It took awhile, but Aversionline has finally updated with a new issue featuring an interview with Born from Pain out of Holland, around 130 new reviews including Darwin, Darkthrone, Disfear, Enslaved, Fleurety, General Surgery, Imperious, Isengard, Muskel, Skepticism, Ulver and Ved Buens Ende, plus tons more. Check it out.

Now this sounds quite interesting: Jazzkammer will be doing a live one-off collaboration with the black metal bands Gorgoroth and Enslaved as part of the opening for the Hole in the Sky Festival in Norway. The piece, specially written for the event by Enslaved, is called "Hole In The Sky - The Apocalyptic Eye" and promises to be quite interesting I'd think. And hey, it's free so why not? "Get damaged or get a refund" they say, jokingly. It all goes down August 27 in Bergen, Norway. Other acts set to play include Arcturus, Green Carnation, Taake, Carpathian Forest, Satyricon and more.

Confirmed dates for upcoming Enslaved US tour with Usurper and Epoch of Unlight:

07/25-26 - Milwaukee Metalfest, WI
07/27 - The Lab , St. Paul, MN
07/28 - I- Rock, Detroit, MI
07/29 - The Flying Machine, Lorraine, OH
07/30 - Jaxx Nightclub, Springfield, VA
07/31 - The Met Cafe, Providence, RI
08/01 - North Six, Williamsburg, NY
08/02 - Angel's, Verona, NY
08/03 - Champs, Chicago, IL

Solefald reports on their website that they are in Iceland working on their next album. They say they already have most of it written and it's "more classic Black Metal 1993-ish style," but of course "unmistakeably like Solefald." They go further to add that they are trying to get back in touch with their Nordic viking roots via Iceland's famous barren landscapes, volcanoes, hot springs, sea, and viking history. Not to mention the classic sounds of Bathory, Darkthrone, Enslaved and Immortal they brought for inpiration. They even went to a viking festival where there were authentically dressed vikings, swordfights, arts and crafts and more. Read the full report.

Enslaved is rumored to be planning a US tour for the east coast and midwest during the dates of July 26 through August 3 along with Usurper, Epoch of Unlight and Enforsaken. Exact dates are due to be confirmed soon.

Some of the bands confirmed for the Hole in the Sky Festival which takes place August 28-30 in Bergen, Norway: Taake, Cult of Luna, Satyricon, Enslaved, Arcturus and Meldrum. More info: www.holeinthesky.no

Check out some pics from the recent C.Aarmé/Alarma Man show at Club Surburbia.

The Caesars are doing a quick US tour in support of their recently released compilation album "39 Minutes Of Bliss (In An Otherwise Meaningless World)". The single "Jerk it Out" continues to gather more and more airplay (I heard it once myself on SF's Live 105) and will also be heard in an upcoming Michelob TV ad. They'll also be playing the Glastonbury in the UK on June 27. Anyhow, those US dates:

06/19 - San Francisco, Popscene
06/20 - Los Angeles, Spaceland
06/21 - Los Angeles, Viper Room
06/23 - New York, Sin'e
06/24 - Brooklyn, Southpaw
06/25 - Boston, Paradise

Fireside has posted a bunch of new pictures over at their website.

Via Home Groan Net comes these lo-fi videos of Groan Alone playing live opening for Lucinda Williams.

Martin Hagfos has now been confirmed to play the Øya festival along with a new backing band called "Cream of the Crop" that will feature some of Norway's best musicians. Check out the cast list: Martin Hagfors (Home Groan), Håkon Gebhardt (Motorpsycho, Tussler and HGH), Martin Horntveth (Jaga Jazzist), Lars Håvard Haugen (Hellbillies, Respatexans), Pål Flaata (Midnight Choir), Vidar Ersfjord (Velvet Belly), and Askil Holm.

Read a short review of the recent Radio Dept. show in London opening for Apples in Stereo.

Unioncarbideproductions.com sends word that they have received twenty promo copies of the new UCP single that will be given out at Hultsfred. Since not everyone can attend said fest, the aforementioned website will be holding a contest to give their copies away. Go here to find out how.

Bridge Records has posted an update on the label's recent activity. Head on over for the full skinny, otherwise note the most important thing is that the new Jam Session album is now out. Their intriguing description:

It all looks awesome, and sounds even better. This record has been doomed, but we stared Satan in his eyes and told him we would not give up until we got this shit out. Since this needs to be heard. Great melodic breakdowns and then it just erupts into manic, furious assault.

