After some time off and membership changes, Leiah is once again preparing to hit the road and tour Europe. Joakim can't make it because of new job obligations, but they think they've found a suitable replacement in Martin aka the "wiz kid" and "the unholy driver." The dates so far:

03/21 - Haldensleben Germany, JFZz "der club"
03/22 - München Germany, Kafe Kult
03/23 - Innsbruck Austria, Workstation
03/24 - Off
03/25 - Budapest Hungaria, Red Hole
03/26 - Cakovec Croatia, TBA
03/27 - Koprivnica Croatia, Kuglana 2
03/28 - Italy, TBA
03/29 - Pescara Italy, TBA
03/30 - Italy, TBA
03/31 - Ferrara Italy, TBA
04/01 - Italy, genova, TBA
04/02 - Toulouse France, Caravan Serail
04/03 - Torrelavega Spain, Ave Turuta
04/04 - Madrid Spain, madrid, Ene Ba
04/05 - Castellon Spain, Ricamor
04/06 - Castellon Spain, Kevin's House, exclusive show
04/07 - St. Feliu Spain, Atzavara Club
04/08 - Off
04/09 - Gent Belgium, Gent, Frontline
04/10 - Leuven Belgium, Leuven, Sojo
04/11 - Athus Belgium, Athus, Le Marignan
04/12 - Recklinghausen Germany, südpol
04/13 - Hamburg Germany hamburg, molotov
04/14 - Off
04/15 - Schwalmstadt Germany , Die Bar
04/16 - Münster Germany, Gleis 22
04/17 - Hohenmölsen Germany, Alte Musikschule
04/18 - Frankfurt/main Germany, Exzess
04/19 - Nürtingen Germany, Kuckucksei
04/20 - Schweinfurt Germany, Stadt Bahnhof
04/21 - Prague Czech, 007
04/22 - Berlin Germany, Kato
04/23 - Dresden Germany, Nubeatz

Supersilent has announced a few new festival dates including the Spot 09 festival in Århus, Denmark on May 30 and Øyafestivalen in Oslo on August 9. A full list of scheduled appearances is here.

The New Mess will touring Europe this June. The (very) tentative dates:

06/06 - Hanau (D) Schweinehalle
06/07 - TBA
06/08 - TBA
06/09 - TBA
06/10 - TBA
06/11 - Dresden (D) AZ Conni w/Off Minor
06/12 - Leipzig (D) Zoro w/Off Minor
06/13 - Cottbus (D) Chekov
06/14 - Berlin (D) Ausland

For more info about that new David & the Citizens EP I talked about yesterday, go to the band's website. They've put up full descriptions of what to expect from each song along with the recording information.

Ludwig from The (International) Noise Conspiracy will be filling on drums for The Soundtrack of Our Lives on the US tour in April. The dates:

4/2 - Minneapolis MN, 400 Bar
4/3 - Lawrence KS, Bottleneck
4/5 - Denver CO, Bluebird
4/6 - Salt Lake City UT, Zephyr
4/8 - San Francisco CA, Bimbo's 365 Club
4/10 - Seattle WA, Graceland
4/11 - Vancouver, Commodore Ballroom
4/13 - Whistler, Whistler Mountain Base

In other t(I)NC related news, Dennis has finished up work on the new Lost Patrol album and will be taking it to stage at the upcoming Umeå Open on March 28. Backing him will be members of Randy, Refused, Isolation Years and The Perishers.

In Flames had to cancel their show tonight in Cleveland with Mudvayne because their bus broke down "in the middle of nowhere." However, they promise to make up for it on their just-announced upcoming US headlining tour. Dates so far:

4/02 - Fayetteville AR, JR's Dickson St. Theatre
4/03 - Houston TX, Fitzgeralds
4/04 - Dallas TX, The Galaxy Club

From Rolling Stone concerning this year's SXSW fest:

Best Swedish Band: The Soundtrack of Our Lives beat Citizen Bird [Silverbullit] here in 2002, but this year it was all about the ladies. We give the nod to Maria Andersson and her hard-rockin' Sahara Hotnights over Maja Ivarsson and the New Wave sounds of the Sounds. The Hives' Howlin' Pelle Almqvist concurs -- he's dating Maria.

