New live set today! This time we've got The Ark live from Hultsfred 2001, as broadcasted on P3. I edited out all the between song banter, but if you're also interested in the full version, just ask.

The Sounds got themselves a new, internationally flavored website. Well, it's actually not that different, but they do have quite a bit more info in English. Like I've said before, keep your eyes on this band - they have a lot of potential to be big.

Download the new Fireside track "Throw It Away" right here! Startracks is also encouraging people to post responses in their guestbook. My first impression is that it sounds like a mix of the newer "Elite"-style with a touch more of their hardcore roots. Anyhow, I'm still excited for when the new album comes out.

Värttinä celebrates their 20th anniversary this year and has a new album coming out called "Iki". It won't be in stores until March 11, but you will be able to mailorder it weeks ahead of time from NorthSide. The label also promises to provide advance mp3s from the band in the near future, along with previews of new releases from Mari Boine and Frifot.

Photos and video from The Soundtrack of Our Lives/Cato Salsa Experience show at the Graceland in Seattle on 11/23/2002 are available here.

Dimension Zero are set to enter the studio on February 10 with producer/In Flames frontman Anders Fridén to record their new album, to be titled "This IS Hell". Look for it around September/October on Regain Records.

The working-title of the album is "Satan Berzerker-Mongo", which is a quite suiting title. It's gonna be a berzerk album. Many different songs (slow moody ones, to fast insane ones), but still recognizable as Dødheimsgard. Don't know any song-titles yet, they are in still in inside the head of Aldrahn, who's spent the last few months in a phsychiatric hospital.

That's black metal drummer extraordinaire Carl Michael Eide (Cadaver Inc., Aura Noir, DHG, and more) describing the direction of the band's new album in an interview with Voices from the Darkside. Read the rest here.

Corporation 187 will support Arch Enemy on their upcoming Scandinavian tour. The dates:

1/26 - Stockholm, Debaser
1/28 - Oslo, John Dee
1/29 - Göteborg, Musikens Hus
1/30 - Halmstad, Diezel
1/31 - Helsingborg, Tivoli

Here's the dates for the upcoming Melody Club Scandinavian tour:

1/22 - Stockholm, Göta Källare
1/23 - Stockholm, Cafe 44
1/24 - Göteborg, Trädgårn
1/31 - Strömstad ,The Cod
2/01 - Älmhult, Balders Hage
2/06 - Linköping, Corallen
2/07 - Växjö, Folkets Park
2/13 - Uppsala, Harrys
2/15 - Karlskoga, Wictoria
2/18 - Täby, Musikhuset Runan
2/19 - Norrköping, Kulturkammaren
2/20 - Sälen, HC
2/22 - Nybro, Mejeriet
2/26 - Svedala, Gamla Brandstationen
2/27 - Göteborg, Trädgårn
2/28 - Karlskrona, Bio Bar & Matsal
3/06 - Oslo (NO), So What
3/07 - Bergen (NO), Kvarteret
3/08 - Halmstad, Diezel
3/12 - Lund, Mejeriet
3/14 - Malmö, KB
3/15 - Helsingborg, Tivoli
3/28 - Umeå, Umeå Open

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

The good people over at Parasol have got a sale on their top picks of 2002. Lots of great Swedish imports worth checking out, among many other fine releases. Can't go wrong with Citizen Bird/Silverbullit, that's for sure. And like they say, be on the lookout for the US release of "Inland Traveller" from Isolation Years coming up soon. A brilliant album.

The (International) Noise Conspiracy have the 'Album of the Day' over at CMJ.com with the "Bigger Cages, Longer Chains" EP. If you've never heard them before, they've got two songs you can sample.

The new EP from Whyte Seeds will be out February 10. I haven't heard them yet, but their keyboardist was the guy who filled in for Martin Hederos on the last US Soundtrack of Our Lives tour.

The new album from Randy will be called "Welfare Problems". Look for it in April on Burning Heart.

The Ark is busy doing promotional work in Germany this week. Check out their schedule here.

The exact release date of the new Fireside album has been announced as April 7.

Look for features on Cult of Luna in upcoming issues of Kerrang, Terrorizer, Rocksound and Metal Hammer. The new album "The Beyond" comes out February 10 on Earache. As for now, you can preview the lyrics here.

Download the song "Sensory Pleasures" from the upcoming HGH album "Seb's Hotel". It comes out February 1 in Norway, February 24 elsewhere.

Christian Kjellvander's excellent album "Songs From a Two-Room Chapel" will be released in Belgium, Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Netherlands and Luxemburg next week. Fans of moody roots music such as 16 Horsepower or recent Neko Case should check him out.