In other Bridge news, the label also has plans to release a 7" from The Accidents, a band which features members from Voice of a Generation, or what they call "fyllepunkös". They also have a new 7" coming out from I Ren Desperation, a new crust-style band with members from Nine, Totalitär and Millencolin. That one's a joint release with Finland's Combat Rock and Hater of God in the US, so be sure to check it out.

Some new bands have been announced for the Øyafestivalen Vika-scenen shows: Don Juan Dracula, Oslo Athletico, Wholy Martin, Point Shirley, and Lorenzo. More info here. (in Norweigan)

DigitalMetal.com reviews new albums from Enslaved and Passenger, the side project of Anders Friden from In Flames and Niclas Engelin from "the vastly under-rated" Gardenian.

Norway's Extol is heading over to the States for a number of dates. Shows on June 13 through July 1 are with Demon Hunter, Still Breathing and The Agony Scene and their latest album "Synergy" is out now from Century Media. The dates:

06/13 - Club Impact - Tacoma, WA
06/14 - Fat Tuesday - Spokane, WA
06/15 - The Zone – Yakima, WA
06/17 - Radio Rendezvous – Twin Falls, ID
06/19 - Meow Meow - Portland, OR
06/20 - JoshuaFest -Quincy, CA
06/21 - The Boardwalk -Sacramento, CA
06/22 - Showcase Theater - Corona, CA
06/23 - The Brickhouse - Phoenix, AZ
06/24 - TBA - Albuquerque, NM
06/25 - Sox Palace - Denver CO
06/26 - Ground Zero - Wichita KS
06/27 - The Door - Dallas, TX
06/28 - TBA - Little Rock AR
06/29 - El Torreon – Kansas City, MO
07/03-05 - Cornerstone Festival – Bushnell, IL
07/06 - The Oracle – Atlanta, GA
07/07 - Rocktown Skatepark – Nashville, TN
07/08 - Emerson Theater - Indianapolis, IN
07/10 - Sonshine Festival - Wilmar, MN

Children of Bodom and Soilwork will be teaming up for Japanese tour in September. Dates so far:

09/05 – Osaka, JAP - Big Cat
09/06 – Nagoya, JAP - Club Quattro
09/07 – Tokyo, JAP - Shibuya AX

MTV Nordic will broadcast their footage of this weekend's Stockholm Calling Festival on June 15 at 22:00 CET. Some of the bands scheduled to play the event include Christian Kjellvander & Lazy Grace Frontier, The Cardigans, De Stijl, and Thomas Rusiak.

P3 Musikjournalen reports that Håkan Hellström will be making a guest appearance on the upcoming Universal Poplab cover of the Morrissey classic "We Hate It When Our Friends Become Succesful". The song will be on the band's as-yet-untitled debut album, due out this coming fall. Their first single "Casanova Fall" is out now.

The new Accelerator comp comes out this week and it features some of the best indierock that Sweden has to offer. The tracklisting:

The Embassy - It never entered my mind
Radio Dept. - 1995
The Concretes - Forces
Laakso - Out of taste
Johan Borgert - Smal
David & the Citizens - Stop!
Bear Quartet - Load it
Isolation Years - Open those eyes
Moneybrother - Reconsider me
Franke - Aldrig förstå
Paper - Gone today gone tomorrow
The Knife - You take my breath away
Fireside - Thing on a spring

View the coverart here. Check out Club Accelerator's site here. To download the D&tC track, go here.

Da Buzz are hitting the road in support of the new single "Alive":

05/30 - Umeå, Umeåfesten
07/31 - Eskilstuna, Ungdomsfestivalen
06/06 - Katrineholm, Stadsparken
06/07 - Malmö, Dockan
06/13 - Sollentuna, Sollentunamässan
06/27 - Ludvika, Ludvikafesten
06/27 - Motala, Vätternfestivalen
06/28 - Enköping, Enköpingsfestivalen
06/29 - Uppsala, Birjer Jarl
07/03 - Halmstad, Halmstad stadsfest
07/03 - Sölvesborg, Killibomdagarna
07/04 - Töreboda, Torget
07/10 - LYSEKIL Meddelas
07/11 - Luleå, Hamnspelet
07/12 - Lekvattnet, Sommarens höjdare
07/19 - Åsele, Åsele marknad
07/24 - Karlskoga, Stranddagar
07/25 - Sävsjö, Sävsjöfestivalen
07/26 - Visby, Burmeister
07/31 - Karlstad, Hamnfestivalen
08/01 - Skellefteå, Underbar
08/02 - Öostervåla, Folkets park