The Sounds have confirmed the dates for a Swedish tour in April that will coincide with the release of the new single "Rock'n'Roll". The dates:

4/19 - Helsingborg, The Tivoli
4/20 - Malmö, KB
4/23 - Stockholm, Klubben
4/24 - Göteborg, Trädgårn
4/25 - Sälen, Högfjällshotellet
4/26 - Jönköping, Parken

Håkan Hellström, The Sounds, Mando Diao, Meshuggah, Melody Club, and Loop Troop have been confirmed for the upcoming Arvika fest to take place July 10-12. Other international acts confirmed include Björk, Front 242, and Chicks on Speed.

Nü-metallers Blindside have been forced to cancel a number of dates on their upcoming European tour. Those affected:

3/28 - Wolverhampton, Little Civic
3/29 - Glasgow, Cathouse
3/30 - Manchester, Roadhouse
3/31 - London, Underworld
4/2 - Berlin, Magnet
4/3 - Cologne, Prime Club
4/5 - Hamburg, MarX
4/6 - Munich, Orangehouse

The Crown has set "Possessed 13" as the title of their upcoming album, due in September on Metal Blade Records.

It has been announced that Finntroll/Impaled Nazarene guitarist Teemu "Somnium" Raimoranta's death on Sunday was the result of an alcohol-related fall. Again, my condolences to his friends and family.

The Hellacopters got some new tour dates. Check it:

3/07 - Halmstad (S) Diezel
3/08 - Karlskoga (S) Wictoria
3/14 - Halden (N) Studenthuset
3/15 - Trondheim (N) Studentersamfundet
3/26 - Åre (S) Bygget
3/27 - Sälen (S) HC
3/28 - Umeå (S) Umeå Open
4/05 - Århus (DK) Voxhall
4/06 - Bochum (D) Matrix
4/07 - London (UK) Scala
4/08 - Portsmouth (UK) Wedgewood rooms
4/09 - London, (UK) John Peel Session
4/10 - Birmingham (UK) Academy 2
4/11 - K!Weekender (UK) East Sussex
4/12 - Dublin (IRL) Temple Bar
4/13 - Manchester (UK) Academy 3
4/14 - Leeds (UK) Cockpit
4/15 - Bristol (UK) Fleece
4/16 - Brighton (UK) Concorde 2
4/17 - Nijmegen (NL) Doornrossje
4/18 - Zwolle (NL) Hedo
4/19 - Kassel (D) Spot
4/20 - Erfurt (D) Spot
4/21 - Bremen (D) Schlachthof
4/25 - Eskilstuna (S) Blå
4/30 - Bergen (N) Hulen
5/01 - Stavanger (N) Folken
5/03 - Oslo (N) Rockefeller

Look for a large feature on Supersilent in the February issue of The Wire magazine from the UK. Or just go ahead and read it here.

My prediction for the next Swedish band to hit it big in America, The Caesars aka Caesars Palace, are finally getting a stateside album release. The record will be called "39 Minuter OF Bliss (In An Otherwise Meaningless World)" and it'll be out in April. And in even more exciting news (for me anyway), the band is going to be opening for The Soundtrack of Our Lives on their upcoming US tour in April. Bad-ass! See you there.

Värtinnä's new album "iki" is now available exclusively for mailorder from their US label NorthSide. This record marks the bands 20th anniversary and is their 10th release. The few reviews I've seen trickling in are definitely positive, so check it out if you're curious about Nordic folk. It hits stores on March 11.

The new Ariel Kill Him album "In the Pyramid" will come out on March 17 in Scandinavia, Europe to follow a couple months later. It's also coming out in Japan on Howling Bull in April. But of course, you can always order it direct from the label Kasual Records. Pre-orders are already being taken.

Kaospilot has set an April/May release date for their self-titled debut record from Level Plane Records. They've also posted a couple preview mp3s on this page. Otherwise, you can check them out as they tour across Europe in April:

4/11 - Germany, Lübeck - VEB
4/12 - Germany, Berlin - Kadterschmiede
4/13 - Germany, Dresden - Az Conni
4/14 - Germany, Würzburg - Immerhin
4/15 - Germany, Lebach - Juz
4/16 - UK, London - tba
4/17 - UK, Norwich - Ferryboat Inn
4/18 - UK, Grimsby - The Matrix Club
4/19 - UK, Bradford - 1 in 12
4/20 - UK, Cambridge - Man on the moon
4/21 - Belgium, Gent - Frontline
4/22 - Germany, Hamburg - Flora

Entombed has finalized plans for their new album. Now entitled "Inferno", it will be released May 13 on Music for Nations. As stated before, the record was recorded and produced by Pelle Gunnerfeldt of Fireside. Pelle's previous work credits include The Hives, Last Days of April, Randy and many many other fine bands. The tracklisting:

