In Flames is previewing a new track on myspace from the upcoming "Viva la bands, vol. 2" comp: http://www.myspace.com/inflames

In Flames will soon begin demo/pre-production for their next record and will be blogging about it on myspace every week starting September 10.

The playlist for this week's all-GBG radio show:

01. Maia Hirasawa - Gothenburg
02. TALK 1
03. Hemstad - Sommar i Göteborg
04. Division of Laura Lee - We are numbers
05. Håkan Hellström - Kom igen Lena!
06. TALK 2
07. In Flames - Everything counts
08. Pistol Disco - Walking with Jesus
09. Viktor Sjöberg - W/nothing
10. TALK 3
11. Kristofer Åström - Just a little insane
12. The Knife - Listen now
13. Broder Daniel - Dark heart
14. TALK 4
15. Samuraj Cities - All along the shoreline
16. MPTP - Jim Morrison
17. At the Gates - Cold
18. TALK 5
19. The Book of Daniel - The camels parade
20. Silverbullit - Magnetic city
21. The Soundtrack of Our Lives - Nevermore
22. TALK 6
23. Nicolai Dunger - What tomorrow
24. The Kid - Portion control (Fatsuit haze/Zlatan wins the World Cup remix)
25. The Idealist - The knives are my eyes
26. C.Aarmé - Visions
27. TALK 7
28. Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words - I could have sworn I heard them SING
29. Junip - Official
30. Diabolique - Catholic
31. TALK 8
32. Convoj - My timekeeping heart
33. Tsukimono - Dear sister
34. Eric Beyond - Step off
35. TALK 9
36. Björn Kleinhenz - Out of style
37. Detektivbyrån - E18
38. TALK 10
39. Bad Cash Quartet - Too bored to die

MP3: In Flames - The jester race

The one thing that got me interested in Swedish music in the first place was the mid-90s Gothenburg metal scene. I don't remember exactly what year it was, but I picked up a copy of "Terminal spirit disease" by At the Gates on a whim and my life was forever changed. I brought the disc home and must've listened to it at least 3x in a row. It wasn't long before I was fervently reading liner notes, seeking out as many other new bands as I could. Of course, one of the first I discovered was In Flames. I haven't followed them so much in recent years, especially as the lines blur between them and what they do and the legions of shitty metalcore bands out there in the world, but I must say that "The jester race" is an unfuckwithable classic. This is what got me into the scene - the melodies of Iron Maiden, but played with the intensity and heaviness of death metal. The sound is totally played out nowadays, but you have to remember how fresh and inspiring it was when it was new. I certainly do.

In Flames - The jester race

Festival report: Arvika

Festival report: Roskilde

Hardcore Superstar will be borrowing In Flames' studio to record their new album, tentatively due out around November.

The playlist for my radio show this week:

01. Death By Kite - Scared of heights
02. TALK 1
03. Kompjotr Eplektrika - Crakkin zombees...
04. Monomen - Asian spacestation
05. José González - Hints
06. TALK 2
07. I Am Bones - Backpackers
08. Ellen Beach - The widespread acclaim
09. Moder Jords Massiva - Ingenting
10. TALK 3
11. Iisole - The words
12. Kornstad - Sweden
13. Cortex - Mind of darkness
14. TALK 4
15. Silverbullit - Run
16. [ingenting] - Hollywood dreams
17. In Flames - The jester race
18. TALK 5
19. Nicolai Dunger - Soul rush
20. Existensminimum - Changing lines
21. Echo Is Your Love - Peace song
22. TALK 6
23. Laakso - The death of us
24. Christian Kjellvander - Words in the wires
25. Mustasch - Double nature
26. TALK 7
27. Tellevika + Firefox AK - Eric
28. Tape - A spire
29. C.Aarmé - Golden retriever
30. TALK 8
31. The Bear Quartet - Put me back together
32. Susanne Sundfør - Walls
33. The Hellacopters - Like no other man
34. TALK 9
35. Aerial - You will all die, all things will