Swedish prog-metallers Opeth will be teaming up with cult UK proggers Porcupine Tree for a North American tour starting in July. PT-frontman/mastermind Steven Wilson produced the last few Opeth albums, so this news doesn't come as huge surprise, but is still very exciting nonetheless. The confirmed dates so far:

07/15 - Toronto, ONT @ TBA
07/16 - Montreal, Spectrum
07/17 - NYC, Irving Plaza
07/19 - Boston, MA @ Berklee Performance Center
07/20 - Philadelphia, PA @ TBA
07/21 - Washington DC @ TBA
07/22 - Detroit, MI @ TBA
07/24 - Cleveland, OH @ Agora
07/25 - Chicago, IL @ Vic Theater
07/26 - Minneapolis, MN @ TBA
07/28 - Boulder, CO @ Fox Theater
07/30 - West Hollywood, CA @ House of Blues
07/31 - San Francisco, CA @ Fillmore
08/03 - Portland, OR @ TBA
08/04 - Seattle, WA @ TBA

Webzine Aversionline has a feature on Finnish hardcore thrash fanzine Downsided. Check it. And, as usual, they have tons and tons of new reviews for your perusal, focusing mostly on the hardcore, metal and noise scene. Some of the bands covered: Acursed, Counterblast, Dead in the Water, Katatonia, Marduk, Nasum, Rentokiller, and Sayyadina. I may not always agree with the writer's taste, but he does a great job of covering everything in an extremely fair and honest way. One of the few reviewers who's unafraid to tell it like it is.

Aquarius Records has published their bi-weekly new arrivals list, featuring reviews and samples of new releases from Scandinvavian artists such as Enslaved, Brainbombs, Cult of Luna, Eturivi, Finntroll, Noxagt, Turbonegro and much, much more. Recommended reading.

The Leppäkoski Rhythm Festival takes place in Leppäkoski, Finland on July 4-5 and will feature Brothomstates (Warp Records, FIN/UK), Vesna (St. Petersburg, Russia), Ninja Ensemble, Rauhanorkesteri, Grayframe DJs and many more. More info here.

In other Finnish festival news, Luomo and Moloko are rumored to be making an appearance at this year's Koneisto fest. No confirmation on the news, but the full list of performers is due to be published this coming Friday. I'll keep you informed.

I seem to be experiencing webserver difficulties. No idea why, but I think we're good to go now.

Spendid E-zine reviews Radio Dept. As mentioned before, this band is generating quite a bit of buzz and is picking up quite a bit of steam around the UK even without a record label or proper release.

C.Aarmé has put up a new rehearsal mp3 for your perusal: "I am a Princess". As mentioned before, their new 4-song 7" just came out on Deleted Art.

The Rasmus recently allowed Swedish DJ/remixers PhatZoo and Vecorta to work over "In the Shadows" for clubs around Scandinavia to play. Apparently some radio stations have already added it to their playlists, too. They say it probably won't see a single release, but may end up on a comp sometime, so keep yours eyes open if interested. And in other news, the band also lent the track "Madness" to www.ren-galskab.dk for use in their first episode. Looks a little like 'Jackass'-style stupidity to me, but check it out if you're curious.

The Cardigans, The Hives, and The Soundtrack of Our Lives are just three of the many bands featured on the new "Later...Louder" DVD that just came out in Europe. The disc features various BBC2 live TV performances from the program 'Later with Jools Holland' along with interviews and more. Details are here.

Supersilent will be heading over to Helsinki, Finland for the Jumo Jazzfest (part of the larger Helsinki Fest) on September 9. More info: Finnish / English

Nasum has announced that they will be putting on a record release show for their latest album "Helvete" at Contan in Örebro on May 24. Best of all, the first 100 attendees receive a free copy of said CD with their 40kr entry. Not bad, eh? And they also tease "remember that we have some guests on the album - they might show up, can you afford to miss it?"

Metalreview.com has posted a flawless review of Enslaved's new album "Below the Lights".