The New Mess will be interviewed on P3 Rock January 22. As stated before, the band's debut five song CD-EP just came out on Kasual Records.

The debut album from hip-hop group Advance Patrol comes out March 24.

Read a review of the new Cardigans single here (in Swedish). I heard the song on P3 yesterday and wasn't blown away, but it wasn't bad either. It actually reminded me quite a bit of A-Camp, Nina's recent solo project, with its heavy use of acoustic guitars. Anyhow, listen to the radio and hear it for yourself. I'm sure it'll be huge no matter what. Look for it in stores February 17.

Röyksopp are nominated for "Best International Group" in the Brit Music Awards. More info here.

Interested in performing contemporary classical music from Swedish composers? STIM (Swedish Music Information Centre and Swedish Performing Rights Society) has published a large catalogue of music they have available (in PDF format).

The US release of "Living In America" from The Sounds will be in May on James Iha's (ex-Smashing Pumpkins) Scratchie Records. As stated here before, the band will also be making an appearance at this year's South by Southwest Festival. In other news, the new single for the track "Seven Days a Week" comes out on the 20th with the b-side being a demo version of the song "Go!"

Hammerheart Records is reissuing Necrophobic's 1993 album "The Nocturnal Silence". The label will also be releasing a limited edition "Tour EP 2003" for the band's current tour featuring a song from each album and five select cover tunes.

The archive is being updated. Done. I'm also still waiting for a mailorder shipment of new CDs before I update the playlist. Patience, my friends. I may however have some live mp3s from The Ark coming soon. We shall see...

A new Fireside mp3 for the track "Throw It Away" will be available next Monday from Startracks! The album isn't coming out till April.

Finland's HIM recently spent some time shooting the video for "Funeral of Hearts" with director Stefan Lindfors. Check out some pics from the shoot here.

Dungen will be on P3 Live January 20. You can listen online over at the P3 website.

Poet Bob Hansson has a spoken word album called "Kör Solen Kör" coming out January 27. Guests on the record include Ola Salo (The Ark) and Thåström. The first single will be "En Helt Vanlig Dag" featuring Ola.

Caesars Palace is finally gonna make it over to England, this time with Echoboy. If you remember, their December tour with (International) Noise Conspiracy was cancelled. Anyhow, The Caesars (as they're known outside Sweden) have an EP single for the song "Jerk It Out" coming out February 24, the follow-up to "(I´m Gonna) Kick You Out" which is already out. The album "Love For The Streets" comes out May 19 over there. As I've said before - watch out for this band. I expect big things. And I'm not the only one either - read this profile from Britain's Q Magazine. Here's the dates:

January 13 The Barfly, Camden
January 15 The Old Firestation, Bournemouth
January 18 The Junction, Cambridge
January 22 The Boston Arms, London
January 22 Arts Centre, Colchester
January 23 Casbah, Sheffield
January 24 Sumo, Leicester
January 26 The Barfly, Liverpool
January 27 King Tuts, Glasgow
January 28 The Cockpit, Leeds

Also on Q's 2003 bands to watch list is The Hellacopters. Read what they have to say here.

Eggstone will be the backing band and production talent on the new solo album from Weeping Willows frontman Magnus Carlsson. It will be his second attempt at going at it alone following his debut "Allt är Bara Du Du Du" from 2001.

Curious about Swedish jazz? Read this interesting article/interview concerning the recent activities of the Norrbotten Big Band.

The Cardigans will premiere a new song entitled "For What It's Worth" at the upcoming Rockbjörnen Awards on January 27. The show will be broadcasted on Swedish television and will also feature 'comeback' performances from Thomas Rusiak and Dilba along with contemporaries In Flames, Håkan Hellström, The Sounds, Mando Diao and Melody Club.

In Flames will be touring the US beginning in late March. Dates soon.

Be sure to check out 'Rock Over Sweden' today on Rocket 95.3 FM Stockholm. Listen here live or go here for more info. The program starts at 5pm local time. Or maybe not - the show is every other Monday, but it seems like today's scheduled broadcast ain't gonna happen. Next week?

Now scheduled to play the January 18 date of the Inferno Fest in Oslo is a one-off performace by a cover band made up of members from Dimmu Borgir, Red Harvest, The Kovenant, Blood Red Throne, Mayhem, and Susperia. They will reportedly run through various songs from much-respected metal artists such as Death, Black Sabbath, Slayer, and Anthrax and the whole thing is to be recorded for a possible future release on Edgerunner Records. Other bands scheduled to play the fest include Immortal, Children of Bodom and Taake.