MP3: Dark Tranquility - Tongues

Dark Tranquility has a new album out, so I figured that it would be a great time to revisit one of their classic mid-90s records to see how well they hold up. As for the new record... it's okay, I guess. While I agree with Richard that it's somewhat of a return to form (the last few records have been pretty weak, to say the least), I have a hard time getting all that excited about it. I can handle the subtle keyboards and even the clean singing, but the modern metal recording style drives me crazy! It's so overcompressed and lacking dynamics. The guitars all have that horrible, overused Mesa dual-rectifier tone. No matter how the good the songs are, I still can't listen to it.
1997's "The mind's I" was my first exposure to Dark Tranquility. It came out at a time when I was purchasing anything and everything that came out the Gothenburg metal scene and for awhile, was one of my favorite new records. Of all the mid-90s melodic death metal from the era, it's certainly a top-10 contender. However, DT was always kind of an also-ran compared to the likes of At the Gates and In Flames. They were always a bit more pretentious and more likely to take risks, often alienating fans. I'm all for band evolution, but 1999's "Projector" was not good. What I like about "The mind's I" and this track in particular, is the clean, organic sound. Two guitars, drums, bass (which you can actually hear quite cleanly) and vocals - no useless overdubs, no excessive production tricks. The musicianship is impeccable, too. Put on headphones and check out the way the hard-panned guitars interact. The solo is killer as well - it leads perfectly into a powerful bridge in which singer Mikael Stanne sounds absolutely anguished, even if the lines he's singing are total gobbledygook. This is exactly what got me into Swedish/Scandinavian music in the first place. Every once in awhile, it's good to remind myself why.

Dark Tranquility - Tongues

Dark Tranquility
Fiction
Century Media

Dark Tranquility can still deliver top notch melodic death metal after some 15 years in the business. Together with At the Gates and In Flames, they are the founders of the so called Gothenburg sound. Where most bands would long since peaked, Dark Tranqility at this point sound better than they've done in a long time. I dare say "Fiction" is their best album since the classic "The gallery" from 1995. They make smart use of keyboards and sometimes create a gothic mood, and the variation of really fast and aggressive songs alongside slower material makes this album a very versatile affair. And the fact that vocalist and growl-master Mikael Stanne once again uses his clean voice on two songs is a great move. Songs like "Blind at heart" and "Nothing to no one" is the ultimate proof that this band should achieve the same kind of breakthrough as other Swedish death metal bands like Arch Enemy or In Flames!
- Richard Wilson

The Knife have swept the Swedish Grammis, taking home six prizes! Here's the winners in all of the major categories:

Best artist: The Knife
Best song: Martin Stenmarck - "7milakliv" (Universal)
Best album: The Knife - "Silent shout" (Rabid)
Best pop group: The Knife - "Silent shout" (Rabid)
Best production: Karin Drejer Andersson/Olof Drejer - "Silent shout" (Rabid)
Best composition: Karin Drejer Andersson/Olof Drejer - "Silent shout" (Rabid)
Best music DVD: The Knife- "Silent shout - an audio visual experience" (Rabid)
Best rock group: Mando Diao - "Ode to ochrasy" (Majesty)
Best jazz: Esbjörn Svensson Trio - "Tuesday Wonderland" (ACT)
Best club/dance: Christian Falk - "People say" (Bonnier)
Best hard-rock/metal: In Flames - "Come clarity" (Nuclear Blast)
Best pop/rock female: Anna Ternheim - "Separation road" (Universal)
Best hip-hop/soul: Snook - "Är" (P.O.P.E)
Best newcomer: Veronica Maggio - "Vatten och bröd" (Stockholm Records)
Best pop/rock male: Håkan Hellström - "Nåt gammalt, nåt nytt, nåt lånat, nåt blått" (Dolores)
Export prize: José González
Best lyrics: Anna Ternheim - "Separation road" (Universal)
Open category: Evert Taube - "Samtliga grammofoninspelningar 1921-1970" (HMV)
Hederspris: Peps Persson
Telia's prize for the best ringtone: Basshunter - "Boten Anna"

Read more: http://www.grammis.se/

Swedish melodic metal acts In Flames and Dark Tranquility will be doing a co-headlining tour of North America in March:

03/19 - The Social, Orlando, FL
03/20 - State Theatre, St. Petersberg, FL
03/21 - Masquerade, Atlanta, GA
03/23 - Palladium, Worcester, MA
03/24 - Trocadero, Philadelphia, PA
03/25 - Jaxx, W. Springfield, VA
03/26 - Gramercy, New York, NY
03/28 - Club Soda, Montreal, QC
03/29 - Opera House, Toronto, ON
04/02 - Headliners, Louisville, KY
04/03 - Pop's, Sauget, IL
04/04 - Metro, Chicago, IL
04/06 - Cervantes, Denver, CO
04/07 - Avalon, Salt Lake City, UT
04/09 - Croatian Culture Centre, Vancouver, BC
04/10 - El Corazon, Seattle, WA
04/11 - Hawthorne Theatre, Portland, OR
04/12 - Slims, San Fransisco, CA
04/13 - House of Blues, Anaheim, CA

The nominees for the 2007 Manifest Awards, Sweden's alternative to the Grammy:

Hip-hop/R&B/Soul:
Up Hygh! - Venus - The Album (Raw Fusion/Border)
Ison & Fille - Stolthet (Hemmalaget/V2/BAM)
Supersci - Pinetrees On The Pavement (Flyphonic/Lights Out/Border)
Lazee - It Is What It Is (Skrilla Music)
Promoe - The White Mans Burden (Burning Heart/BAM)
Electronica/Post-rock/Synth:
Covenant - Skyshaper (Subspace Communications/Playground Music)
Ebb - Loona (Gaymonkey Records/Border)
FAP - Malekasino Dondolo (Stupid Dream Records/Musicspot)
System - Sample And Hold (Progress Productions/Border)
The Idealist - I Am The Fire (AA/Nosordo/dotshop.se)
Pop/Rock:
The Radio Dept. - Pet grief (Labrador/Border)
Nicolas Makelberge - Dying in Africa (*Rico/Border)
Fibes, Oh Fibes! - Emotional (Pluxemburg/Playground Music)
The Concretes - In Colour (Licking Fingers/Playground Music)
Ebba Forsberg - Ebba Forsberg (EBOTH Production/BAM)
Jazz:
My Engström Renman - Abdominous (Footprint Records/CDA)
Jonas Kullhammar Quartet - Son of a Drummer (Moserobie/BAM)
Oddjob – Luma (Amigo/BAM)
Oskar Schönning - Happy Jazz, Please (Amigo/BAM)
Lennart Åberg with Peter Erskine - Free Spirit (Amigo/BAM)
Singer/Songwriter:
Andreas Mattsson - The Lawlessness Of The Ruling Classes (Hybris/Playground Music)
Britta Persson - Top Quality Bones And A Little Terrorist (Amigo/BAM)
The Lancaster Orchestra - Never Cried Once When I Could Have (Rootsy.nu/Border)
Loney, Dear - Sologne (Dear John Recordings/Dotshop.se)
Nina Ramsby & Martin Hederos - Jazzen (Amigo/BAM)
Dance/House/Techno:
The Knife - Silent Shout (Rabid Records/Border)
Unai - A Love Moderne (Force Tracks/Intergroove)
Dibaba - samlad produktion 2006 (Plong!/Kompakt mfl)
Pluxus - Solid State (Pluxemburg/Playground Music)
The Studio - West Coast (Information/Border)
Hard-rock/Punk:
In Flames - Come Clarity (Nuclear Blast/Sound Pollution)
Fingerspitzengefühl - Happy Doomsday (Kooljunk Communications/CDA)
Asta Kask - En För Alla Ingen För Nån (Burning Heart/BAM)
Wolverine - Still (Candlelight Records/Sound Pollution)
Memfis - The Wind-Up (Dental Records/TMC Nordic)
Folk/World/Reggae
Bosse Skoglund – Groovesopor (Rub-a-dub Records/Border)
Göran Månsson - Mon (Nordic Tunes/CDA)
Bebo Valdés – Bebo (Calle 54/BMG Dist)
Lena Willemark - Älvdalens elektriska (Amigo/BAM)
Ranarim - Morgonstjärna (Drone/CDA)
Best live act:
The Radio Dept.
Mapei
The Knife
The Je Ne Sais Quoi
Slagsmålsklubben
Best newcomer:
Vapnet - Jag Vet Hur Man Väntar (Hybris/Playground)
Britta Persson - Top Quality Bones And A Little Terrorist (Amigo/BAM)
The Kid - La Société Nouvelle (Hybris/Playground)
Loney, Dear - Sologne (Dear John Recordings/Dotshop.se)
Lo-Fi-Fnk - Boylife (La Vida Locash/dotshop.se)
Best unsigned act (Digfi Prize):
The Wonderful Guinea Pigs (Linköping)
Denver Mod (Jönköping)
The Open Up And Bleeds (Stockholm)
Trucker Cleavage (Stockholm)
Ikons (Göteborg)