01. Retaliation
02. The Fix Is In
03. Descent Into Inferno
04. Incinerator
05. Night For Day
06. Nobodaddy
07. Young & Dead
08. Children Of The Underworld
09. Public Burning
10. Skeleton Of Steel
11. Flexing Muscles
12. That's When I Became A Satanist

Lords of Chaos to become a film?! Well, it's sort of true - the book documenting "the bloody rise of the satanic metal underground" aka the Norweigan black metal scene is indeed getting the big screen treatment, but not in a direct way. Here's the story, according to director Todd Sheets from Extreme Entertainment:

The original movie was going to be based on the book, but the author does not wish to give a wrong image of the events, and he does not wish to make it seem like we are agreeing with such behavior. So we are taking the concept of a group of American kids who read the book and listen to the bands and form a club with a group of real demons, a nightclub, that they use to bring in new recruits. The thing is, people who visit this club are used in rituals so demons can possess their bodies and use them as human "vessels" for the sole purpose of infiltrating the human race long enough to cause it's destruction. Our story follows one guy who gets into the club (It's by INVITATION ONLY) and how he finds out the truth and has to save his friend and himself from these beings from Hell. The film basically asks the question "What if all the lyrics and mythology of these Black Metal bands is REAL? What if they are based on FACT and NOT fiction?"

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.

The Soundtrack of Our Lives will be on the radio program World Cafe today at 2pm Eastern. Listen live here. I'll try to record it, too.

Washoe, the band featuring Uffe from Entombed along with Patrik Wirén, Patrik Thorngren and Olle from Misery Loves Company have officially changed their name to Alpha Safari. Their next show is March 23 at Skylten in Linköping.

Here's a list of the bonus tracks revealed so far for the upcoming Union Carbide Productions box-set:

Senile Man (rehearsal demo -86)
Duck Song (rehearsal demo -86-87)
3 or 4 tracks from CBGB's
Puppet On a String (-88)
Swedish Meatball Revival (alt. mix -89)
Here Comes Kjell (rehearsal demo -86)
So Long (instrumental -87)
Transaction
Hello
Planet Caravan (1990)
Let Me Come Down
SF Boogie (Instrumental)
Banana Split (ex. Get Riddley)
Doin' Time
Swing (demo version)
Chameleon ride (Demo version)
High Speed Energy (Unfinished "from influence" outtake)
Off The Wall
I'm Alive
Future Now (MC 5 cover 1992)
Anytime Of The Day (demo)
Turn Off The Blues (single version)

www.unioncarbideproductions.com also reports that the album "Swing" will be reissued like the vinyl version, with the band's preferred song sequence and new artwork that the label didn't approve of.

www.thearkworld.com has posted a bunch of pics plus some audio and video from The Ark's performance in Vaxjo last Friday.

Startracks has revealed they will be doing a label comp to come out on March 10. They are of the opinion that such comps "are the lowest and worst shit you can do," but "it was the cheapest way to get the word out there, it will be great, cheap and with at least one exclusive song so you end up buying it." More details when I get them.

I should've posted it a couple days ago, but Supersilent's new album "6" is one of the featured new releases on the Aquarius Records new release list. Read the review and listen to samples here. Mega indie-rock site Pitchfork Media also reviewed it today and gave it a 9.1 out of 10.

The Norweigan label Racing Junior will be holding a mini-festival at The Spitz in London on February 19-20. The groups confirmed to play are Hello Goodbye, Salvatore, Ai Phoenix, Tøyen, Portrait of David and The White Birch. Read more here.

69-Hard and Puffball kick some Danish ass at Stengade 30 in Copenhagen Denmark on Thursday, March 20. Tons of new material will be showcased!

That comes straight from Metz of 69-Hard. The new album "Blues from Hell" comes out March 28 on Idle Hands Records.

Sentenced has decided to take a much-needed break following the recent completion of their successful European tour with Lacuna Coil. Guitarist Sami Lopakka plans on spending time with his new child while singer Ville Laihiala and guitarist Miika Tenkula continue writing for the next record. However, they still plan to release a four-song EP with leftover tracks from "The Cold White Light" later on this year.

May be worth a look: The 2002 Village Voice Pazz & Jop Poll. Top ranked albums from Scandinavian acts include The Hives (21), The Soundtrack of Our Lives (38), Röyksopp (82), Sondre Lerche (94), Sahara Hotnights (154), Division of Laura Lee (158), and even Immortal (225). I probably missed a few, too. The included article 'Party in Hard Times' also makes mention of the recent success of Swedish rock in the US and might be of some interest.

