on September 9 from Nuclear Blast. The band also recorded a cover of Bathory's "Satan My Master" for a limited-edition digipack version available only through Century Media Mailorder.

Junior Senior plays Central Park in NYC on August 3 with The Sparks at 7pm.

Some of the confirmed bands for the Fredericia Hardcore Fest in Denmark from July 31 - Aug 2: Leiah, Heaven Shall Burn, Burst, Jimmy Justice, Lack, Crowpath, Austin, Children of Fall, and Rentokiller. Go here for more info.

Clawfinger as boyband-producers? No foolin'. They've been working behind the scenes with the group L8R. (in Norweigan)

MIC Norway reports that Norweigan music sales have grown 400% since 1998.

Norweigan experimental vocalist and Rune Grammofon recording artist Maja Ratkje won an Award of Distinction in the digital music category at this year's Prix Ars Electronica in Austria. More info here. More about Ars Electronica here.

PopMatters reviews "39 Minutes of Bliss (In an Otherwise Meaningless World)", the American compilation of material from Caesars Palace/The Caesars.

Lisa and Jim have passed along the playlist from their Rock-n-Roll $1 Pints with Galaxy Gramaphone DJ Night at Cowboy Monkey in Champaign, IL. It's their once-a-month event where they spin records from favorite Scandinavian artists. Check it:

01. TSOOL - Sister Surround
02. Thirdimension - 100 MPH
03. Diamond Dogs - All Strung Out
04. Jan Martens Frustration - Convolutions
05. Isolation Years - Talking Backward Masking Blues
06. Sahara Hotnights - Oh Darling!
07. Motorpsycho - Uberwanger
08. Broder Daniel - Whirlwind
09. TSOOL - Firmament Vacation
10. Concretes - Say Something New

The rest of the list coming soon.

P3 Musikjournalen confirms that Silverbullit aka Citizen Bird are working on their new album. They say to expect to hear the first samples around January.

Here's an interview with Finnish electronic music pioneer Erkki Kurenniemi by Mika Taanila, director of the documentary "Future Is Not What It Used To Be". More on Mika here.

Dark Funeral has announced they will embark on a South American tour in September. So far, apparently only Brazil has been confirmed, but I'll post the details when I get them.

P3 will be doing special broadcasts from Hultsfred this coming weekend. Tune in on Thursday to Musikjournalen from 8pm-10pm and P3 Rock from 10pm till midnight, Musikjournalen on Friday from 3pm till 4:45, and Saturday's Musikjournalen at 3pm plus P3 Demo at 7pm.

Okay, I'm totally pissed off because my webhost fucked up and somehow erased all my database information from the last week. Whether or not they'll be able to bring it back remains to be seen, but I am obviously not happy about the situation. So yeah, if you see weird things happening to the site, chances are it is not my fault.

UPDATE: I managed to recover a bit of last week's info from Google's cache (with the kind help of DJ Martian), but not everything is back to normal. I've got the info stashed away somewhere, but I'm still hoping that my webhost comes through for me with the backup.

Sonic Magazine (www.sonicmagazine.com) has a large feature on The Soundtrack of Our Lives and Union Carbide Productions in its latest issue along with a free compilation CD of unreleased tracks for subscribers.

Deleted Art will put out a five-song EP from Threeminutepopsongs later this year that will "destroy everything that preceded it." Look for it around August.

Soviac's album "GMC Out in the Fields" will see a US release later this year on Florida-based Mom Pop Records. The trio also plans for a European tour sometime this fall, but no details are available yet. The latest single "Boogie Woogie" just recently came out and the next full-length "Trilogy Sexlife Rodeo Friscotti" is due out this fall, both from Chalksounds.

In related news, Mom Pop is also the label that will be putting out the post-humous Your Halo Is A Radar self-titled CDEP this summer on July 29. More info here.

The nominees for the twelfth annual P3/Rockparty scholarship award have been announced. The prize is for people or organizations who work hard behind the scenes to make music happen in Sweden. And they are: festival arranger Niklas Jonsson, label Redline Records, manager Stina Lorentz and club organizer Mattias Berg. Read more. (in Swedish)

Denmark's The Raveonettes will appear on David Letterman on July 16.

Statemachine is having a release party for their new album "Short And Explosive" on June 3 at Alcazar/Nalen in Stockholm.

Raised Fist has scored a couple dates opening for Sepultura:

06/10 - KB, Malmö, SWE
06/11 - Rockfeller, Oslo, NOR
06/13 - Loppen, Copenhagen, DK

NRK has posted a photo gallery from the recent Turbonegro show at the Oslo Spektrum.

Ison & Fille make a guest appearance on Kaah's new 'elektro-funk' track "Namnlös", the b-side for the new single "Innan Du Går". They also guest on "Operation : Sverige", a track from Advance Patrol's current album "Utskrivna". And all of Highwon (Ison, Fille, Sabo, Ju-Mazz and Hoosam) appears on the debut-EP from AFC (Allied Forces) on the track "Ögon I Nacken".

For your amusement: Thorsten Flinck on being a body-double in The Sounds's video for the song "Dance with Me" from Expressen. (in Swedish)

Aftonbladet talks with Tomas Ledin about summer touring. His new album I sommarnattens ljus" comes out this week.

"Moodier than a manic depressive 12-year-old girl from northern Minnesota." Delusion of Adequacy reviews the latest album from Ulver, "1993-2003: 1st Decade in the Machines".

There will a 'Swedish Folksongs' evening on June 4 at the Swedish Church in NYC featuring songs by the most popular Swedish composers and poetry from writers such as E. Taube and B. Andersson. The performers will be Asa Rydman (voice), Helena Liljeblad (voice), Eva Engman (voice), Christina Nylund (piano), and Renee Cruz (bass). Admission is $10 and includes post-show cheese and wine.

Adrian Records is going be quite busy this coming fall. David & The Citizens are working on their next album in Malmö and have about eleven or twelve songs ready to go. Laakso are at Christoffer Lundquist's (Brainpool) studio in Skåne with Jari Haapalainen (Bear Quartet) working on their debut full length tentatively titled "– I miss you. I'm Pregnant". And lastly, Björns Vänner is going into the studio in a week to record the follow-up to the "Kvar på film" EP. Christian Kjellvander will be producing and the working title is "Restaurang & Björns vänner".

Upcoming Pink Twins live dates:

06/06 - Galleria Allinna, Riihimäki, FIN (Riihimäki Experiment) w/M.A. Numminen and Kari Peitsamo
06/07 - Kipsari, Helsinki, FIN
06/13 - Sonar Fest in Barcelona, Spain
06/19 - Club DOM, Moscow, RUS (Finnexport 2003)
06/21 - Yaroslavl Art Museum, Yaroslavl, RUS (Finnexport 2003)

Finnexport 2003 events feature also Pan Sonic and Anton Nikkilä and Alexei Borisov. See more info here: www.nbresearchdigest.com/finnexport/

C.Aarmé has announced they will release a 4-song 7" on Big Brothel Records sometime this summer. The name of the record will be "The Gag" and tracks to be included are the title track plus "Aimless", "Worst Part", and "Gasmask".