Nominees for the Swedish categories of this year's Rockbjörnen:

Best newcomer:
Ola Svensson
Linda Sundblad
Basshunter
Sebastian Karlsson
Veronica Maggio

Best male artist:
Darin
Ola Svensson
Lars Winnerbäck
Håkan Hellström
Martin Stenmarck

Best female artist:
Agnes
Marit Bergman
Linda Sundblad
Lisa Miskovsky
Anna Ternheim

Best group:
BWO
Roxette
Mando Diao
In Flames
Snook

Best song:
Boten Anna - Basshunter
7milakliv - Martin Stenmarck
Perfect - Darin
Rain - Ola Svensson
Come Clarity - In Flames

Best album:
Break The News - Darin
Come Clarity - In Flames
Given To Fly - Ola Svensson
Ode To Ochrasy - Mando Diao
Changes - Lisa Miskovsky

The nominees for this year's Swedish Grammis have been announced:

Best album:
Anna Ternheim - "Separation Road"
BWO - "Halcyon Days"
Lisa Miskovsky - "Changes"
Marit Bergman - "I Think It's A Rainbow"
The Knife - "Silent Shout"

Best hiphop/soul:
Fattaru - "Mina drömmars stad"
Ison & Fille - "Stolthet"
Mange Schmidt - "Samtidigt, i Stockholm"
Promoe - "White Man's Burden"
Snook - "Är"

Best club/dance:
Basshunter - "LOL <(^^,)>"
Christian Falk - "People Say"
SUMO - "The Danceband"
Sunblock - "I'll Be Ready"
The Attic - "The One"

Best jazz:
Anna Christoffersson & Steve Dobrogosz - "It's Always You"
e.s.t. - "Tuesday Wonderland"
Jonas Kullhammar Quartet - "Son Of A Drummer"
Koop - "Koop Islands"
Oddjob - "Luma"

Best hardrock:
Backyard Babies - "People Like People Like People Like"
Europe - "Secret Society"
Hammerfall - "Threshold"
In Flames - "Come Clarity"
The Haunted - "The Dead Eye"

Best pop/rock female:
Anna Ternheim - "Separation Road"
Linda Sundblad - "Oh My God!"
Lisa Miskovsky - "Changes"
Marit Bergman - "I Think It's A Rainbow"
Veronica Maggio - "Vatten och bröd"

Best pop/rock male:
Andreas Johnson - "Mr Johnson, Your Room Is On Fire"
Darin - "Break The News"
Eric Gadd - "Eric Gadd"
Håkan Hellström - "Nåt gammalt, nåt nytt, nåt lånat, nåt blått"
Timo Räisänen - "I'm Indian"

Best pop group:
Bo Kaspers Orkester - "Hund"
BWO - "Halcyon Days"
Fibes, Oh Fibes! - "Emotional"
Melody Club - "Scream"
The Knife - "Silent Shout"

Best rock group:
Atomic Swing - "The Broken Habanas"
Johnossi - "Johnossi - With 3 Bonus Tracks"
Mando Diao - "Ode To Ochrasy"
The Refreshments - "24-7"
Whyte Seeds - "Bold As Love"

Best newcomer:
Asha Ali - "Asha Ali"
Basshunter - "Boten Anna"
I'm From Barcelona - "Let me introduce my friends"
Sebastian - Sebastian
Veronica Maggio - "Vatten och bröd"

Best producer:
Anders Hansson & Alexander Bard - "Halcyon days"
Christian Falk - "People say"
Jara Haapalainen - "Brott & Straff Sånger från ett kvinnofängelse"
Joakim Berg & Simon Nordberg - "Changes"
Karin Drejer Andersson/Olof Drejer - "Silent shout"

Read more: http://www.grammis.se/