The Soundtrack of Our Lives will be appearing on the Jay Leno Show on Wednesday, February 19.

Supersilent and Arve Henriksen are touring the UK in May. The dates:

5/22 - Exeter, UK
5/23 - Bath, UK
5/24 - Belfast, Ireland
5/25 - Salisbury, UK
5/26 - Birmingham, UK
5/27 - Liverpool, UK
5/28 - London UK

Hammerfall will be heading to Japan in March with Nocturnal Rites.

The next Melody Club single will be for the song "Covergirl". It comes out on March 24.

The recording of the new album has now taken its first steps towards the end. This time, to make it all even better, they have added new angles and approach to it all which will make the last album look pale compared to this one! DZO are creating a monster and they do not know if it will guide them or kill them. To be continued...

That's Dimension Zero describing the recording progress on the new album "This is Hell".

Turbonegro has finalized the track listing for their new album "Scandinavian Leather":

01. Intro: The Blizzard Of Flames
02. Wipe It Till It Bleeds
03. Gimme Some
04. Turbonegro Must Be Destroyed
05. Sell Your Body (To The Night)
06. Remain Untamed
07. Train Of Flesh
08. Fuck The World
09. Locked Down
10. I Want It All
11. D.I.B. (Drenched In Blood)
12. Le Saboteur
13. Ride With Us

Look for it on April 28 from Burning Heart Records.

There will be another five bands added to those Swedish showcase shows that I posted about yesterday. I'll let you know who they are as soon as I can.

Drummer Jensa Paulsson has left Grave, citing work and family issues. He will be replaced by Cristofer Barkensjö of Kassmos who the band says "is an excellent drummer and has been a friend of ours for a long time... we are very happy to welcome him in the band."

This week's MTV Up North Nordic video chart:

01. The Rasmus - In The Shadows
02. Acorn - One Day
03. Jon - Right Here Next To You
04. User - You Belong
05. The Spitts - That´s my girl
06. Last Days Of April - All Will Break
07. Christian - Min Fremtid
08. The Lungz - It´s Alright
09. Caesars Palace - Candy Kane

Challengers:
01. Trucker - I Feel So Sick
02. Paperboys - Find My Way
03. The Raveonettes - Attack Of The Ghostriders
04. The Cardigans - For What It´s Worth
05. Beats & Styles - Smilin´

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

A new mp3 today from Last Days of April. Nice melancholic pop music.

The Sahara Hotnights are coming back to the US. The dates so far: (w/Ikara Colt and Washdown)

2/27, 2003 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
2/28, 2003 Hoboken, NJ Maxwells
3/01, 2003 Philadelphia, PA North Star
3/02, 2003 Washington, DC Black Cat
3/03, 2003 Richmond, VA Alley Katz
3/05, 2003 Atlanta, GA The Echo Lounge
3/06, 2003 Jacksonville, FL Jack Rabbits
3/07, 2003 Orlando, FL The Social
3/14, 2003 Austin, TX Stubb's (SXSW)
3/31, 2003 Detroit, MI The Shelter

And the winners of the Rockbjörnen are...

Best male: Håkan Hellström
Best female: Robyn
Best group: Kent
Best song: Kom igen Lena (Håkan Hellström)
Best album: Vapen och Ammunition (Kent)
Best newcomer: The Sounds

Also from Aftonbladet on occasion of the Rockbjörnen, a transcription of a live chat with The Cardigans. More here. (in Swedish)

Deathprod (Supersilent, ex-Motorpsycho) was interviewed on the BBC Radio 3 program Mixing It yesterday. Listen to an archive of the program here.

Lullacry's new album "Crucify My Heart" will hit North America on April 8from Century Media. The first single already went straight to #5 on the Finnish charts right on its initial release.