Sahara Hotnights report that they will only be playing two festivals this summer, the Kerrang! Festival in London on June 22 and the Siren Festival in NYC on July 19. The band is planning to spend the rest of the summer writing songs and working on the next album.

Bear Quartet has posted a new mp3 of the song "Disappearing Act" from their upcoming "All Your Life" EP. The band will be filming a video for the title track with Jejo in Croatia sometime this week.

Labrador Records has announced that is has now secured distribution to Iceland through Rafgrein and to Thailand by way of B2S. For more info contact either rafgrein@simnet.is at Rafgrein and chsakchai@b2s.co.th at B2S.

New Burning Heart-signee Sparks of Seven will release their first single and video for the song "Move Me On" on May 12. Read more. (in Swedish)

De Stijl and Kashmir have now been confirmed for the Stockholm Calling fest on May 31. Tom McRae is now on the bill, too.

"Detta är årets bästa svenska skiva." Musiklandet reviews "The Raging Sun", the new album from Logh. And yes, it really is brilliant. Sadly, there's no word on an American release yet, but we'll see. And here's another review from AndTheSound, too.

Now here's something a little different. Download this mp3 of Toivo Kaihero spinning a set of various classic Finnish tunes described as "melancholy and painful stories about how life sucks and then you die." It's all done live and is about 30 minutes long.

There's gonna be a Popaganda warm-up show at Mondo (T-Medborgarplatsen) on May 8 with Florence Valentin (solo) and Jose Gonzales plus various DJs. And just like the fest itself, entry is free.

Digfi.com has announced the bands set to play the Popmate new music showcase at Alcazar in Stockholm on May 7, 14 and 21. Among the names mentioned are Picabo, Peter Hägerås and Sedventon. Read more.

The lineup for the big Accelerator shows in Malmö, Göteborg and Stockholm (July 1-3, respectively) have been confirmed. No Scandinavian bands on the bill yet, but here's the list so far.

The German webzine Sellfish recently did an interview with Isolation Years. Check it out. They also review the latest from Fireside if you're curious. (in German)

Cato Salsa Experience's new album will be called "The Fruit is Still Fresh" and is coming out in Norway on June 2. Look for an mp3 preview coming soon.

Amulet reports that they have completed work on their new album "Danger! Danger!". The first single for the track "Breaking News" will be released in Scandinavia on May 15 with the b-side "Dollhouse".

Carnal Forge has announced that they have extended their contract with Centry Media for another two albums. Look for 'em on tour in America with the 2003 Metal Gods featuring Halford, Testament, Immortal, Primal Fear and Behemoth.

MTV Up North has moved to Thursdays with a new, extended format. Here's this week's chart:

01. HIM - Funeral of hearts
02. The Sounds - Rock n´ Roll
03. Mew - Comforting Sounds
04. The Rasmus - In The Shadows
05. A-Teens - Perfect Match
06. Kwan - Shine
07. Kashmir - Surfing The Warm Industry
08. Dub Sweden - Walk Me Home
09. Kari - Exile
10. Surferosa - Neon Commando
11. Paola - Interstellar Love
12. Moon Gringo - Buzz Aldrin
13. Melody Club - Cover Girl
14. Whyte Seeds - Slow motions
15. Pauline - Runnin´ Out Of Gaz
16. Bertine Zetlitz - Girl Like You
17. Jennifer Brown - Weak
18. The Cardigans - For What It´s Worth
19. Equicez - Live From Pass It
20. Thomas Rusiak - Unicorn
Challengers:
01. Empire Dogs - The Dogs
02. Timbuktu - Ett Brev
03. Nik & Jay - Elsker Hende Mere
04. The Knife - You Take My Breath Away
05. Jamie Meyer - Good Girl

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

Besides appearing on MTV Morning Glory back home in Sweden this weekend, The Sounds also have reviews published in US mags Billboard and Alternative Press. I'll try and track 'em down if I can.

Misconduct's video for their cover of Bob Marley's "Iron Lion Zion" will premiere on CTV's new program 'Nöjesnytt' on April 29. Singer Fredrik Olsson and bassist Andreas Wall will be on the show, too.