Hypocrisy has offered up an explanation for why they decided to pull out of the upcoming X-Mass Festivals European tour which was set to start on December 7 in London:

"We sincerely apologize for the cancellation of the X-Mass Fest. The reason being Dimmu Borgir have offered us to tour with them worldwide. This means we'll be touring Europe from 30th September 'till 29 October and the U.S. from 7th November 'till 14th December. We hope to see you out there this fall or this winter! Tour dates will be posted as soon as they are confirmed."

Amorphis' new album "Far from the Sun" debuted on the Finnish charts at #7. Check out the new video for the song "Evil Inside" from here.

Dead Frog Records just put up a brand new website. The label's latest releases include Holden's debut self-titled album and the single "Hard To Be In Love" from Paste. In related news, Holden just signed a publishing deal with Stiggy Music & Management AB. "Holden has everything needed to become a huge success locally and internationally," says Stiggy's Stefan Egmar, "great songs, great look, great album and a fantastic live-act with a brilliant [vocalist] Jenny Öhlund!"

Aquarius Records has put up their latest new arrival list, featuring samples and reviews of artists such as Bjorn Olsson, Johan Berthling, Uton, Markku Peltola and much, much more.

NorthSide Records has announced the upcoming release of Väsen's new album "Trio", due out this August with a US tour to follow in October. The label will also be reissuing Värttinä's classic album from '96 "Kokko", just in time for their 20th anniversary US tour in November. Dates and more details soon.

After the initial success of the festival in Helsinki, the PikseliAHKY / pixelACHE fest is hitting the road for events in New York on June 2-3 and Montreal on June 5-7. The event is billed as "an international laboratory for creative experimenting with audiovisual technologies" and will consist "audiovisual performances, interactive cinema screenings and an exhibition of media art projects." Most of the artists scheduled to appear are from pixelACHE's hometown of Helsinki, but not all. Here's a list of the Scandinavian talent to be represented: Animaatiokone crew (FIN) (Ari Nykanen, Mikko Lindholm, Perttu Hamalainen), Amfibio.org collective (FIN) (Antti A, Halcyon, *Jen, Juhuu, Maippi, Mesq, Teemu K), AVCENTRALEN (SWE) (Olle Huge, Martin Malm, Johan Skugge, Andreas Tilliander), Beeoff (SWE) (Olle Huge, Tomas Linell, Martin Malm, Mikael Scherdin), /dev/null Research Labs (FIN), Helsinki Interactive Cinema Crew & KINO Helsinki (FIN), Jussi Angesleva (FIN) & Ross Cooper (UK), O Samuli A (FIN), Tero (FIN), Tuomas Toivonen (FIN).
More info here: www.pixelache.ac

I just switched the site over to a php-based content management system. Please let me know if you see anything amiss or feel free to sound off in the forum. Otherwise, be sure to update your bookmarks and links accordingly. Thanks.

I've also added the first half of a live set from Norway's Madrugada for you to download. I'm not exactly sure when or where it's from, but it's good stuff.

Some of the acts confirmed for Finland's upcoming Tuska festival: Children Of Bodom, Stratovarius, Timo Rautiainen & Trio Niskalaukaus, The 69 Eyes, Opeth, Amorphis, Tarot, The Haunted, Arch Enemy, Finntroll, Lost Horizon, Moonsorrow, Thunderstone, Norther, Lullacry, and Rotten Sound. The event takes place on July 11-13 in Helsinki at Kaisaniemi Park. More info can be found here.

Hardcore Superstar has tentatively set August 25 as the new release date for their upcoming album.

The Rasmus has announced their complete summer tour dates:

05/23 - Art Rock Café, Ilmajoki (FI)
05/30 - Hot. Vaakuna, Kouvola (FI)
05/31 - Nosturi, Helsinki (FI)
06/02 - Gröna Lund, Power Summer Party, Stockholm (SWE)
06/06 - Rock im Park, Nürnberg (DE)
06/08 - Rock am Ring,Nürburgring (DE)
06/14 - Provinssirock, Seinajoki (FI)
06/19 - Midsummer festival, Raumanmeri (FI)
06/20 - Midsummer festival, Jämsä Himos (FI)
06/21 - Midnight Party Planet festival, Kouvola (FI)
07/03 - Festival, Midtfyn (DK)
07/05 - Tivolirock, Kristianstad (SWE)
07/06 - Ruisrock, Turku (FI)
07/09 - Harju-festival, Kangasala (FI)
07/11 - Hotelli Vantaa, Vantaa (FI)
07/12 - Kirkastusjuhlat, Aitoo (FI)
07/13 - Satamarock, Lappeenranta (FI)
07/18 - Tavastia, Helsinki (FI)
07/19 - Tammerfest, Tampere (FI)
07/23 - Mariehamn, Åland (FI)
07/24 - NRJ Summer, Gotland (SWE)
08/01 - Storsjöyran, Östersund (SWE)
08/02 - Kukkaisrock, Tampere (FI)
08/03 - Ankkarock, Vantaa (FI)
08/07 - Rally-happening, Jyväskylä (FI)
07/08 - Välipuistorock, Lapua (FI)
08/09 - Harjavalta (FI)
08/10 - Skanderborg Festival (DK)

In other news, the band will be filming a new video for the song "In the Shadows" with Baranga Film in Stockholm on May 21. The single hits Germany on June 30.

Finland's Lullacry will play the Rock im Ring festival in Italy on July 5.

Arve from Supersilent will be performing solo at the Copenhagen Jazz festival on July 11.

Isolation Years have announced that their next single and video will be for the title track from the album "It's Golden". It will be released tomorrow on May 15.

The only song that made me cry this year was a cover of the Stooges’ "No Fun". There's something cruel about stripping the classic rock song of its menace and symbolism — this was, remember, the last tune the Sex Pistols mangled together onstage before imploding in '78 — and killing it softly, only to resurrect it anew as a small and beautiful ballad.

LA Weekly has published a profile on the sadly defunct group Hederos & Hellberg. They talk about how the project started, why they had to stop making music, and various other topics.