The Hellacopters are going on a Scandinavian tour beginning in late February. The dates:

2/27 - Malmö, KB
2/28 - Helsingborg, Tivoli
3/01 - Lund, Blender@Tegnérs Matsalar
3/07 - Halmstad, Diezel
3/08 - Karlskoga, Wictoria
3/11 - Halden (N), Studenthuset
3/12 - Stavanger (N), Folken
3/13 - Oslo (N), Rockefeller
3/14 - Bergen (N), Hulen
3/15 - Trondheim (N), Studentersamfundet
3/26 - Åre, Bygget
3/27 - Sälen, HC
3/28 - Umeå, Umeå Open

Also from The Hellacopters is a new 4-colored, 52-page comicbook called "The Hellacopters - Beamed Into Deep-Space". Honest! Read more from the artist Dennis Eriksson:

You will get a close-up look at The Hellacopters backstage, see them fight and even follow them in space! The band will meet characters like Florinda Flames, Dawn Daggers and The Regulator. They are all featured in my web-comic - Francis Rove. I found the whole concept to fit very well together with The Hellacopters so all I had to do was to introduce the band into the world of Francis Rove!
Henke Walse, who does all of The Hellacopters' prints, thought it'd be a cool idea to do a Hella-comic. Since I've previously been involved with the making of an animated video for the band ("Move Right Outta Here") I felt pretty comfortable with making a Hella-comic. Nicke wanted it to feature a great deal of "rock, space and sci-fi". That was his only request. So keep an eye out for the sequel!!

Get a preview of it here, here, or here.

Check out a profile on the Norweigan singer Solveig Slettahjell right here. Judging from the 30-sec sample, she does that jazzy torch-song kinda thing.

Get a preview of the new single "Daydream Receiver" from Askil Holm.

A new mp3 from The Knife this morning. Look to your right.

Rune Grammofon released the new Supersilent album "6" today. Featuring members of Motorpsycho among other bands, the label says the music will "attract followers of bands such as Goodspeed You Black Emperor!, Sigur Rós, King Crimson, (late) Talk Talk or Popol Vuh." Read more about it here or here. In other news about the band, Helge Sten aka Deathprod revealed in an interview with Mute magazine that the band will be releasing a 10 disc live box sometime around spring '04.

Backdraft's debut album "Here To Save You All" will finally be made available in the US on Febuary 18 from Abstract Sound USA.

Askil Holm has a new single called "Daydream Receiver" coming out January 21. The track was written by Askil with help from Martin Hagfors and Lars Horntvedth. Look for the new album in early March.

"We have never been better" declares The Cardigans is this short feature from Aftonbladet. The band has their big 'comeback' performance at the Rockbjörnen awards show next Monday. (in Swedish)

More from Aftonbladet: the E-Type metal show gets a mediocre review from Göteborg. (in Swedish)

Wilmer X has a new single called "Vi Som Blommar Sent" coming out February 10. The new album "Lyckliga Hundar" follows on the 24th. Get a preview here. They'll be doing some touring, too. The dates so far:

3/22 Malmö, KB
3/26 Stockholm, Göta Källare
4/3 Helsingborg, The Tivoli
4/4 Lund, Mejeriet
4/10 Göteborg, Trädgår’n
4/11 Kalmar, Palace
4/12 Uppsala, Katalin

The Punchdrunks have become a duo leaving just guitarists Robert Johnson and Per Thorsell. Of course the reason was music differences. It pretty much always is. Anyhow, the two will be working on the follow-up to Fried On The Altar Of Good Taste", tentatively titled "Atomic Powered Singing".

The Klerks are the band of the week over at MTVE.com. They describe the band as "the lost link between The Ark and Andreas Johnson." They remind me a bit of the first album from The Motorhomes. Anyhow,the band is getting a lot of hype so go ahead and read their profile and interview. The album comes out today and the third single for the track "Shame" will be out mid-February.

DVD plans for the Backyard Babies have been pushed back as the band is still hard at work on preparing for their next album. They promise it will come out eventually, but for now they rather concentrate on the new material. In other news, Nicke and Dregen will be in LA for upcoming NAMM show to promote their new guitar models. If you read guitar mags, maybe you've already seen an ad for them.

In Flames is gearing up to work on their next album by travelling to Denmark for preproduction. The band says they are still planning a few summer festival gigs, but otherwise this is their plan:

As we did for "Reroute to Remain" we will turn off our phones, put our personal lives on hold and disconnect our entire contact with the outside world so that we can focus 100% on making a great new album. Once again it will be the five of us, our equipment and the cheapest possible beer we can find - tons of it!!!
Some of you had some thoughts on what we can change with our music,and that´s always appreciated, but as always we will choose no other path than the one chosen by the 5 members of IN FLAMES!

Moneybrother (ex-Monster) has their debut EP called "Thunder in My Heart" coming out on StarEP/Startracks. It was produced by Jari Haapalainen (Bear Quartet) and will be out in February. The first single and video for the track "Reconsider Me" will be out in either February or March. Listen to a sample here. (Real Audio)