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

01. The Cardigans - Long gone before daylight
02. Glenmark Eriksson Strömstedt - Den andra skivan
03. Jill Johnson - Discography
04. Lisa Nilsson - Samlade sånger 1992-2003
05. Cornelis Vreeswijk - Cornelis Vreeswijks bästa
06. Lars Winnerbäck och Hovet - Söndermarken
07. v/a - Fame Factory volym 4
08. Mauro Scocco - Beat hotel
09. Elin Sigvardsson - Saturday light naive
10. The Refreshments - On the rocks
11. Roxette - The pop hits
12. Kent - Vapen & ammunition
13. Siw Malmkvist - Siws bästa
14. The Knife - Deep Cuts
15. Fireside - Get shot
16. Buddaboys - Lost people areas
17. Fernandoz - Vem får din kärlek i natt
18. Dilba - Revolution
19. Emil Sigfridsson - Tillbaka till igår
20. The Sounds - Living in America

The Shout Out Louds are hard at work on their upcoming debut full-length which is now scheduled to come out September 29. They also have a new single coming out in May for the track "Hurry Up Let's Go" which will include an unreleased song as a b-side. And that's not all - they're even fitting in some touring:

4/25 - Borlänge, Klubb Desired
4/26 - Lund, Klubb Blender
5/7 - Oslo, So What
5/23 - Umeå Studion, Folkets Hus
5/28 - Örebro, Kåren
5/30 - Uppsala, Stones-festivalen
5/30 - Stockholm, Popaganda
5/31 - Linköping, Rocksensation, Herrgårn
5/31 - Kalmar, Skälby
6/6 - Göteborg, Pustervik w/Marit Bergman

This week's Swedish college radio chart (from Dagensskiva):

Leaving the chart:
(06) Jurassic 5 Ft. Mya "Thin Line"
(12) Asian Dub Foundation Ft. Sinead O'Connor "1000 Mirrors"
(14) Sean Paul "Get Busy"
(16) Blur "Out of Time"
(17) Outlandish "Guantanamo"
(19) First Floor Power "Happy Endings"
(20) The Concretes "You Can't Hurry Love"

'Against All Evens' is the name of the upcoming Second Gothenburg Biennale to take place May 24 - August 24 at Gothenburg Konsthallen. The event is being billed as "a resistance against all that which is vapid, indifferent and toothless" and will be curated by artist/musician Carl Michael Von Hauswolff. 27 concerts are scheduled to take place including performances by Tommi Grönlund (Sähkö Rec.) with Petteri Nisunen (FIN), John Duncan, Kim Gordon, Russell Haswell, Florian Hecker, Phill Niblock, Pita, Franz Pomassl and more. More info here.

Get a preview of the new Hell n' Diesel single in RealAudio format: "Tears for the Wicked" / "Rebel" / "Speed Devil"
Preorders are already being taken over at the Shuffle Records website.

Live4Metal is reporting that Enslaved was forced to cancel their show at The Garage in London tonight as the promotor seems to have bungled the job. Their statement:

Only about 65 advance tickets were sold and the promoters could not afford to pay the deposit to bring Enslaved over from Norway and have pulled the gig. Live4Metal were happy to be official sponsors of the event, but we have not even had any official notice from them and are as mystified as the support bands, anybody who bought a ticket and no doubt Enslaved themselves. All I can say is that there is a lesson to be learnt here and budding promoters should most definitely learn to walk before they try to run. Being as we are fair, we are willing to listen to the promoters' side of the story... but we are yet to hear from them.

A little bird has informed me that the new C.Aarmé 4-song 7" and The New Mess 3-song gatefold EP are now done and ready for ordering from Deleted Art.

Slow news day today. What can ya do?

Turbonegro stormed the Troubadour like Vikings on a siege, selling out two shows in under an hour and proving to one and all that all the hype is for good reason -- these guys really are the best band on the planet right now.

Read KNAC.com's entire review of Turbonegro's recent Hollywood show.

Enslaved has announced they will doing two exclusive live shows in April, one in London on the 24th at The Garage with Thus Defiled and one in Oslo at the Rock In on the 25th. In other news, the band has finally confirmed a May 12 release date for the upcoming album "Below the Lights".

Randy will be appearing on P3 Rock tomorrow, April 17 at 10:10pm.

The Sounds have a feature in the May issue of Paper Magazine talking about their experiences in New York hanging out with Melissa Auf Der Maur from Hole and Smashing Pumpkins.

HIM has launched a new UK-based website at www.himonline.tv.

