I've got a busy workday ahead of me, so updates may tend to be a bit slow. Bear with me. And lots of new links coming soon, too.

UPDATE: I'm finally done for the day and the links page has a ton of new sites on it. Enjoy!

Here's some pics from day one of the Umeå Open. Thanks Magnus!

The Cardigans have been confirmed for the Glastonbury festival which takes place on June 27. More info here.

Interested in the new Nasum album? The band has put up a full preview page with the album cover, tracklist and some samples. Check it out.

Thirdimension has added two of their videos to their site. Go to the 'Pleasure' section to check 'em out. The band admits they're kinda old and maybe not "not among our top ten-list of videos", but they say "the latter one ["Yes Equals No"] is quite cool." Works for me.

Get a preview of the new Moonbabies song "Fieldtrip USA". Like I said yesterday, Chalksounds is putting out some great pop records soon and the upcoming album "The Orange Billboard" is no exception. Good stuff.

On April 1, Burning Heart records will unleash the new Turbonegro site www.scandinavianleather.com where they say you'll find "mp3's, tourdates, bio, photos, video, competitions, e-cards and games." As much as I dig some of their old stuff and respect the band, I find the new album to be a bit too polished and boring. Eh, on the other hand, it's still better than most of the dreck out there I suppose. Those of who just discovering the band, buy one of the recent reissues - that's where it's at.

The nominees for the Swedish Hip Hop Awards have been announced. Check it.

Norwegian/Senegalese kora master Solo Cissokho won the BBC World Music Award for his album "Tretakt Takissaba" which was recorded together with Swedish fiddler Ellika Frisell. Cissokho has worked for many years on his goal of fusing "African griot-tradition with traditional Norwegian folk music," as stated by MIC Norway. For those that are unaware (as I was), the kora (or cora) is a Senegalese string instrument. Read more about it here.

More from MIC Norway:

Despite strong presence of Norwegian artists on the national Top 40 album charts, the sales trend is negative. The February figures from the Association of Norwegian Record Distributors indicate a 21% decline in sales of Norwegian records compared to 2002. Despite this, the mood on the Norwegian music scene is still very positive.

Read more.

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

01. v/a - Melodifestivalen 2003
02. v/a - Fame Factory volym 4
03. Lars Winnerbäck och Hovet - Söndermarken
04. Lisa Nilsson - Samlade sånger 1992-2003
05. The Refreshments - On the rocks
06. Cornelis Vreeswijk - Cornelis Vreeswijks bästa
07. Fernandoz - Vem får din kärlek i natt
08. Kent - Vapen & ammunition
09. Wilmer X - Lyckliga hundar
10. Evergrey - Recreation day
11. Emil Sigfridsson - Tillbaka till igår
12. The Sounds - Living in America
13. Kikki Bettan Lotta - Live från Rondo
14. Robyn - Don´t stop the music
15. Anders Widmark featuring Sara Isaksson - s/t
16. Kajsa Grytt - Är vi på väg hem?
17. Rikard Wolff - Du får mig (om jag får dig)
18. The Knife - Deep Cuts
19. Ted Gärdestad - Droppar av solregn
20. Isolation Years - It's golden

The Hives have been added to the bill of the V Festival which takes place August 16-17 at Hylands Park in Chelmsford and Weston Park in Staffordshire. Apparently it will be their only UK appearance this year. Other bands confirmed for this fest include Echo And The Bunnymen, Coldplay and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Tickets are available at www.wayahead.com.