Check out the spring tour dates for HGH here. The release party for the new album "Seb's Hotel" is February 10 in Oslo.

Here's the latest top 20 Swedish album chart, as reported from 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. Hans Martin - Landet där solen ej går ner
08. v/a - Chess - på svenska
09. Eric Gadd - Life support
10. Roxette - Ballad hits
11. Helene Sjöholm - Visor
12. The Hellacopters - By the grace of god
13. Fredrik Kempe - Songs for your broken heart
14. Björn Skifs - Ingen annan
15. Sven-Ingvars - Guld & Glöd - mer hits än någonsin
16. Christian Kjellvander - Songs from a two-room chapel
17. Little Chris - At last
18. v/a - Fame Factory volym 1
19. Anders Widmark ft. Sara Isaksson - s/t
20. Mando Diao - Bring´em in

It was down for awhile yesterday, but you can now download a preview track from the upcoming Apocalyptica album right here. Warning: you'll probably need to update your Windows Media Player to play the piece, so if this is a problem for you, don't bother.

Rumor has it that the upcoming TSOOL tour this spring will be major markets only, so all you people in your podunk towns are gonna lose out.

Aftonbladet has a short feature on Paris (in Swedish). The band will be opening for Melody Club in Stockholm on January 22.

Buddyhead totally disses the Swedish rock in their best/worst of 2002 list. Yeah, I'm annoyed that the mediocre bands are the ones getting huge too, but I'm not going to write a long diatribe about it. Look for their hissyfit at the very bottom of the page.

The Crown are currently rehearsing and writing new material for their next album, their first one with returned vocalist Johan Lindstrand. Here's what bassist Magnus Olsfelt had to say about it:

Alright, we are right now in the process of rehearsing new material for the next album. 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.

Look for it next summer on Metal Blade Records or, in the meantime, catch the band on tour. Dates are here.

Here's a short little article with some info concerning the next record from The Soundtrack of Our Lives. Drummer Fredrik makes comments. (in Swedish)

Beyond Dawn has had the new album "frysh" pushed back to March. In other news, a video is being made for the track "Among the Sedatives" by Vildensky featuring "clip-art animation of the band performing various heroic deeds."

I had no idea, but KEXP Seattle has a great archive of live-in-the-studio recordings of bands such as The Soundtrack of Our Lives, Sahara Hotnights, Kings of Convenience, Cato Salsa Experience and much much more. Check it.

Enter to win a $250 gift certificate for Ben Sherman from The Soundtrack of Our Lives and Filter mmm here.

Vote for your choices in the Swedish Alternative Music Awards (SAMA) right here. Vote for one of nominees or write in your own choice.

Joakim Thåström will be releasing a live EP on January 24. It's called "Thåström på Röda sten" and will feature six tracks from his Kalas tour performance in Göteborg last summer and the video for "Släpp aldrig in dom".

Here's the nominees for the P3 Guld awards:

Best female artist
Awa Manneh - "Sounds Like Me"
Frida Snell - "Black Trillium"
Marit Bergman - "3.00 A.M. Serenades"
Paola - "Stockcity Girl"
Robyn - "Don't Stop The Music"

Best male artist
Christian Kjellvander - "Songs from a Two Room Chapel"
Håkan Hellström - "Det är så jag säger det"
Stephen Simmonds - "For Father"
Thåström - "Mannen som blev en gris"
Timbuktu - "Wått´s Dö Madderfakking Diil"

Best group
Caesars Palace - "Love for the Streets"
The Hellacopters - "By the Grace of God"
Kent - "Vapen & ammunition"
Looptroop - "The Struggle Continues"
Mando Diao - "Bring ´Em In"

Best newcomer
The Sounds
Melody Club
Paola
Mando Diao
Marit Bergman

Best song
"Calleth You Cometh I" - The Ark
"Dom Andra" - Kent
"Keep This Fire Burning" - Robyn
"Kom igen, Lena!" - Håkan Hellström
"Someone New" - Eskobar feat Heather Nova

Best live artist
The Ark
Doktor Kosmos
The Hellacopters
Marit Bergman
Looptroop

More info and voting here.

The Hellacopters latest record "By the Grace of God" has gone gold in Sweden with sales of over 30k. It's their 2nd gold album, the first being "High Visibility".

Finland's Enternal Tears of Sorrow have broken up. The statement from the band:

With mixed feelings we have to announce that Eternal Tears of Sorrow have decided to split up. EToS have been on a break since March 2002. During the break, it has become obvious that it is time to quit.
This band started as a free-time activity about ten years ago. As we got more success, we also needed to give more and more of our time to the band. Day by day, we realised the band had become a full-time job for us. Now it's time to move on and do something different. This band achieved much more than we could imagine when we formed up this band.