Swedish power-metallers Hammerfall will be recording a live album sometime during their upcoming tour. They expect to have it out this fall on Nuclear Blast. The dates they have scheduled:

05/15 - Santiago, CHL @ Estadio de Chile
05/16 - Buenos Aires, ARG @ Hangar
05/17 - São Paolo, BRA @ Olympia
05/18 - Curitiba, BRA @ Palacio de Cristal
05/20 - Rio de Janeiro, BRA @ ATL Hall
05/23 - Guadalajara, MEX @ Hard Rock Live
05/24 - Mexico City, MEX @ Cine Americas
06/27 - Balingen, GER @ Bang Your Head Festival
06/28 - Vizovice, CZR @ Masters Of Rock
06/29 - Jihlava, CZR @ Centre of town
06/30 - Plzen, CZR @ Hall Lokomotiva
07/04 - Sundsvall, SWE @ Sundsvalls gatufest
07/05 - Töreboda, SWE @ Töreboda Festival
07/25 - Karlskoga, SWE @ Karlskoga Stranddagar
08/30 - Derby, UK @ Bloodstock Metalfest

Blabbermouth reports that Dimmu Borgir (NOR), Hypocrisy (SWE), Children of Bodom (FIN) and Nevermore (US) are teaming up for a US tour sometime between November 8 and December 16. More info soon. Otherwise, Dimmu is hitting the road around Europe beginning in September to support the new album "Death Cult Armageddon", due out September 8 on Nuclear Blast:

09/10 – Tromsø, NOR @ Driv
09/11 - Bodø, NOR @ Sinus
09/13 - Trondheim, NOR @ Samfundet
09/14 - Hamar, NOR @ Hydranten
09/16 - Kristiansand, NOR @ Bingen
09/17 - Stavanger, NOR @ Folken
09/18 - Bergen, NOR @ USF
09/20 – Athens, GRE @ Rodon Club
09/21 - Athens, GRE @ Rodon Club
09/30 – Hamburg, GER @ Markthalle
10/01 - Halle, GER @ Schorre
10/02 – Amsterdam, NETH @ Paradiso
10/03 - Tilburg, NETH @ 013
10/04 - Antwerpen, NETH @ Hof Ter Loo
10/05 – London, UK @ LA 1
10/06 – Paris, FRA @ Elysee Monmatre
10/08 – Lisboa, POR @ Paradiso
10/09 – Porto, POR @ Hard Club
10/10 – Bergara, SPA @ Sala Jam
10/11 – Valencia, SPA @ Republicca
10/12 – Barcelona, SPA @ Razzmatazz II
10/14 – Milan, ITA @ Alcatraz
10/15 – Pratteln, SWI @ Z7
10/17 – Budapest, HUN @ Petöfi Hall
10/18 – Wien, AUT @ Planet Music
10/19 - Stuttgart, GER @ LKA Longhorn
10/20 - Nürnberg, GER @ Löwensaal
10/21 - Köln, GER @ Live Music Hall
10/24 – Tampere, FIN @ Pukkahuone
10/25 - Helsinki, FIN @ Nosturi
10/27 – Stockholm, SWE @ Klubben
10/28 – Malmö, SWE @ KB
10/29 – Oslo, NOR @ Rockefeller
11/01 – Moscow, RUS @ Gorbunova Culture Club

Finland's Sähkö Records, the label of Pan Sonic member Mika Vainio, has two new releases: "Blake's Love" from Blake and "Future" from Skatebård, who is also associated with Tellektro Records.

Check out this Dagensskiva featured interview with the grindcore band Nasum.

Sweden's Streetzone records has signed a licensing deal with Europe's Pias Recordings to release The Narcissists abroad. Look for the first single taken from the album "Planet Euthanasia" on June 2 in both vinyl and CD formats.

Norway's "renowned and unique contemporary trio" POING will be heading to Japan from May 15-28 to collaborate with a group of 4 Japanese composers. They will be performing at various venues including music/concert halls, museums, clubs and at the Asahi Breweries, who just happen to be a sponser of the tour. Read more here and here.

Grand Tone Music's new album is called "Go To Hell" and it marks the debut of new members Patrick Andersson on bass and Andreas Söderström on lap-steel, synth and trumpet. They say it's a bit more sparse and expressive in sound than the last one as they tried to improvise more in the studio.

Norweigan singer/songwriter Ane Brun will finally have her first album "Spending Time With Morgan" coming out this week. She's no stranger to the Scandinavian scene, as she's toured before and shares backing musicians with Jesse Malin and Yukon AK. Musikindustrin.nu compares her to Ani DiFranco, but I have yet to hear her myself.

Read more about the week's new releases from MI here. (in Swedish)

The Rasmus, Robyn, Mendez, Antique, Da Buzz, NG3 and Bounce are among the artists now confirmed for the Power Summer Party on June 2 at Gröna Lund.

The webzine And the Sound has just published an interview with up-and-coming garage rockers De Stijl. Or I guess they call themselves "minimalist punk-rock". Apples and oranges.

More bands added to Hultsfred: Turbonegro, Hell on Wheels, Da Nada (Inkfish vs. Antiloop), Samuel L. Session, The Concretes, Homy and Kristian Anttila.

The Caesars aka Caesars Palace have gotten themselves a write-up in the May issue of Kerrang:

Swedish people rock. And not just because of their shiny hair and nice teeth, but because they seem to possess an understated sense of style, intelligence and passion for all things rock. Mixing the pill-popping, proto-punk sounds of The Who with the grandiose LSD-tinged pop of Phil Spector, Caesars have been the centre of the Swedish renaissance since their formation in the mid-90s, watching some of their comrades-in-ties accidentally spearhead the garage-rock revival along the way.
"Anything which becomes 'cool' soon attracts crap bands and becomes passé, but that's okay because then things go back underground," ponders singer/guitarist Jocke Ahlund. "What would be bad is if people thought we'd formed a garage band two weeks ago when some of our songs on our new album are seven years old. And, um, we're not a garage band."
He's right, of course. Dipping into blissful West Coast psychedelia, Caesars' new album is light years beyond the scene that prompted Ahlund to form the band with childhood friend Cesar Vidal, inspired by a diet of Billy Childish and Sonic Youth. As is the way with many in the Swedish scene, Caesars (who go by the name Caesars Palace back home) aren't shy in helping out their like-minded brethren - The Hives cite them as major influences, Ahlund directed Refused's seminal "New noise" video and they've just toured the US with their buds The Soundtrack Of Our Lives.Twenty-five Swedes rolling into a new American town every day and taking over was funny," chuckles the singer. "It's hard not to party on tour. As Swedes we make sure we don't go anywhere without a little ass-pocket of vodka..."

They also got a favorable review in NME. Read it on the band's website. I tell ya - with the right promotion we'll definitely be hearing a lot more about these guys in the near future.

The Venue have updated their website with part II of the "Dude, where's my lighter" tour diary from their recent trip to the US.

Randy have been added to the lineup of the Download festival which takes place May 31 to June 1 in the UK at Donington Park. More info: www.downloadfestival.co.uk

Dolores Records has actually confirmed a release date of August 25 for a new Broder Daniel single. I'll believe it when I see it.