The Concretes will finally be releasing their self-titled album on May 1. The lead single "You Can´t Hurry Love" is already out. The band is also opening for Ed Harcourt on the following dates (sorry, no venue information):

3/31 - Stockholm
4/2 - Göteborg
4/3 - Malmö

The mighty Hellacopters are coming over to the UK in April to do some shows and a live session with John Peel. Pretty cool, eh? Now if they'd come back to America. SUpport will come from The Peepshows. Anyhow, the dates:

4/7 - London Scala
4/8 - Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms
4/9 - Live on John Peel, Radio 1
4/10 - Birmingham Academy 2
4/11 - Camber Sands Weekender
4/12 - Dublin Temple Bar
4/13 - Manchester Academy 3
4/14 - Leeds Cockpit
4/15 - Bristol Fleece & Firkin
4/16 - Brighton Concorde 2
And in Europe, too:
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

Meshuggah has finally got confirmed dates for their upcoming US tour with Strapping Young Lad:

4/25 - Graceland - Seattle, WA
4/26 - Roseland - Portland, OR
4/27 - Commodore Ballroom - Vancouver, BC
4/29 - Slim's - San Francisco, CA
4/30 - The Edge - Palo Alto, CA
5/01 - The Palace - Los Angeles, CA
5/02 - The Scene - San Diego, CA
5/03 - Galaxy Theater - Santa Ana, CA
5/04 - Marquee Theater - Phoenix, AZ
5/06 - Stubb's B-B-Q - Austin, TX
5/07 - White Rabbit - San Antonio, TX
5/08 - Canyon Club - Dallas, TX
5/09 - Diamond Ballroom - Oklahoma City, OK
5/10 - The Other Side - Tulsa, OK
5/11 - Headliner's - Louisville, KY
5/12 - Clutch Cargo's - Pontiac, MI
5/13 - The Metro - Chicago, IL
5/14 - Quest Club - Minneapolis, MN
5/15 - The Rave - Milwaukee, WI
5/16 - Peabody's Down Under - Cleveland, OH
5/17 - The Palladium - Worcester, MA - New England Metal & Hardcore Fest
5/18 - Birch Hill - Old Bridge, NJ
5/19 - Jaxx - West Springfield, VA w/Hate Eternal
5/20 - The Trocadero - Philadelphia, PA
5/21 - Village Underground - New York, NY
5/22 - North Six - Brooklyn, NY
5/23 - The Chance - Poughkeepsie, NY
5/25 - Les Foufounes Electriques - Montreal, QUE
5/26 - Club Rocket - Toronto, ONT

Swedish dis-core band Skitsystem are finally heading out on their first European tour. For those that don't know, the band is fronted by ex-At the Gates/The Crown, current Great Deceiver singer Tomas Lindberg. He plays guitar in this band, too. Fellow crusties Victims are opening. The dates:

4/21 – Hamburg, GER - Rote flora
4/22 – Potsdam, GER - Archiv
4/23 – Mülheim, GER - AZ
4/24 – Bielefeld, GER - AJZ
4/25 – Stuttgart, GER @ TBA
4/26 – Amsterdam, NETH - Villa Friekens

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?"

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

Was it just me, or did World Cafe not stream that TSOOL performance yesterday? Did I miss it? Anyone else record it?

Katatonia has put up a 45-second teaser of the new song "Evidence"on their homepage. As stated before, the new album "Viva Emptiness" comes out March 24.

The Hives won two categories at the recent NME awards: 'Best International Band' and 'Best Dressed'. The full list of winners is here.

Isolation Years will release the first single from the new album "It's Golden" on February 17. The track is called "Open Those Eyes" and I have no doubt it will be awesome. The album follows on March 14.

Madrugada is planning to release the song "Majesty" as the next single. It's already been doing quite well in the charts. The rumor is that they're doing an EP and it'll be out on March 5. No word on the b-sides at this time.

Read the transcript of MTVE.com's webchat with The Cardigans. There's actually some pretty good questions from the fans getting asked and answered.

Ulver reports that the "1993-2003: 1st Decade in the Machines" remix comp is now complete. Contributors include the band themselves, Alexander Rishaug, Information, Third Eye Foundation, Upland, Bogdan Raczynski, Martin Horntveth, Neotropic, Stars of the Lid, Fennesz, Pita, Jazzkammer, V/Vm, and Merzbow. It'll be out in March on Jester Records.