Labrador Records is releasing two limited edition 7" singles on May 5. First up is Douglas Heart, who the label describes as 'dreamcore' or akin to Sigur Rós, Mazzy Star and Stina Nordenstam. Next is The Legends who are said to play "joyful and catchy C-86-motown-punk-pop."

Samson & Rourke just posted a small profile on buzz-band Radio Dept. that you might find interesting. (in Swedish)

The Confusions have apparently signed deals with record labels in Taiwan, China and Japan. No details yet, but I'll keep you updated.

Evergrey are playing a couple of dates around Europe in support of their new album "Recreation Day":

5/9 - Vosselaar (BE), Biebob
5/10 - Rijssen (NL), Lucky
5/11 - Zaandam (NL), Kade
5/12 - Paris (FR), Ellysse Monmartre
5/14 - Hamburg (TY), Markthalle

Expressen is reporting that Jocke Berg (Kent) is working with singer/songwriter Lisa Miskovsky on songwriting for her next album. At least that's what Ola Håkansson of Stockholm Records has told them. We shall see. This would be the follow-up to Lisa's successful self-titled debut album from 2001.

Okay, I admit it - I've been a slacker. Two new tunes today on your right. First up is the wonderful Isolation Years. Their debut album "Inland Traveller" gets a US release later this year from Galaxy Gramophone/Parasol and the new one comes out in March. I might've put this track up before, but I can't remember. Anyhow, don't miss it this time. Secondly, we have another track from the great Caesars Palace (aka The Caesars or the Twelve Caesars, as they known in the US). Simply put, a great pop band. More soon, I swear!

Diamond Dogs will be putting out a new CD collection of old and new material called "That´s the Juice I´m On" on January 27. Fans of classic rock style bands like the Hellacopters should check 'em out. And hey, Randy Bachman of Bachman Tuner Overdrive even guests on a track.

The Soundtrack of Our Lives will be taking the place of Cooper Temple Clause at the NME awards show in London on February 6. Cooper's bassist had his appendix out right before the holidays and has yet to fully recover, so they had to bow out. However, they will do a makeup gig on April 29. Ticketholders can either ask for a refund, opt for the new headliner, or defer their purchase for the rescheduled performance. Otherwise, buy your tickets here.

Speaking of TSOOL, did anyone record that Letterman performance? Can it be found online somewhere yet? Let me know.

Stabb will be travelling to the UK for their first time next week. The show is the 23rd at the Borderline in London. Their debut single "This Joke's On Me" comes out in February with the album to follow in April.

Madder Mortem has been confirmed as the opening act for Opeth's upcoming European tour. Opeth singer/guitarist Mikael Åkerfeldt himself highly recommend the band's latest record "Deadlights", too. The dates:

02.09 - Paris, La Locomotive
02.11 - Vittoria, Sala Azkena
02.12 - Porto, Hard Club
02.13 - Lisbon, Paradise Garage
02.14 - Madrid, Sala Caracol
02.15 - Barcelona, Razzmatazz
02.16 - Lyon, Transbourdour
02.17 - Milan, Transilvania
02.18 - Treviso, New Age
02.20 - Zurich, Abart
02.22 - Graz, Orpheum
02.23 - Munich, New Backstage
02.24 - Frankfurt, Batschkapp
02.25 - Essen Zeche Carl
02.26 - Halle, Easy Schorre
02.27 - Berlin, Columbia Fritz
02.28 - Hamburg, Schlachthof
03.01 - Groningen, Oosterport
03.02 - Tilburg, 013
03.04 - Utrecht, Tivoli
03.05 - Vosselar, Biebob
03.06 - Lille, Le Spendid
03.07 - Poiters, Chatellerault-Gornie
03.08 - Rennes, L' Antipode
03.10 - Portsmouth, Wedgwood Rooms
03.11 - Manchester, Hop & Grape
03.12 - London, Mean Fiddler
03.13 - Exeter, University
03.14 - Glasgow, Garage
03.15 - Nottingham, Rock City
03.16 - Bradford, Rio
03.17 - Birmingham, Academy
03.19 - Dublin - Whelan's

Watch singer/songwriter Johan Bergqvist's show from his January 15 performance in Hultsfred right here: modem / broadband. (Windows Media)

Watch the "director's cut" of the Wannadies video for "Little by Little". I've never seen the original, but this version contains 50 seconds of extra footage and is quite hilarious. Recommended. (requires Quicktime)

The new album "Love Metal" from HIM has now been confirmed for release in Germany and Finland on April 14. Most likely, the rest of the Europe will get it on the same day, but they aren't saying for sure. Also, the band's official site says the track listing leaked by the UK press is incorrect and they will be posting the correct one shortly.