In other Dolores news, the label has signed the band Cdoass and will release a single for the song "Autovision" very soon. It's a rerecording of a song they've already released and the CD will include the tracks from their latest 7" too ("Airplanes" b/w "The Box"). And finally, Dolores will also put out a 12" version of the single through their singles club which will have a special remix of the title track as the flipside. Oh, and in case you're curious, the band is described as post-punk ala Gang of Four, Television and Talking heads.

And in even more Dolores news, the label has also revealed their latest single for the club will be "123 Bom Bom" from Love Is All featuring Josefin of the band Girlfrendo. More info including mp3s are available here.

Finnish psyche-rockers Circle will touring central Europe in June. Check it:

06/06 - Scheune, Dresden (DE)
06/07 - Fundus, Weingarten (DE)
06/08 - Reitschule, Bern (CH)
06/09 - Sue Ellen Bar, Zürich (CH)
06/11 - Raum 102, München (DE)
06/12 - Cafe Cairo, Würzburg (DE)
06/13 - Stubnitz, Rostock (DE)
06/14 - Silke, Hannover (DE)
06/15 - Magnet, Berlin (DE)
06/16 - Molotow, Hamburg (DE)

Interested in what the Moonbabies are up? Check out this studio report page. Included are pics from the studio along with the potential cover art design and more.

Kaospilot has finally secured a release date for their self-titled debut full-length on June 9 through Level-Plane Records.

Advance Patrol's new single "Min Musik" comes out in June. The b-side will be for the track "Området E På Plats" which features guest appearances from Lilleman and Helt Fjuttade. While you're at it, check out AP on tour in the near future:

05/07 - Stockholm
05/09 - Linköping
05/14 - Köpenhamn
05/31 - Stockholm
06/12 - Hultsfred
06/26 - Roskilde
07/05 - Tivolirocken in Kristianstad

Isolation Years, The Leeches, Nebos, Endivia, and The Heartattacks have all been added to the lineup of the Blow Up a Panda fest which takes place July 26-27 in Stockholm.

Abbath from Immortal guests on a couple tracks on the new Dimmu Borgir record. One of the songs on which he appears is called "Humanity Perverse" and it will also feature the Prague Orchestra String Section. Look for it in stores this September from Nuclear Blast.

Zyklon (ex-Emperor) has revealed the track listing to their upcoming album "Aeon", due out in September on Candlelight Records:

01. Psyklon Aeon
02. Core Solution
03. Two Thousand Years
04. No Names Above the Names
05. The Prophetic Method
06. Specimen Eruption
07. Electric Current
08. An Eclectic Manner

Zyklon and fellow Norweigans Myrkskog play the Cameron Underworld in London on June 6.

Here's the top 20 Swedish albums of the week, as reported by Aftonbladet:

01. v/a - Fame Factory volym 5
02. Glenmark Eriksson Strömstedt - Den andra skivan
03. The Cardigans - Long gone before daylight
04. Timbuktu - The botten is nådd!
05. Robert Wells - Rhapsody in rock the complete collection
06. Lisa Nilsson - Samlade sånger 1992-2003
07. Cornelis Vreeswijk - Cornelis Vreeswijks bästa
08. Jill Johnson - Discography
09. Lars Winnerbäck och Hovet - Söndermarken
10. Antique - Blue love
11. Siw Malmkvist - Siws bästa
12. Simson Dupont - Simson Dupont
13. Kent - Vapen & ammunition
14. Elin Sigvardsson - Saturday light naive
15. Lasse Tennander - Därifrånochhit sånger 1974-2003
16. Mauro Scocco - Beat hotel
17. v/a - Fame Factory volym 4
18. The Refreshments - On the rocks
19. The Sounds - Living in America
20. Roxette - The pop hits

It has been revealed that Cecilia Nordlund makes a guest appearance on the upcoming Her Majesty record which comes out on May 26. As mentioned yesterday, people who preorder the new album will receive an exclusive free pin with their purchase.

Moneybrother, Nasum, and The Hellacopters have been added to the Hultsfred fest lineup.

Nightwish has pushed back the release date of their upcoming "End of Innocence" DVD to July 7. No reason was given for the delay.

A grand total of 100 (!!!) new bands were confirmed for Roskilde Fest today. Some of the acts mentioned include The Cardigans, Christian Kjellvander, Immortal, The Hellacopters, TSOOL, Satirnine, Gåte, Turbonegro, The Sounds, Cato Salsa Experience and The Raveonettes and a plethora of Scandinavian hip-hop artists: Advance Patrol (SWE), Denmarks Finest (DK), Equicez (NOR), Loose Cannons (SWE), Mad Con (NOR), Organism 12 (SWE), Son Of Light (NOR), Static & Nat Ill (DK) and Suspekt (DK). Read more.

Did you miss Hardcore Superstar last night at Chalmers in Göteborg? Well, you can watch a video of the song "Honey Tongue" from that performance.

Lullacry has postponed the release of their new single "Alright Tonight" to May. No reason was given for the delay.

Norway's Gluecifer has announced a couple dates for this summer:

05/31 - Jæren, NOR
06/06 - Working Class Hero Festival, Drammen NOR
08/16 - Raumarock festival Åndalsnes NOR

The band also reiterated their plans to come back to the US, hopefully this coming fall. Their exact words from the website: "For our very patient fans in the US... we are R E A L L Y looking forward to coming back & playin' for y'all!!!!!"

New Line Records has finally launced a website which of course has info and downloads for label darlings The Sounds.

Misconduct has been confirmed for the Kaktus Festival which will take place at an airfield in Arboga on July 18-19. Other artists playing include The Venue, Peter, Björn and John, The Virtues and Charta 77.

Stockholm Records artists Thee Ultra Bimboos are doing a few dates around Scandinavia in May:

05/02 - Västerås, Rockstad Västerås (Culturen)
05/03 - Malmö, KB
05/04 - Oslo, So What
05/05 - Göteborg, Pusterviksbaren
05/07 - Hultsfred, Metropol
05/08 - Stockholm, Nalen

Motorpsycho is planning a Japanese tour for December, but there's no details yet. Their side-project The International Tussler Society will also be doing some shows around Norway in August such as the Øya festival in Oslo on August 7-9. There may be some dates in Europe, too. Stay tuned.

Silence Records has put up a streaming sample of "Happy Endings" from First Floor Power.

In other Silence-related news, Träd, Gräs & Stenar are heading over to England to two dates in England and Brighton on May 21 and 22 respectively. The full list of their upcoming dates:

05/21 - London, 291 Gallery w/No-Neck Blues Band
05/22 - Brighton w/No-Neck Blues Band
05/28 - Västerås, Taj Mahal
05/29 - Oslo, So What
07/19 - Möja (Stockholm archipelago)

Watch the video for "New Direction" from David & the Citizens.