In other Ulver news, the band also has announced their next EP will be called "A Quick Fix of Melancholy". It will contain three tracks and over 30 minutes of music that they say will "reflect the title." Author Christian Bök provides the lyrics.

Flow Magazine has themselves an exclusive mp3 from Paragon. The track is called "När Gon Spottar" and was produced by Michel Rocwell. Look for it on the upcoming debut album "Stadsbarn".

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

01. (01) The Cardigans "For What It's Worth" 02. (06) Håkan Hellström "Den fulaste flickan i hela världen" 03. (09) Coldplay "Clocks" 04. (05) The Knife "Heartbeats" 05. (03) Fireside "Throw It Away" 06. (08) Caesars Palace "Candy Cane" 07. (02) Foo Fighters "Times Like These" 08. (NY) Erlend Öje "Sudden Rush" 09. (NY) Laakso "Long Beach" 10. (11) Ms Dynamite "Put Him Out"

11. (NY) Placebo "The Bitter End" 12. (16) Paris "Streetlights" 13. (18) N.E.R.D. "Provider" 14. (04) Badly Drawn Boy "Born Again" 15. (NY) Maceo Parker "Come By And See" 16. (14) Eve "Satisfaction" 17. (13) The Libertines "Time For Heroes"18. (NY) Calexico "Quattro" 19. (15) Zwan "Honestly" 20. (NY) Red Hot Chili Peppers "Can't Stop"

Leaving the chart:
(07) Turin Brakes "Pain Killer"
(10) Supergrass "Seen the Light"
(12) Ed Harcourt "All of Your Days Will Be Blessed"
(17) Dub Sweden "Walk Me Home"
(19) Paola "Interstellar Love"
(20) Her Majesty "I'm Fire C'mon!"

Big Bongo Records is doing a comp to be called Twenty Years Too Soon One Year Too Late - A Tribute To The Nomads" featuring contributions from Sewergrooves, The Hellacopters, Maryslim, bob hund, The Dictators, Entombed, Sons of Cyrus and Nitwitz. In case you are unaware, The Nomads are the forefathers of Swedish garage rock and two of the members now make up The Hellacopters' rhythm section. I don't have a release date, but it should be out soon.

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

01. Kent - Vapen & ammunition
02. The Sounds - Living in America
03. v/a - Fame Factory volym 3 final 2002
04. Barbados - Rewind
05. Robyn - Don´t stop the music
06. A Teens - New arrival
07. Magnus Uggla - Klassiska mästerverk
08. Melody Club - Music machine
09. The Knife - Deep Cuts
10. Johannes Kotschy - And that's why I love you
11. Helen Sjöholm - Visor
12. Sophie Zelmani - Sing and dance
13. Mando Diao - Bring´em in
14. Thåström - På röda sten
15. Joybells gospel choir - Oh happy day - 14 gospel klassiker
16. Nicke & Nilla - Pannkakor med sylt
17. Christian Kjellvander - Songs from a two-room chapel
18. Eric Gadd - Life support
19. Håkan Hellström - Det är så jag säger det
20. v/a - Fame factory vol 2

Swedish singer/songwriter Sofia Loell has done a song to be featured in the upcoming Gwyneth Paltrow film "A View from the Top". Read more here. (in Swedish)

The new Lost Patrol record is scheduled to be out in May. For those that don't know, LP is the solo side project of Dennis Lyxzén from The (International) Noise Conspiracy. Among the various guests to appear on the album are singer/songwriter Lisa Miskovsky, David Sandström (The Facers, ex-Refused), Stefan Granberg (Randy), and Peder Stenberg (Bittersweet). Read more here. (in Swedish)

Nasum reports they have completed their new album "Helvete" which was recorded at the band's own Soundlab Studios by singer/guitarist Mieszko Talarczyk. The tracklisting:

01. Violation
02. Scoop
03. Living Next Door to Malice
04. Stormshield
05. Time to Discharge
06. Bullshit
07. Relics
08. We Curse You All
09. Doombringer
10. Just Another Hog
11. Drop Dead
12. I Hate People
13. Go!
14. The Final Sleep
15. Slaves to the Grind
16. Breach of Integrity
17. The Everlasting Shame
18. Your Words Alone
19. Preview of Hell
20. Illogic
21. Whip
22. Worst Case Scenario

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.

