Candlelight Records has signed all-female Norwegian gloom-metal act Octavia. The label describes the band as similar to the likes of Candlemass, Nightwish, The Gathering and The Third and the Mortal, but more rock. Their song "Lifelines of Depths" is featured on a metal comp from Music Export Norway alongside the likes of Audiopain, Einherjer, Enslaved, Red Harvest and Zyklon and a full-length album is due out sometime around spring 2005. In the meantime, you can download samples from their demo at their website: http://www.octavia.nu/mp3.html

There will be a special Bathory tribute at the upcoming Hole in the Sky Festival in Norway this coming August. As mentioned before, Bathory mastermind Thomas "Quorthon" Forsberg recently passed away due to heart failure. Artists set to take part: Abbath (ex-Immortal), Apollyon (Aura Noir), Faust (ex-Emperor), Gaahl (Gorgoroth), Grutle (Enslaved, Ivar (Enslaved), Nocturno Culto (Darkthrone), Samoth (Zyklon, ex-Emperor) and Satyr (Satyricon). A portion of the proceeds from the event will go to Black Mark Records, the label owned by Quorthon's father, Börje Forsberg.

Also coming on August 10 from Candlelight will be the reissue of Enslaved's 1994 recording "Vikingligr Veldi" which will be paired together with "Hordanes Land". "Hordanes Land" was originally released as a split with fellow Norwegian black-metallers Emperor.

Legendary, long-running Norwegian black-metal act Enslaved has signed a new record deal with Tabu Recordings. They'll be entering Grieghallen Studios in the near future with Jørgen "Sir Duperman" Træen and Eirik "Pytten" Hundvin. Mixing will follow at Jørgen's own Duper Studios. A release date is expected before the end of the year.

Windir will be playing one last special farewell concert on September 3 at the Rockefeller Arena in Oslo, Norway in commemoration of frontman Terje "Valfar" Bakken who tragically passed away in January. The date not only marks what would've been Terje's 26th birthday, but is also the release date for the band's 2xCD retrospective "Sognariket". As mentioned before, all proceeds from sales of that album go directly to Terje's family. Other bands paying tribute on the show are Enslaved, Finntroll and Mindgrinder.

Tabu Recordings will be putting out a new comp entitled "Infernal Gathering - The Second Chapter" as a companion to Norway's Inferno Festival. Now in its fourth year at Rockefeller/John Dee in Oslo, this new release "aims to showcase the broad spectrum of extreme metal the Inferno Metal Festival brings to the audience, and possibly even expose the listener to several new bands they had not previously heard." Tracklist:

01. Mayhem - "You Must Fall"
02. Susperia - "Situational Awareness"
03. Khold - "Mørke Gravers Kammer"
04. My Dying Bride - "The Prize Of Beauty"
05. Decapitated - "The Fury"
06. Mindgrinder - "Deception"
07. 1349 - "Haunting The Chapel"
08. Enslaved - "The Dead Stare"
09. Disiplin - "The Death Song"
10. Dimension F3H - "Babylon"
11. Sinners Bleed - "Deathbringer"
12. Pawnshop - "Space Cadillacs"

Look for it in stores on April 19.

Aeternus will enter Greighallen Studios in June with producer Pytten (Enslaved, Mörk Gryning) to record their new album "Revolution 9", tentatively due out late 2004 via Nocturnal Art Productions.

Representing Scandinavia on the (extremely late) Terrorizer Magazine best-of 2003 writer's poll:

02. Enslaved - Below The Lights
03. Darkthrone - Hate Them
09. Opeth - Damnation
11. Cult of Luna - The Beyond
20. Katatonia - Viva Emptiness

Read the rest (via DJ Martian): http://djmartian.blogspot.com/2004_03_01_djmartian_archive.html#107836349697629256

Heavymetal.no talks to ex-Enslaved, Gehenna drummer Dirge Rep: http://www.heavymetal.no/show.article.asp?menuid=&artid=1046 (in Norwegian)
His new band Orcustus has released a 7" called "World Dirtnap" on Southern Lord.

Here's most of the nominees for the Spellemannprisen, Norway's answer to the Grammy:

Female pop soloist:
Lene Marlin - "Another Day"
Karin Park - "Superworldunknown"
Bertine Zetlitz - "Sweet Injections"

Male pop soloist:
Julian Berntzen - "Waffytown"
Thomas Dybdahl - "Stray Dogs"
Magnet - "On Your Side"

Pop group:
D'Sound - "Doublehearted"
Ephemera - "Air"
Number Seven Deli - "Falkner Street"

Electronica:
Snuten - "Welcome to the Jungle"
Ulver - "Teachings in Silence"
Xploding Plastix - "The Donca Matic Singalongs"

Rock:
Amulet - "Danger! Danger!"
Ricochets - "The Ghost Of Our Love"
Thulsa Doom - "And Then Take You To a Place Where Jars Are"
Turbonegro - "Scandinavian Leather"
We - "Lightyears Ahead"

Blues/Country:
Vidar Busk - "Love Buzz"
Amund Maarud - "Ripped, Stripped and Southern Fried"
Tumbleweed - "Once More, With Feeling"

Metal:
Dimmu Borgir - "Death Cult Armageddon"
Enslaved - "Below the Lights"
Old Man's Child - "In Defiance of Existence"

Hip-Hop:
Diaz - "Velkommen Hjem Andres"
Equicez - "State of Emergency"
Paperboys - "The Great Escape"