Turbonegro has announced the addition of a new gig at the Garage in London on May 12. Here's what their upcoming European tour itinerary now looks like:

04/30 - Göteborg, Lisebergshallen
05/01 - Stockholm, Munchen Bryggeriet
05/02 - Malmö, KB
05/03 - Hamburg, Grosse Freiheit, DE w/Division of Laura Lee
05/04 - Hamburg, Grosse Freiheit, DE w/DoLL
05/06 - Amsterdam, Melkweg, NL w/DoLL
05/07 - London, Garage, UK w/DoLL
05/08 - Glasgow, King Tuts Wah Wah Hut, UK w/DoLL
05/09 - Manchester, Hope & Grape, UK w/DoLL
05/10 - Birmingham, Acedemy 2, UK w/DoLL
05/11 - Dublin, Whealans, IRL w/DoLL
05/12 - London, Garage, UK w/DoLL
05/13 - Paris, La Tranbendo, F w/DoLL
05/15 - Bergara, Sala Jam, E w/DoLL
05/16 - Madrid, Aqualung, E w/DoLL
05/17 - Barcelona, Apolo, E w/DoLL
05/19 - Milano, Transilvania, IT w/DoLL
05/20 - Zurich, Rote Fabriek, CH w/DoLL
05/21 - Stuttgart, Longhorn, DE w/DoLL
05/22 - Munchen, Elserhalle, DE w/DoLL
05/23 - Köln, E-werk, DE w/DoLL
05/24 - Bielefeld, PC 69, DE w/DoLL
05/25 - Berlin, Columbia halle, DE w/DoLL
05/27 - Stavanger, Siddishallen
05/28 - Bergen, Haukelandshallen
05/29 - Trondheim, Trondheim Spektrum/Nidarøhallen
05/31 - Oslo, Oslo Spektrum

Due to an undisclosed family emergency, Millencolin has been forced to cancel the remaining dates on the second leg of their US tour to return back home to Sweden.

MTVE.com has the new video for "You're the Storm" from The Cardigans.

If you didn't already see it listed, Robyn is doing some touring this summer:

06/28 - Gamleby, Folkets Park
07/05 - Sundsvall, Sundsvalls Gatufest
07/23 - Tylösand, Hot Tylösand
07/24 - Hudiksvall, Stadsfesten
07/25 - Gävle, Rocknatta
07/26 - Piteå, Piteå Dansar och Ler
08/02 - Östersund, Storsjöyran
08/10 - Göteborg, Liseberg
08/15 - Stockholm, Gröna Lund

Here's a MIC Norway profile on Sondre Lerche with links to a number of interviews such as the CNN one linked here yesterday. Among other things, it says that Lerche is featured on the cover of this month's Index Magazine and he is also currently in Bergen, Norway working on his new album with producer Jørgen Træen (aka Sir Duperman). Look for him on tour in the US in May with Nada Surf and Ed Hartcourt.

Also by way of MIC Norway come this article on the Music Export Norway showcase as South by Southwest in Austin last March. Featured bands included the aforementioned Sondre Lerche, Madrugada, Ralph Myerz & the Jack Herren Band, Cadillac, Span and We.

This is pretty amazing: Junior Senior - "Move Your Feet". Definitely not the sort of thing I'm normally into, but that video is just too awesome.

Did you know the last Saturday in May is 'Swedish Music Day'? Me neither.

The following acts have been confirmed for the Siesta fest in Hässleholm on May 30-31: The Ark, Marit Bergman, Dynamo Chapel, David & The Citizens, Christian Kjellvander, $1000 Playboys, Her Majesty, Whyte Seeds, Last Days Of April, Lotta Wenglén Band, Joddla med Siv, Pete Thompson, Loserville plus a number of yet-to-be-named demo bands.

Lars Winnerbäck, Mikael Wiehe and Wilmer X have all been added to the bill of the Piteå Dansar Och Ler fest.

Entombed-side project Project Hate has set "Hate, Dominate, Congregate, Eliminate" as the name of their new album. Look for it later this year from Entombed's own Threeman Recordings label.

Dimmu Borgir has lined up a couple dates in the Netherlands for October:

10/02 – Amsterdam, NETH @ Paradiso
10/03 – Tilburg, NETH @ 013

In other news, the band has reportedly spent the last few weeks at Studio Fredman recording a new album. No word on when to expect it.

A new song from Marit Bergman on the right today. She was kinda vanilla to me at first, but the album has really started to grow on me. Nothing mindblowing, but still a good listen.

Curious about the new Bjön Olsson album that comes out today? Read all about it.

Check out this video of Supersilent playing live from The Wire's website.

Randy will do five dates in their native Sweden before heading out on the road across Europe in support of their forthcoming album. The itinerary so far:

4/24 - Melkweg Amsterdam (NL)
4/25 - W 2 Den Bosch (NL)
4/26 - Groezrock Meerhout (BE)
4/27 - Live Music Hall Cologne (GER)
4/29 - Logo Hamburg (GER)
4/30 - Columbia Fritz Berlin (GER)
5/01 - Musikzentrum Hannover (GER)
5/02 - Alter Stadsbanhof Schweinfurt (GER)
5/03 - Exil Trier (GER)
5/04 - Backstage Munchen (GER)
5/06 - Conrad Sohm Dornbin (AUT)
5/07 - Arena Vienna (AUT)
5/08 - Orpheum Graz (AUT)
5/09 - La Gabbia Bassano (IT)
5/10 - Leoncavallo Milan (IT)
5/13 - Kaserne Basel (CH)
5/14 - Remise Wil (CH)
5/15 - Abart Zurich (CH)
5/16 - MJC Lyon (F)
5/17 - Mephisto Barcelona (ESP)
5/18 - Gruta 77 Madrid (ESP)
5/20 - Roxy Valencia (ESP)
5/21 - Nashville Vigo (ESP)
5/22 - Cafe Albenitz Gijon (ESP)
5/23 - Atzavara Girona (ESP)
5/24 - Le Fuzz La Roche Sur (F)
5/24 - Mondo Bizarro Rennes (F)
5/26 - Festival Tours (F)
5/28 - Wedgewood Room Portsmouth (UK)
5/29 - Academy Birmingham (UK)
5/30 - Josephs Well Leeds (UK)
5/31 - King Tuts Wah Hut Glasgow (UK)
6/03 - Garage London (UK)

Here's the official press release regarding Håkan Hellström's departure from Broder Daniel.

Johan Bergqvist started recording a new single for the song "This Could Be Our Time" this past weekend. He may even film a video for it, too. Candidates for b-sides include "Waiting" and "Endure", but nothing has been decided yet. Look for it around May.