Best wishes,
El Presidente for Turbojugend St. Pauli

Check out a profile on Norweigan jazz group 1300 Oslo right here.

This week's MTV Up North Nordic video chart:

01. The Spitts - That´s my girl
02. Jon - Right Here Next To You
03. Last Days Of April - All Will Break
04. The Lungz - It´s Alright
05. Christian - Min Fremtid
06. Madrugada - Majesty
07. Caesars Palace - Candy Kane
08. Kent - FF
09. Bombshell Rocks - On My Way

Challengers:
01. The Rasmus - In The Shadows
02. Thomas Rusiak - Spinning
03. The Mo - The Mo
04. Acorn - One Day
05. User - You Belong

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

Big surprise: Kent won the Music Control Airplay Award for 'Most Played Swedish Artist'.

Randy has revealed that they are finished with their new record "Welfare Problems" and passed the whole thing off to Burning Heart to get in pressed. It's still not due out until April, but here's the track listing:

01. Dirty Tricks
02. A Man in Uniform
03. Bad, Bad, Bad
04. We're All Fucked Up More or Less
05. Cheap Thrills
06. X-ray Eyes
07. Welfare Problems
08. Cheater
09. Ruff Stuff
10. My Heart, My Enemy
11. Devilish
12. Dirty and Cheap

Seven Feet Four have a new album called "Departure/Arrival" coming out on Coalition Records in March, but you can preview the track "Auto Emotion" now. The band will be touring Scandinavia beginning late March and then heading out across Europe in April with JR Ewing.

This time we are heading for the ultimate and so far it sounds very promising. The new material is pretty diverse but in general the songs have more POWER. Hard-hitting and straight forward, with more natural flow. So that the energy and force comes straight back to you.

That's bassist Magnus Olsfelt of the The Crown discussing the songwriting progress on the new album. The band, now reunited with original vocalist Johan Lindstrand after one album utilizing the services of Tomas Lindberg (At the Gates, Skitsystem), have booked time at Studio Fredman in May for their next album. Look for it around early September on Metal Blade Records.

In Flames will be touring the US with Ministry and Mudvayne in March. Dates soon. In other news, Aftonbladet has posted the streaming video of the band's performance from the Rockbjörnen: Real / Quicktime

The Sounds are doing a number of Scandinavian shows before they head over to America for SXSW in March. The dates:

2/7 - Växjö, Kaskad Folkets Park, Popstad
2/8 - Luleå, Kåren
2/12 - Oslo, So What!
2/13 - Sogndal, Mejeriet
2/14 - Bergen, Kvarteret
2/15 - Stavanger, Folken
2/20 - Århus, VoxHall
2/21 - Köpenhamn, Stengade30
2/22 - Roskilde, Gimle
2/26 - Halmstad, Kåren
2/27 - Eskilstuna, Blå
2/28 - Kinna, Överlida
3/1 - Älmhult, Balders Hage

"Batter Check" will the next single from Millencolin, due out in March. The band also has some new dates lined up for around the same time:

3/13 - Stockholm, Arenan
3/14 - Skelefteå, Folkparken
3/21 - Göteborg, Kåren
3/22 - Lund, Mejeriet
3/23 - Oslo, Rockefeller

Esteemed British music mag NME has nominated The Hives for 3 categories in its 2003 Carling Awards. They are 'Best International Band', 'Best Live Band' and 'Best Dressed'. The full list of nominees is here.