See you on tour and remember to play "Below the Lights" at extreme volume levels. For even better results, try altered states of conciousness (knock yourself over the head, do yoga-jumping or stay awake for two weeks without food before you check out the album). If it doesn't fuck you up, we'll give you (fake monopoly) money back.

That's Enslaved talking about their new album, due out now in April from Osmose Productions. The band also has a live DVD in the works from MetalMind Productions entitled "Live Retaliation".

The up and coming band Wendy just got signed to Monarch Music by A&R man Magnus Nygren, the guy responsible for finding Jakob Hellman, Lars Winnerbäck and Lambretta. Expect a single by springtime.

Get a preview of hyped band-of-the-moment The Klerks over here and click the "Album Preview" link. Fans of Swedish pop such as The Motorhomes or Kent may want to check them out.

From Blabbermouth, comes this letter from a number of Swedish hard rock musicians accusing England's Z Records of "unscrupulous business practices." Some of the bands signed on the letter include Southpaw, Talisman, Humanimal and more. Of course, it's not really news that labels often screw bands out of money, but if you're interested in these artists or the label in question, please take note.

Look for the Sahara Hotnights on tour in the US around March/April. I don't have exact dates yet, but I assume we'll start to get confirmation any day now.

Randy also got picked up by Margie Alban's Do It Booking, the same people who deal with SH, t(I)NC, Millencolin, The Hives and many others. I suspect (and hope) that we'll be seeing them again in the US very soon. Margie works hard and does a great job, so I'm counting on it.

The mixing of the new 69-Hard album "Blues from Hell" has just been finished by engineer Henrik Larsson at Berno Studios. Look for it in March from Idle Hands Records.

The song "All Will Break" from Last Days Of April has been added to the in-flight playlist on Japanese Air Lines (JAL). Pretty neat, huh?

As reported here awhile ago, Swedish eurodance act E-Type is going heavy metal for their upcoming tour, inlcuding special guest Mikkey Dee from Motörhead on the drums. Well in conjunction with the tour, the band just recorded a new single for radio promotion and maybe even TV appearances. Be on the lookout - or I'll see if I can track down a copy. The tour, now dubbed "Euro Metal Tour 2003", kicks off the 17th in Göteborg.

Enslaved guitarist Ivar Bjørnson on the recent lineup changes in the band and the new album:

"Of course, I think [guitarist R. Kronheim and drummer Dirge Rep's departures] will affect the music, as you will hear on the new album."Below The Lights" is more consistent and 'tight' than the previous efforts like "Monumension" and "Mardraum". Especially in terms of songwriting, I think the absence of R. Kronheim kind of invigorated us, to be cynical about it. Sure, when he entered the band around the time of "Blodhemn", we were kind of burned out and lacked ideas and vision. He really injected life into the band at that time, he started to withdraw his deposits, so to speak. There was no longer a sense of unity in the band, and in combination with his neck-breaking, Mötley Crüe-ish drug habits, there was no way out. So, to get to the point, the new album is a kind of 'best of both worlds'. We have kept the 'new' direction from the previous two albums and at the same time returned a lot to the 'source'. You know, me, Grutle and Dirge are all kind of 'old school', even though we sound 'experimental' and 'new' from time to time. This is easy to hear on the new album. Please also keep in mind that I still wrote 70-80% of the songs and lyrics still when Kronheim joined the band, it was more a case of him overtaking Grutle's share of song- and lyrical writing when he joined. And now that he is out of the band, and Grutle still doesn't write a lot, I am doing all the songs and most of the lyrics. This is because the others [don't] write simply, if they had wanted to, they could have had all the songs they wanted. I guess some people think it is close to dictatorship in the band, which is totally wrong.
"About Dirge, it was a loss for his excellent drumming, of course but more important for the concept and lyrics, which he was getting more and more into. But we already got Freddy as a new drummer (he was on Blood Red Throne's first album and played the UK March 02 tour with us), and he is simply the best fucking drummer I've been in the same room with. No kidding."

"Below The Lights" comes out March 3 from Osmose Productions. I bet it's gonna be amazing, even if it's only half as good as the last one. March is shaping up to be the month of great release, lemme tell ya.