Sahara Hotnights are doing the Carson Daly show on February 27. Wanna be in the audience? The show tapes that Thursday afternoon at 30 Rockefeller Center in NYC. It's free, but also first-come-first-served, so send an email to lastcallaudience@nbc.com with the subject 'Hotnights' plus your full name, age and number of tickets desired in the body. Oh, and it's limited to people 16 and older.

Finland's HIM have set what they declare to be the final tracklist for the new album "Love Metal":

01. Buried Alive By Love
02. The Funeral of Hearts
03. Beyond Redemption
04. Sweet Pandemonium
05. Soul on Fire
06. The Sacrament
07. This Fortress of Tears
08. Circle of Fear
09. Endless Dark
10. The Path

A limited edition version will include the bonus track "Love's Requiem". The album comes out on April 14 for most of Europe.

Norweigan singer/songwriter Askil Holm gets to have about a minute of his music featured in the new film "Agent Cody Banks" directed by Harald Zwarts. It stars Frankie Muniz of "Malcolm in the Middle" fame and premieres March 8 in LA.

Here's the winners of the Spelleman Awards which took place in Norway on Saturday:

Best Spellemann: Röyksopp
Pop group: Ephemera - "Balloons and Champagne"
Best newcomer: Gåte - "Jygri"
Electronica: Salvatore - "Tempo"
Best video: Röyksopp - "Remind Me"
Metal: Satyricon - "Volcano"
Pop soloist: Thomas Dybdahl - "That Great October Sound"
Rock: Madrugada - "Grit"
Hip-hop: Paperboys - "No Cure For Life"

A full list of winners can be found here.

No, Soundtrack of Our Lives did not win a Grammy and I'm really not surprised. The competition was tough and Coldplay won the 'best alternative album' category. Still, it's pretty cool that they were even nominated. Next time, eh?

"SATANIC! SICK! UGLY!" Arch Enemy's Michael Amott has posted a new studio report on their website. Check it out.

Crystal Committee just released their new album and the response has been great, including record of the week on Swedish student and national radio. They're also planning on doing a full Swedish tour in spring, but for now you can check 'em at these two dates in Stockholm:

3/1 - Debaser
3/11 - Kafe 44

From Timo Isoaho / Sonera Plaza Kaista by way of Blabbermouth:

Swedish high-energy thrashers The Haunted have fulfilled their contractual obligations to Earache Records and have no intentions of re-signing with the label, according to frontman Marco Aro. "Earache are lying to us all the time," he told Finland's Kaista. "According to them, we have sold only ONE thousand copies of the last album in the States even though we've done headlining tours over there. You know, Earache doesn't keep any records that would reveal how many albums have been pressed and so on, so we have no idea how many albums we have actually sold.

"When we signed to Earache, we actually [inherited] At the Gates' old contract [as per the leaving member's clause in the agreement]," he added. "So when we got some royalties from our first album, all that money went to pay back the debts that At the Gates had with the label.

"Entombed's situation with Earache was the 'funniest'," Aro continued. "Earache was built from the money that they made by selling the early records from Napalm Death and Entombed. Anyway, [former Entombed drummer] Nicke Andersson saw some of the Earache guys when he was doing a show in London with The Hellacopters, and he asked them if he should perhaps be collecting some money from them in back royalties. The Earache guys were like, 'Yeah, sure.' Guess what Nicke got from them later? 25 pounds and one 'Monkey Puss' live video! (laughs)"

According to Aro, it was Earache's unwillingness to properly fund the group's recently-released DVD, "Caught On Tape", that resulted in the final product not being of the high standard that the band had hoped for.

"Well, it's ok, there's two shows and everything," Marco said of the DVD. "But it could have been better, too. We were supposed to get really good digital video camera from our record company when we went to tour US with Cannibal Corpse and Dimmu Borgir. We were supposed to shoot some material for the DVD... Well, we got that camera when there was two shows left in the tour. And then, when we asked if we could shoot some material from the summer festivals with that camera, we were told that this was not OK and we had to return the camera to the record company. By the way, our first idea was to release the live DVD and live album in one package at a special price. But that was not OK with Earache..."

Of course, this really shouldn't sound all that new to you if you follow the metal scene. Earache Records has been notorious for ripping bands off in the past and many, many allegations have been tossed their way. I was under the impression they were trying to make up for past mistakes, but I guess that's not the case. I only hope that other promising, young bands like Cult of Luna don't get crushed by the label.

Speaking of jumping labels, In Flames is apparently shopping around for a new contract now that they've furfilled their obligation to Nuclear Blast. Do I see a major in their future? I don't doubt it - the band is really doing quite well over here in the States. Expect negotiations to be wrapped up around spring they say. In other news, the band is currently filming a video for the track "Trigger" and plan to have it ready by the end of March.

Listen to The Cardigans cover "Das Model" right here. (requires Flash, by way of cardigans.de) The track was originally intended for a Kraftwerk tribute in 2001, but is now available on the "For What It's Worth" maxi-single.

By popular demand, Opeth has added a date in Perch on their upcoming Australian tour: April 14 at The Globe.

Millencolin will be touring the States beginning in April with a West Coast jaunt featuring Rufio and then it's off to the East on 4/30 with American HiFi. The band is also playing the Hurricane and Southside fests in Germany in June. More details soon.

Wow! what a catchy song. It reminds me of all those movies from the 80s about confused teenagers. This is like "Breakfast Club". But in music. Really, really dope! Are they big in Sweden? Doesn't surprise me. They would probably drop like a bomb in the States as well.

That's Pharrell Williams from N.E.R.D discussing "Seven Days a Week" with Aftonbladet, the newest single from The Sounds. I'm not super keen on the band myself, but I totally agree that they'd go over well in the US. Wait and see! Read the article. (in Swedish)

KVLR got themselves a new bassist, a fellow by the name of Joel Borg. Again, be sure to check them out when they tour the US in March. Those dates, yet again:

3/7 - Santa Cruz, CA - Drop-In Center w/Science of Yabra, The Yellow Press
3/8 - Redding, CA - Tag Teen Center w/The Yellow Press, Mercy Mile
3/9 - San Fransisco, CA - Club Galia w/Low Rise, more
3/10 - Huntington Beach, CA - Liquid Den w/The Yellow Press, Taint
3/11 - Phoenix, AZ - Red Room w/The Yellow Press
3/12 - Albuquerque, NM - Burt's Tiki Lounge w/Jelaous Sound
3/13 - Austin, TX - SXSW, TFT Records/Better Looking Records Showcase w/ Mark Gardner of Ride, Jealous Sound, more
3/14 - Flagstaff, AZ - Soul Kitchen
3/15 - Stanford, CA - KZSU (www.kzsu.org)

Those dates are still subject to minor changes, but stop by and say hi if you can. I'll be traveling along with the band and am very excited.