The upcoming KVLR tour is coming together quite nicely! Stop by and say hi, why doncha?

3/7 - Santa Cruz, CA - Drop-In Center w/Science of Yabra, The Yellow Press
3/8 - Redding, CA - TBD w/The Yellow Press
3/9 - SF, CA - Club Galia w/Low Rise
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
3/13 - Austin, TX - SXSW, TFT Records/Better Looking Records Showcase
3/14 - Flagstaff, AZ - Soul Kitchen
3/15 - TBD

A number of Swedish artists will be coming together on February 20 at Club Debaser in Stockholm to honor the memory of Joe Strummer from The Clash. The list of names is long, but here they are: Infinite Mass, Weeping Willows, Thåström, Randy with Howlin Pelle (The Hives), Ian and Ebbot from Sountrack Of Our Lives, Joppe Pihlgren, Nomads, Dregen & Nicke Borg (Backyard Babies), Jocke Åhlund (Caesars Palace, Teddybears STHLM), Eggstone and Brända Barn. Wow. Tickets are limited, so act fast.

Opeth will tour Australia in April. Dates coming soon.

In Flames has lined up the following summer festival gigs:

6/14 - Provinsirock / Finland
7/25 - Piteå Dansar och Ler, Piteå / Sweden
8/23 - Summer Breeze / Germany
8/24 - Metal Fest Vienna / Austria

Melody Club seems to have gotten a favorable write-up in Aftonbladet for their live show. There's a decent video clip posted, too. (in Swedish)

Turns out the info yesterday about The Ark's trip to Belguim was false. Members Ola and Sylvester are actually spending today on a press mission in Amersterdam.

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

01. The Sounds - Living in America
02. Kent - Vapen & ammunition
03. Melody Club - Music machine
04. Barbados - Rewind
05. v/a - Fame factory vol 2
06. Robyn - Don´t stop the music
07. Eric Gadd - Life support
08. Håkan Hellström - Det är så jag säger det
09. Christian Kjellvander - Songs from a two-room chapel
10. Roxette - Ballad hits
11. Hans Martin - Landet där solen ej går ner
12. Helen Sjöholm - Visor
13. The Hellacopters - By the grace of god
14. The Knife - Deep Cuts
15. v/a - Fame Factory volym 1
16. Mando Diao - Bring´em in
17. Joybells Gospel Choir - Oh happy day - 14 gospel klassiker
18. Björn Skifs - Ingen annan
19. Nicke & Nilla - Pannkakor med sylt
20. Kent - B-sidor 95-00

Swedish songwriter Jeanette Olsson wrote the single "Haven't Told You" for Kelly Rowlands' (Destinys Child) new album "Simply Deep", due out February 10. Apparently, Billboard magazine calls Jeanette "Sweden's best kept secret."

For those curious, Nicolai Dunger's backing band on his upcoming European tour will be as follows (dates in yesterday's post):

Jari Haapalainen (Bear Quartet, Kristofer Åström & Hidden Truck, Heiki) - drums
Jonas Kullhammas (Jonas Kullhammar Quartet, Nacka Forum) - saxophone, flute, clarinet
Thomas Tjärnkvist - guitar
Johan Berthling (Vega, Nacka Forum) - upright bass
Kjell-Erik Eriksson (Hoven Droven, Triakel) - violin

I'm not sure if the same folk will be continuing on with Nicolai to America, but I'll let you know when I find out. (tack Niklas!)

Norweigan singer/songwriter St. Thomas recently finished up with his recording session in Nashville for his next album. Mark Nevers (Lambchop, Will Oldham) produced 22 songs were completed, including covers of "Don't Believe In A Mushroom" by Ring and "Who'll Stop The Rain" by Creedence Clearwater Revival. And that's not all - quite a group of illustrious guests will appear on the album, too:

Tony Crow (Lambchop)
Matt Swanson (Lambchop)
Jeremy Barnes (Neutral Milk Hotel and Bablicon)
Howe Gelb (Giant Sand)
Espen Mellingen (Ai Phoenix and Poor Rich Ones)
Bosse Litzheim (Ai Phoenix)

Five of those tracks ended up the on just-released EP "A Long Long Time". Listen for the title-track single on Norway P3 Radio. A video will be coming out soon, too.