However, we don't stop making and playing music. Check out the official EToS website regularly for information about the members and their other projects and bands. The site has been online for almost seven years now and will remain as it is. Only the address has changed: www.etos.tk.

We thank all our fans for support! A huge number of nice things happened to us between 1994 and today, thanks to you! On behalf of Eternal Tears of Sorrow in early January 2003, Jarmo Puolakanaho & Altti Veteläinen (the founding members)

Dave Lombardo (Slayer!) plays on four songs from the new upcoming Apocalyptica record "Reflections". If you didn't already know, Apocalyptica is the Finnish cello trio made famous for their covers of Metallica songs.

Happy new year! No new music today from me, but I plan to have something come in later this week. Otherwise, time to play catch-up.

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

01. Peter Jöback - jag kommer hem igen till jul
02. Kent - Vapen & ammunition
03. Håkan Hellström - Det är så jag säger det
04. v/a - Fame factory vol 2
05. Melody club - Music machine
06. Robyn - Don´t stop the music
07. v/a - Chess - på svenska
08. Roxette - Ballad hits
09. The Sounds - Living in America
10. Eric Gadd - Life support
11. Hans Martin - Landet där solen ej går ner
12. v/a - Årets julkonsert
13. Nicke & Nilla - Pannkakor med sylt
14. v/a - Fame factory Christmas
15. Björn Skifs - Ingen annan
16. The Ark - In lust we trust
17. v/a - Fame Factory volym 1
18. Carola - Jul i Betlehem
19. Helene Sjöholm - Visor
20. Ulf Lundell - Club Zebra

Rolling Stone has jumped on the bandwagon to name "Behind the Music" from The Soundtrack of Our Lives as one of the top 50 albums of 2002. Here's what they said:

The other Swedish export of choice, the Soundtrack of Our Lives make psychedelia without borders, a loud spray of combinations (nuclear-glam guitars, space-hymn keyboards, medieval psaltery) bound together with pop sense. You have to see the band live to appreciate the guruish ardor of bearlike singer Ebbot Lundberg. But the paisley-mule kick of "Infa Riot" and "21st Century Ripoff" will still have you seeing stars.

Sahara Hotnights also got a nod on RS writer/critic Michael Ansaldo's top 10 list.

Ariel Kill Him has a new website design. So do Kasual Records labelmates The New Mess. Their site is here.

Jester Records says that Bogus Blimp is planning on doing 3 new releases within a "very short period of time." What that means exactly is anyone's guess, but I am definitely looking forward to new material from those guys.

Check out pics from the Chalksounds Fest over here. Cobolt and A-tuna were some of the bands that played, but many other band-folk were in attendance such as most everyone from KVLR.

Soviac has entered the studio to begin work on their new album. The band says "the album is a sort of a trilogy", but other details won't be provided until later.

In other Chalksounds news, Carpet People are finishing up with the mixing of their new record. No release date yet.

Here's a track from the upcoming Cult of Luna album. The song is called "The Watchtower" and the album is gonna be called "The Beyond". Look for it around February 10 from Earache Records, otherwise peep the artwork here.

Stratovarius has posted new mp3 clips of the songs "Soul of a Vagabond" and "Find Your Own Voice". They both come from the upcoming album "Elements Part I", due January 27 from Nuclear Blast. For the record, the band's mainman Timo Tolkki has come out strongly against music downloading and has warned that he will come after anyone caught downloading the new album online. His comment on the subject:

I just got back from the promotour and received the news that it's [the new album] on the net already. I have taken the necessary steps to find out the persons, who have put it there. I have contacted our lawyer and the internet department of the Helsinki police. I already have in my possession some IP numbers and there´s more to come. We have obtained a list of journalists who have received the promo copy. We will find those people who did this and they will face a courtcase for sure. They are transmitting internationally copyrighted material without permission. The same goes to anybody who downloads this stuff from internet. It is morally wrong and it is also illegal because of the copyright. Don't download unless you don´t wanna get into trouble. We have means to find out these things. If you think that you have the right to download copyrighted Stratovarius material you are wrong. In that case I don't want you as a fan. There will be soundclips available on our OFFICIAL web site in time, just like there are clips for those who want to check out Strato. I am not gonna write these things again. To close this, you might want to be very careful what you donwload. There are already several false versions of Elements in the net and some of them contains viruses too.

Here's a zip file containing an mp3 of the new track "Black Seeds On Virgin Soil" from Old Man's Child. The new album "In Defiance Of Existence" comes out January 20 on Century Media.