Vintersong reports they are working on their new album. Described as a concept album, they say there will be "a story running through the album's entirety, and with a musical flow that includes small compositions between the "real" songs." The subject is said to concern man's hunger for science and faith. And the music? They say it will range "from mellow prog to extreme metal, to ambient and folky vibes, spiced with a lot of effective contrasts, changing directories but united under a solid musical kingdom."

Soilwork has set "Figure Number Five" as the title for their upcoming album. Look for it in the US on May 5 from Nuclear Blast, April 21 in Europe.

Håkan Hellström has decided to leave Broder Daniel he reveals in an MTVE interview to be broadcast on Monday. I'm really not surprised considering his success with his solo career. "I won't play with them anymore, but we are still very good friends," he says. The Up North Swedish Grammy special will also have interviews with Melody Club, The Sounds, Robyn, The Hives and Caesars Palace plus live performances by Awa, Masayah and Marit Bergman.

BBC's Radio One has chosen DJ Nils Noa to perform on The Essential Mix program in April. He's the third Scandinavian to appear on the program, but the first Norweigan.

Rapper Diaz and black-metallers Dimmu Borgir collaborating? Yes, it's true! Listen to a samples of the track "Smakebit" and hear for yourself. (Windows Media)

Okay, here's the full scoop on those upcoming Export Music Sweden (ExMS) showcase shows in the US in NYC, Austin (SXSW) and LA. The bands scheduled to perform: Lambretta, The $1000 Playboys, Pineforest Crunch, Marit Bergman, The Mo, The Teenage Idols, Prime Sth, Whyte Seeds, The Sounds, and User.

Kent will play Stockholm Stadium on June 6. Tickets go on sale February 28 and will cost 350 kr.

Aftonbladet reports that Ebba Grön is back. Read all about it. (in Swedish) They made an appearance last night at the Joe Strummer tribute at Club Debaser in Stockholm accompanied by ex-Clash member Mick Jones. Pretty cool, eh?

The initial lineup for Augustibuller fest in Lindesberg on August 1-2 has been announced. They are Last Days Of April, The Spitts, Satirnine, Valley Days, JR Ewing, Between Us, Radioaktiva Räker, Mimikry, Spoiler and Piper. More info here.

We're in cold Sweden at the moment making our new record. We've done quite a lot of singles for the album already but we keep changing some things around.

The Hives report that they are working on their new album. In an interview with NME, singer Howlin' Pelle reveals that the new music sounds "like The Sex Pistols meets Detroit Cobras meets Kraftwerk." Look for it around September.

Meshuggah will be doing a Scandinavian tour in March. The dates:

3/17 - Sthlm Göta Källare
3/18 - Malmö KB
3/19 - Göteborg Sticky Fingers
3/20 - Oslo Betong
3/21 - Gävle Nivå
3/22 - Örebro Contan
3/26 - Helsingfors (sf) Nosturi

Okay, here's the winners of the Swedish Grammis:

Best artist: Kent
Best song: Kent - "Dom andra"
Best album: Kent - "Vapen & ammunition"
Best pop/rock group: Kent
Best pop/rock, female: Robyn
Best pop/rock, male: Håkan Hellström - "Det är så jag säger det"
Best newcomer: The Sounds
Best lyrics: Joakim Berg (Kent)
Best composer: Joakim Berg (Kent)
Best producer: Martin von Schmalensee, Zed (Kent)
Best hard-rock: Opeth - "Deliverance"
Best jazz: Oddjob - "Oddjob"
Best folk: Stefan Sundström - "Sundström spelar Allan"
Best club/dance: Koop - "Waltz for Koop"
Best hip-hop/soul: Timbuktu - "Watt's dö madderfakking diil"
Open category: v/a - "Nationalsånger"
Government export prize: The Hives

Jeez, does Kent really need to win any more awards? I mean, c'mon now! Anyhow, for the full list of winners, go here. (in Swedish)

Your Halo Is A Radar have been disbanded. Why? Lack of time, careers, paranoia, creative differences, blah blah blah... The usual crap.

Read the full statement from the band.

In Flames reports they are in the middle of working on new material for an album to come this summer. They also say they're excited about the upcoming Ministry/Mudvayne tour: "We are all getting eager to go out on the road again. After all, we´ve had 2½ months off now, and it´s about time to get out there and have some fun."

Here's some new Peter, Björn & John tourdates:

3/15 - Trondheim
3/16 - Oslo
3/22 - Stockholm, DJing at Debaser
3/25 - Jönköping
3/27 - Linköping, DJing at Herrgårn
3/28 - Hässleholm

Kristofer Åström is heading out on the road for probably the last time in awhile as he will most likely be concentrating on Fireside in the future. Here's the dates and be sure to check out his new EP "Dead End" when it comes out March 10:

3/14 - Helsingborg Tivoli - w/Peter Hermansson on piano
3/18 - Uppsala Katalin
3/19 - Sthlm Nalen
3/20 - Malmö KB
3/21 - Lund Stadshallen
3/22 - Göteborg Bommens Salonger
3/23 - Umeå Stationen - w/Peter Hermansson on piano

A number of new bands have been confirmed for the Emmaboda fest including Cato Salsa Experience, Paris, Björns Vänner, Pamplonas, La Masa and Bring Me The Fucking Riot Man. Paris and Cato Salsa have also both been confirmed for this year's Hulsfred fest along with Cult of Luna.

The winners of this year's Norweigan Alarm awards are as follows:

Best live band: Turbonegro
Best metal album: Satyricon - Volcano
Best pop album: Thomas Dybdahl – That Great October Sound
Best rock album: JR Ewing – Ride Paranoia
Best music video: Kaada – No You Don't
Best hip-hop/rap album: Gatas Parlament – Holdning over underholdning
Best jazz album: Dadafon – Visitor
Best song: Satyricon – Fuel For Hatred
Best electronica/techno album: Jaga Jazzist – The Stix
Alarm prize: Ephemera

Metal-Reference.com recently did an interesting interview with Ulver mainman Trickster G aka Garm. Read it here.

Carcrash Records has set the release dates for Dialog Cet's "Konsumera Era" on March 24 and QGMR's "Quiet Is Not Loud" on March 3.

This week's MTV Up North Nordic video chart:

01. The Rasmus - In The Shadows
02. The Cardigans - For What It´s Worth
03. User - You Belong
04. Trucker - I Feel So Sick
05. Caesars Palace - Candy Kane
06. Beats & Styles - Smilin´
07. The Raveonettes - Attack Of The Ghostriders
08. Jon - Right Here Next To You
09. Paperboys - Find My Way

Challengers:
01. Kaah -Du Kan Få Mej
02. Freak Kitchen - Nobody´s Laughing
03. St. Thomas -Long, Long Time
04. Winta - Emotions
05. Blues - Gamla Tider

Go to the MTVE.com site to watch and vote for your favorite.