Don't forget to watch The Soundtrack of Our Lives tonight on The Late Show with David Letterman.

69-Hard will be filming the video for "Gone Gone Gone" this weekend. The track is the first single for the upcoming album "Blues from Hell", to be released sometime in February. The album comes out late March on Idle Hands Records.

Moonfog labelmates Khold will joining Satyricon on their upcoming European tour. Dates are here.

The split 7" from The Hives and The Pricks will see a fourth and final pressing in February. Only 100 copies will be available for mailorder, so pre-order it now from Hard-on Records.

The New Mess is now a quartet as live guitarist Adam has decided to sign on fulltime. Look for them to be playing a lot more around Sweden very soon.

Opeth is doing very well with their current US tour. A number dates are already sold out, so if you plan on seeing them you should get your tickets ASAP.

Most anticpated releases of 2003? Read what MTVE.com has to say on the issue. Besides the new Cardigans album, the list of anticpated Nordic releases in on page two and three.

Christian Kjellvander will be doing a Scandinavian tour starting at the end of the month in support of his fantastic "Songs from a Two-Room Chapel". The dates so far:

1/29 - Hultsfred / Metropol
1/30 - Linköping / Herrgår´n
2/1 - Sandviken / Dinos
2/5 - Sandviken / Kungen
2/6 - Umeå / Humlan
2/7 - Skellefteå / Pinkerton
2/8 - Östersund / Gamla Teatern
2/22 - Lund / Stadshallen Feat. Ebreliuskvartetten
2/23 - Göteborg / TBA Feat. Ebreliuskvartetten
2/24 - Uppsala / Katalin Feat. Ebreliuskvartetten
2/25 - Stockholm / Södra Teatern Feat. Ebreliuskvartetten
2/26 - Malmö / KB Feat. Ebreliuskvartetten
3/5 - Oslo / So What
3/7 - Halmstad / Diezelfestival
3/8 - Nybro / Mejeriet
3/14 - Norrköping / Kulturkammaren
3/15 - Jönköping / Kulturhuset

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

01. Melody club - Music machine
02. Kent - Vapen & ammunition
03. The Sounds - Living in America
04. Robyn - Don´t stop the music
05. v/a - Fame factory vol 2
06. Håkan Hellström - Det är så jag säger det
07. Christian Kjellvander - Songs from a two-room chapel
08. Eric Gadd - Life support
09. The Hellacopters - By the grace of god
10. Björn Skifs - Ingen annan
11. Kent - B-sidor 95-00
12. Hans Martin - Landet där solen ej går ner
13. Mando Diao - Bring´em in
14. Roxette - Ballad hits
15. v/a - Fame Factory volym 1
16. Joybells Gospel Choir - Oh happy day - 14 gospel klassiker
17. v/a - Chess - på svenska
18. Fredrik Kempe - Songs for your broken heart
19. Anders Widmark ft. Sara Isaksson - Anders Widmark ft. Sara Isaksson
20. The Ark - In lust we trust

Håkan Hellström is going to be doing a Scandinavian tour, too. The dates:

2/19 - Lillehammer, Bingo'n
2/20 - Sogndal, Meieriet
2/21 - Oslo, Rockefeller
2/22 - Bodö, Samfundet
2/26 - Kristiansand, Vaskeriet
2/27 - Stavanger, Folken
2/28 - Bö, Kroa
3/1 - Ålesund, Högskolen
3/2 - Halden, Studenthuset

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)

The new single from The Knife is called "Heartbeats" and it comes out today. Get a preview of it here, along with a special Christmas treat.