Tool loves Meshuggah. Besides taking the band on tour as an their opening act multiple times, drummer Danny Carey recently had this to say about the band:

"Meshuggah has been a constant source of inspiration for me from the very first time I heard them until today. They are true pioneers that have consistently broken new ground with each album effort. "Nothing", which is my favorite record of 2002, is another prime example of their musical expertise and unique compositional style that continues to evolve and change the way people listen to music."

I put up a track from Melody Club today. I think they're kinda cheesy, but maybe you'll like 'em. They got that retro 80s thing going on, kinda like The Faint maybe, except without the edge.

I saw that Smirnoff Ice commercial that uses "Kick You Out" from Caesars Palace/The Caesars last night. A quick Google search shows that message boards are already buzzing about the song. Anyhow, you can view it for yourself. (Low bandwidth version here, both require Real Player)

The upcoming album from Enslaved will be called "Below the Lights". It'll include 8 songs and should be out around March. In other news, drummer Dirge Rep has reportedly left the band to concentrate on his project Orcustus, featuring members of Gorgoroth, Borknagar, and Desekrator.

NRK's favorite Norweigan records of the year:

1. Jaga Jazzist - "The Stix"
2. Thomas Dybdahl – "The Great October Sound"
3. Gåte - "Jygri"
4. Madrugada – "Grit"
5. Bjørn Eidsvåg – "Tålt"
6. a-ha – "Lifelines"
7. The Margarets – "What Kept You?"
8. Vamp - "Månemannen"
9. Ugress – "Resound"

Check out some of the latest videos from these Burning Heart arists: Millencolin, Division of Laura Lee, Looptroop, and Bombshell Rocks.

Wondering what your favorite Swedish artists favorite records of the year are? Aftonbladet has the scoop. Some of the queried people are Magnus Carlson (Weeping Willows), Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist (The Hives), Maria Andersson (Sahara Hotnights), Håkan Hellström, Nicolai Dunger and more. (In Swedish, but not hard to figure out)

Check out some videos from Kent, The (International) Noise Conspiracy, Håkan Hellström and more at this year end wrap-up article from MTVE.com. There's a couple paragraphs on the success and current state of Scandinavian music towards the end on page two.

The USCB Allstars will be releasing a new album next spring entitled “I Can't Believe It’s Not Music".

To clarify - KVLR's new CD "On Planted Streets" will contain the debut album "Let Me Worry Some More", the follow-up EP "Deadly Dozen" and one unreleased track. All good stuff, so if you don't have those releases already, this is a great way to get it all in one fell swoop.

Cadavar Inc.'s new album will be called "Necrosis". Look for it around springtime on Earache records.

Vintersorg's new album will be called "The Focusing Blur". It comes out sometime next year on Napalm Records. Here's what Vintersorg himself had to say about the music:

"The next album is going to have the format of a concept/theme album, a story running through the albums entirety, and with a musical flow that includes small compositions between the 'real' songs. The music takes off from 'Visions From The Spiral Generator' (the previous record) and twists and turns through a vast genre spectra (as always with Vintersorg). 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." (from Blabbermouth)

From DigitalMetal.com:

Norwegian metallers Enslaved have just completed work on their seventh full-length album and follow-up to "Monumension", according to Osmose Productions.

Currently without title, Enslaved's new opus was produced by the band, legendary Norwegian producer Pytten and Jørgen Træen. The mixing for the album will take place in January, and it's said the as-yet-untitled album is "heavy, loud, sophisticated and as mesmerizing as ever."

So far three song titles have been revealed: "As Fire Swept Clean the Earth", "Ridicule Swarm" and "Queen of Night."

In similar news, Enslaved will be releasing a DVD of a recorded show in Warsaw, Poland. So far details are scant, but the affair is said to be "full-blown." A title, release date and a detailed list of DVD content is expected to surface shortly.

Last Days of April recently had some domain name issues with their website. The new address is www.ldoa.com. Look for them on tour in Germany and Spain with labelmates Logh.

Caesars Palace will be heading over to NYC in November with the French Kicks to play CMJ. And then in December they'll be playing England with T(I)NC and Danko Jones. And in even more news, the song "Kick You Out" is going to be included in a Smirnoff ad set to air during the Superbowl. I suspect we'll be hearing a lot more about Caesars Palace in the future.

Check back for an updated playlist later today.