Check out this video of The Cardigans playing live on MTV's Morning Glory.

All the new material is ready and we have also mastered our own pre-production and it sounds awesome in our ears. We rehearse like we are possessed every day and will continue to do so until we go into studio.

That's Silenoz of Dimmu Borgir talking about the band's preparations to go into Studio Fredman on March 3 to record their new album.

Cult of Luna will touring the UK with ISIS in March. If you like heavy music, I highly recommend you check both these bands out. The dates so far:

3/12 – Manchester, UK - Roadhouse
3/13 – Cardiff, UK - Ms1
3/14 – Brighton, UK - Concorde
3/15 – London, UK - Mean Fiddler

I updated yesterday's post with new info about Nicolai Dunger's backing band and their other music experience. Thanks again Niklas!

Dates are currently being booked for KVLR's West Coast/Southwest tour in early March. If you can help, please let me know.

Stickman Records reports that Motorpsycho has US and Japan tour plans in the works. No dates yet, but I'll keep you posted. The label also has revealed the title for the forthcoming Isolation Years record: "It's Golden". Again, no date yet, but I'll let you know.

Amorphis is working on mixing their new album with producer Hiili Hiilesmaa (HIM, Moonspell, Sentenced) at Finnvox Studios. They expect to finished by the end of the month. No word yet on a new label for the band.

Keep your eyes on Norweigen electronic act Röyksopp as they're touring seven US cities in March. European sales are already climbing and accolades are accumulating, but they've yet to catch on fully over here. Will they break? Hype sure is building.

In a sign of potentially bigger things to come, booking agency Luger has now taken on the band Paris. Is the return of new-wave nigh?

DJ Embee (Loop Troop) is currently finishing up work on his new EP with Organism 12 and PSTQ. Four tracks and instruments, two produced by Embee, two by Breakmecanix. Look for it around late February or early March on JuJu Records.

Also from JuJu is the new Timbuk/Promoe (also Loop Troop) "Blind Justice" 12". It comes out on the 27th.

Here's an interesting short interview with Galder of Old Man's Child and Dimmu Borgir. Now resigned to just being a studio-only project, OMC's new album "In Defiance of Existence" just came out in Europe and will be out in the US on March 25 from Century Media.

Darkthrone will be adding exclusive new film footage to the Peaceville CDrom reissues of four of their old albums. As for what the footage will contain, here's what they had to say:

Fenriz and Nocturno Culto will film many hours at their stronghold somewhere in the wilderness in Norway. Like a reality-Darkthrone documentary. Every of the four album will contain at least 5 minutes of this rare piece of filming. They will drink, drink, listen to music, drink etc.....many things will be revealed. They will also interview eachother about all the Peaceville-albums. They will film that much, so it can edited to be a 30 min. documentary

NorthSide Records has new preview mp3s up on their website for upcoming releases from Värttinä and Mari Boine. Check 'em out. (scroll about 2/3rds of the way down the page)

Classic Swedish deathmetal band Dismember is currently working on their next album. The title is "Where Ironcrosses Grow" and it's due out around September on Hammerheart Records. Produced once again by drummer Fred Estby with help from engineer Olle Sandqvist, the new material is described as "darker, a little less melodic and more aggressive than ever" and lyrically "headed even more in the direction of describing war at its ugliest, stories about sick minds creating sick situations and loads of religious criticism." In other words, business as usual.

The archive is being updated. Done. I'm also still waiting for a mailorder shipment of new CDs before I update the playlist. Patience, my friends. I may however have some live mp3s from The Ark coming soon. We shall see...

A new Fireside mp3 for the track "Throw It Away" will be available next Monday from Startracks! The album isn't coming out till April.

Finland's HIM recently spent some time shooting the video for "Funeral of Hearts" with director Stefan Lindfors. Check out some pics from the shoot here.

Dungen will be on P3 Live January 20. You can listen online over at the P3 website.

Poet Bob Hansson has a spoken word album called "Kör Solen Kör" coming out January 27. Guests on the record include Ola Salo (The Ark) and Thåström. The first single will be "En Helt Vanlig Dag" featuring Ola.

Caesars Palace is finally gonna make it over to England, this time with Echoboy. If you remember, their December tour with (International) Noise Conspiracy was cancelled. Anyhow, The Caesars (as they're known outside Sweden) have an EP single for the song "Jerk It Out" coming out February 24, the follow-up to "(I´m Gonna) Kick You Out" which is already out. The album "Love For The Streets" comes out May 19 over there. As I've said before - watch out for this band. I expect big things. And I'm not the only one either - read this profile from Britain's Q Magazine. Here's the dates:

January 13 The Barfly, Camden
January 15 The Old Firestation, Bournemouth
January 18 The Junction, Cambridge
January 22 The Boston Arms, London
January 22 Arts Centre, Colchester
January 23 Casbah, Sheffield
January 24 Sumo, Leicester
January 26 The Barfly, Liverpool
January 27 King Tuts, Glasgow
January 28 The Cockpit, Leeds

Also on Q's 2003 bands to watch list is The Hellacopters. Read what they have to say here.

Eggstone will be the backing band and production talent on the new solo album from Weeping Willows frontman Magnus Carlsson. It will be his second attempt at going at it alone following his debut "Allt är Bara Du Du Du" from 2001.

Curious about Swedish jazz? Read this interesting article/interview concerning the recent activities of the Norrbotten Big Band.

The Cardigans will premiere a new song entitled "For What It's Worth" at the upcoming Rockbjörnen Awards on January 27. The show will be broadcasted on Swedish television and will also feature 'comeback' performances from Thomas Rusiak and Dilba along with contemporaries In Flames, Håkan Hellström, The Sounds, Mando Diao and Melody Club.

In Flames will be touring the US beginning in late March. Dates soon.

Be sure to check out 'Rock Over Sweden' today on Rocket 95.3 FM Stockholm. Listen here live or go here for more info. The program starts at 5pm local time. Or maybe not - the show is every other Monday, but it seems like today's scheduled broadcast ain't gonna happen. Next week?

Now scheduled to play the January 18 date of the Inferno Fest in Oslo is a one-off performace by a cover band made up of members from Dimmu Borgir, Red Harvest, The Kovenant, Blood Red Throne, Mayhem, and Susperia. They will reportedly run through various songs from much-respected metal artists such as Death, Black Sabbath, Slayer, and Anthrax and the whole thing is to be recorded for a possible future release on Edgerunner Records. Other bands scheduled to play the fest include Immortal, Children of Bodom and Taake.