Jazz:
Atomic - "Boom Boom"
Toe Brunborg Quartet - "Gravity"
Karin Krog - "Where You At?"
Christian Wallumrød Ensemble - "Sofienberg Variations"
Håvard Wiik - "Postures"

Open class:
Anne-Lise Berntsen/Nils Asheim - "Kom Regn"
Hallvard Bjørgum & Co- "Free Field"
Motorpsycho/Jaga Jazzist Horns - "In the Fishtank"
Niko Valkeapää - "Niko Valkeapää"
When - "Pearl Harvest"

Music video:
Diaz - "Hvem er denne karen"
Folk og Røvere - "Utadæsjælåpplevelse"
Kaizers Orchestra - "Evig Pint"
Thomas Dybdahl - "Cecilia"
Bertine Zetlitz - "Girl Like You"

Best newcomer:
Julian Berntzen - "Whaffy Town"
Equicez - "State of Emergency"
Rebekka Karijord - "Neophyte"
Kurt Nilsen - "I"
Karin Park - "Superworldunknown"

Best song:
Maria Arrendondo - "In Love With An Angel"
David - "Wild At Heart"
Folk og Røvere - "Utadæsjælåpplevelse"
Lene Marlin - "You Weren’t There"
Kurt Nilsen - "She’s So High"

Go here for the rest: http://www.nrk.no/musikk/3399677.html

Norweigan viking prog/black-metal act Enslaved will play a one-off gig at the Underground in Camden, London on January 23. The Enchanted and Skaldic Curse will support.

It's not too dissimilar from the Dagbladet list (see 12/09), but here's the top 21 records of the year from Norway's Aftenposten:

01. Equicez - "State Of Emergency"
02. Magnet - "On Your Side"
03. Thomas Dybdahl - "Stray Dogs"
04. King Midas - "Romeo Turn"
05. Vidar Busk - "Love Buzz"
06. Turbonegro - "Scandinavian Leather"
07. Ephemera - "Air"
08. Rebekka Bakken - "The Art Of How To Fall"
09. Tord Gustavsen Trio - "Changing Places"
10. Supersilent - "6"
11. Enslaved - "Below The Lights"
12. El Corazón - "El Corazón"
13. Karen Jo Fields - "Chase The Blue"
14. St. Thomas - "Hey Harmony"
15. Dimmu Borgir - "Death Cult Armageddon"
16. Bertine Zetlitz - "Sweet Injections"
17. Kaospilot - "Kaospilot"
18. Cloroform - "Hey You Let's Kiss"
19. Kaizers Orchestra - "Evig Pint"
20. Jaa9 & OnklP - "Bondegrammatikk - The Mixtape"
21. Ricochets - "The Ghost Of Our Love"

Nominees for Norway's Alarm awards:

Rock:
Turbonegro - Scandinavian Leather
King Midas - Romeo Turn
Ricochets - The Ghost Of Our Love
Amulet - Danger! Danger!
Sgt. Petter - It's A Record

Pop:
Julian Berntzen - Waffy Town
Magnet - On Your Side
Ephemera - Air
Thomas Dybdahl - Stray Dogs
Karen Jo Fields - Chase The Blue

Metal:
Dimmu Borgir - Death Cult Armageddon
El Caco - Solid Rest
The Cumshots - Norwegian Jesus
Enslaved - Below the Lights
Thulsa Doom - ...And Then Take You To A Place Where Jars Are Kept

Hip-hop/Rap:
Paperboys - The Great Escape
Equicez - State of Emergency - Generation Equiz
Jaa9 & OnklP - Bondegrammatikk - The Mixtape
Spetakkel - Spetakkel
Diaz - Velkommen hjem, Andres

Electronica:
Ralph Myerz & The Jack Herren Band - A Special Album
Pleasure - Pleasure
Xploding Plastix - The Donca Matic Singalongs
Tøyen - Did You Bring
Erlend Øye - Unrest

Jazz:
Atomic - Boom Boom
Supersilent - Supersilent 6
Come Shine - With The Norwegian Radio Orchestra In Concert
Håvard Wiik Trio - Postures
Paal Nilsen-Love / Ken Wandermark - Dual

Song:
Ephemera - Girls Keep Secrets In The Strangest Ways
Equicez - Barnslig
Ricochets - The Ghost Of Our Love
King Midas - Romeo Turn
Turbonegro - Fuck The World

Live:
Turbonegro
Ralph Myerz & The Jack Herren Band
King Midas
Equicez
The International Tussler Society

The Alarm awards aren't quite as respected as the Spellemannprisen, Norway's version of the Grammy, but are considered more of a stepping stone for young artists. Go to the Alarm site to vote for your favorites: http://www.alarmweb.org/2003/

Norweigan viking metal band Enslaved has been confirmed for the Piorno Rock Festival 2004 on February 28 in Pinos Puentes (Granada), Spain. Other Scandinavian acts set to play include Dark Funeral, Evergrey, and Finntroll. More info: http://www.piornorock.com/

"A Fine Young Man", the debut album of Evil Tordivel comes out next week and the group is doing some shows in Norway to celebrate. Backing up ET mainman Petter Alexander Olsen as his live band will be Ivar Persson (guitar, Enslaved), Brynjulf Guddal (synth, ex-Malignant Eternal), Stig Brunstad (bass, Fredrik Saroea Band) and Olle (drums, Lorraine, Fredrik Saroea Band). Dates:

10/20 – Checkpoint Charlie, Stavanger
10/21 – Garage, Bergen
10/27 – Mono, Oslo