Download some new tracks from Marduk over here.

Solefald has completed work on the album "In Harmonia Universali", the follow-up to the acclaimed "Pills Against The Ageless Ills". Look for it in the near future from Century Media. Lazare says the new record will be "certainly more experimental, but I think the whole sound and production of the album makes it feel more straight forward than it really is. The album will consist of 10 songs, and the vocal arrangements are larger and more complex this time around. We brought along a male choir and a saxophone player in the studio, and that worked out perfectly. I didn't use synths as much as I usually do in the recording process - instead you will hear a lot of real Hammond organs (with a wooden Leslie case) and a Steinway grand piano."

Download some new demo tracks from Einherjer here.

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.

Hope y'all have yourselves a Merry Christmas. That is, if you celebrate said holiday. Everyone else, enjoy your day at the movies or doing whatever you do while the rest of the world ignores you. I feel your pain. I doubt there will be any news tomorrow, so I probably won't update.

The US label Deep Elm has signed Surrounded. A full length will come in spring and the track "High Five Hero" will be featured on the "Emo Diaries #9" compilation coming in March. Samples are available from both Deep Elm or the band's website.

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 Magnus Olsfelt of The Crown commenting on the writing process for the new album. No release date yet, but the goal is for next summer.

Behold, the MTV Up North Top 20 videos of 2002:

1. Andreas Johnson - Shine
2. Kent - Dom Andra
3. Brainstorm - Waterfall
4. Saybia - The Day After Tomorrow
5. The Crash - Star
6. Millencolin - Man Or Mouse
7. Jupiter Day - The Morning After
8. Acorn - A.C.O.R.N
9. A-ha - Forever Not Yours
10. Jon - Right Here Next To Me
11. Bomfunk MC's - Back To Back
12. Swan Lee - Tomorrow never Dies
13. Kemopetrol - Saw It On TV
14. The Ark - Father Of A Son
15. The Sounds - Living In America
16. Junior Senior - Move Your Feet
17. Tyskarna Fran Lund - Global Fussball OK
18. Melody Club - Palace Station
19. Sondre Lerche - Sleep On Needles
20. Mew - Am I Wry

Word on the street is that you Europeans dig ICQ over AIM and the like, so I went and got myself a number. It's over on the contact page. Go ahead and bother me at work, why doncha?

"I poured water over the microphone because I wanted to die. I didn't think, I just wanted to do something "on life and death"......"

Håkan Hellström tries to kill himself? Apparently so according to this article (in Swedish). Thanks to Zander for the scoop.

Looks like The Sounds are gonna get their chance to make it in America. James Iha (ex-Smashing Pumpkins) will be releasing their album on his label Scratchie Records in association with New Line. They'll also be making an appearance at the legendary Austin, TX South by Southwest Festival. Next big thing? My money's still on Caesars Palace aka The Caesars, but we'll see. The Sounds may be a bit easier on the eyes, though.

Speaking of South by Southwest, here's some of the other Scandinavian acts already confirmed: Bergman Rock aka Bob Hund, Madrugada, Children of Bodom, Meanwhile, The Teenage Idols, Sondre Lerche, RinneRadio, Pineforest Crunch and The Venue. For the full list, go here. It's already shaping up to be a bad-ass lineup, so make your travel plans now if you can.

Turbonegro are getting two of their old albums reissued with new bonus features. The album "Apocalypse Dudes" will have three added video tracks including "Get It On" and "Are You Ready For Some Darkness" plus a live version of "Age Of Pamparius". As for "Ass Cobra", that CD will now have the video for Denim Demon" on it. Look for 'em both on Epitaph Records in the US or Burning Heart in Europe. The band is also still hard at work on their comeback album now that they're reunited. Bassist Happy Tom promises it will be "most destructive party record you've ever heard!"

Millencolin and The Peepshows are gonna be doing a Scandinavian tour in 2003. Here's the dates:

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

The winners of the P5 Stockholm Badge awards have been announced. They include Kent for best band and best song ("Dom Andra"), Thåström for best male artist, Paola for best female artist, and The Giri Sound for best demo.

Listen to a recording of the Bad Taste Records fest online! Check out performances from the following acts: (requires Quicktime)

DankoJones
Langhorns
Last Days Of April
Logh

Misconduct will touring Europe with 25 Ta Life next June and July. Look here for dates as they are confirmed.

Remember when I said that the video for "Sister Surround" from The Soundtrack of Our Lives was being added to the MTV 120 Minutes playlist? Well, it hasn't happened quite yet, but the video does premiere on there this coming Sunday the 22nd. In the meantime, preview the video here: Real / Windows

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.