Kent is the band of the year according to Aftonbladet. Again. Personally, I was a little disappointed with the new record, but it wasn't bad or anything either. Anyhow, here's their picks of the groups with high expectations for next year along with their previous entries on the same list:

1. Kent (2002: 1 2001: 4 2000: 2 1999: 4 1998: 1 1997: 2 1996: 10)
2. Håkan Hellström (2002: 20 2001: 6)
3. Peter LeMarc (2002: 19 2001: 13 1996: 14 )
4. The Hives (2002: 2)
5. The Cardigans (2002: 14 2001: 8 2000: 1 1999: 3 1998: 4 1997: 1)
6. Ulf Lundell (2002: 6 2001: 17 2000: 15 1999: 10 1998: 4 1997: 1 )
7. Lisa Miskovsky
8. Marie Serneholt, A-Teens
9. Florens Valentine
10. Sara Isacsson
11. The Ark (2002: 11 2001: 10)
12. Soundtrack of Our Lives (1997: 18)
13. Magnus Uggla
14. Kaah (2002: 13)
15. Radio Dept
16. The Sounds
17. Broder Daniel (2002: 8)
18. Brolle Jr
19. International Noise Conspiracy
20. Rebecka Törnqvist (1996: 3)

I thought it was already released, but I guess I'm just way too ahead of the game. My prediction for 'next-big-thing' status, Caesars Palace (aka The Caesars), releases their next single "Candy Kane" on January 13.

The next record from the Dolores Singles Club will be from the band ALF. Dolores also says we'll be getting a new Broder Daniel record in the near future, but how many times have we heard that before?

Marduk's next album "World Funeral" will come out in Europe on February 24. A single for the song "Hearse" will also arrive in February with the b-side being a cover of "Phantasm", originally by Possessed.

Is it time for the final countdown? Word on the street has it that 80s rockers Europe may reunite in celebration of their 20th anniversary next year. They're already releasing a CD of previously unreleased material, so it's time to cash in, right? Ex-frontman Joey Tempest (nee Joakim Larsson) recently put out his third solo album earlier this year.

The details for P3 Popstad in February have been announced. Read more here or here (in Swedish). Some of the band playing include The Ark, Looptroop, Melody Club, Dub Sweden, The Sounds, The Haunted, Marit Bergman and Awa Manneh.

Recording for the new Fireside album is still coming along. Kristofer Åström reports the band just spent some time in the Silence studio this past weekend. A mid-April release date is the plan.

Before he heads out on tour, Nicolai Dunger will be continuing his pre-production work on his new album with the guys from Mercury Rev up in Kingston, NY. And also, I neglected to find out his backing band on said tour. It's gonna be Thomas Tjärnkvist, Johan Berthling, Jari Haapalainen (Bear Quartet), Jonas Kullhammar and Kjell-Erik Eriksson. Again, full dates are here.

After having various members experiment with solo projects such as A-Camp and Righteous Boy, The Cardigans are finally gonna have a new record out. "Long Gone Before Sunlight" is the title and it will feature guest appearances from Howlin´ Pelle Almqvist (The Hives), Ebbot Lundberg (The Soundtrack of Our Lives) and Nick Royale (The Hellacopters). Look for it in stores on March 24. The first single will be "For What It's Worth" and you'll be seeing that on February 17. For even more detail, read this interview with Nina Persson from MTVE.com.

E-Type to go heavy metal? Apparently so. Blabbermouth reports that E-Type mainman Martin Eriksson is indeed taking his music in a heavier direction for his upcoming tour. I had no idea, but I guess Martin used to drum for Hexenhaus way back when, but will not be behind the kit of course. That duty will be going to Motörhead drummer Mikkey Dee.

In celebration of Bathory's 20 year anniversary, Black Mark Records will be remastering and reissuing all of his albums on vinyl with enhanced layouts and full lyric sheets.

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Wed, Dec 18th, 2002 00:00:00