Head over to the new location of the Victims website to download three tracks from their upcoming album: http://www.victimsinblood.com/

New pics of Victims and Broder Daniel up at Musique One Stop: http://www.photohenrik.com/mos/
As mentioned before, Victims are heading to Soundlab Studios in Örebro on April 2 to begin recording their new album.

The punkrock supergroup Suicide Blitz featuring members from Defiance, Victims, DS-13, SHOS and Wolfbrigade has been added to the Umeå Punkfest lineup.

Swedish punks Victims will be entering Soundlab Studios in April to record a new full-length for US-based Havoc Records, the label of Felix von Havoc (ex-Destroy!, Code 13). The band also plans to play the Linköping HC Fest in February and maybe will even head over to the States for three weeks in August/September.

Puffball has come out of hibernation and posted the following update on their website:

"So what has happened and why this long silence in this forum for the band, on the stage and recordingwise? Ok, the last performance from the Fab Four was in Finspång in early September, we set the stage on fire as usual (haha) and had a good time as usual (this time no joke!) with the Finspång mafia, Disfear, Victims etc. Pretty shortly after that ol' P-O Axegrinder had a bizarre carpet-cutter accident at work and got his left hand in a plaster and unuseable for guitarplaying for 1,5 months, something Forsko used smoothly to his advantage and escaped Sweden to get married with his longtime girlfriend Malin in New York. Crippled guitarplayers and runaway drummers are not ideal for an active rockband so Puffball was on hold for awhile until all weddingpartying and fingerrecovery had been done. This pretty much leads us to right now and for the record, the status on the other two Puffballers are that Tossa used this time to rehearse with his asskicking classic rock band The Russian 5 (and they did a great gig at Taj Mahal, Västerås on Christmas day, shame on you who missed it!) and Linkan has probably used this time to further improve his pc/xbox/ps2 gameplaying skills... Anyway, we should all be back rehearsing and coming up with new highspeed rifforama in early 2004. That's the plan!"

Webzine Aversionline is now updated for October with a feature on Arvika Sweden's ATTACK!fanzine along with their usual onslaught of reviews, including Apocryphal Voice, Blind Dog, Bolt, Victims, Hlidolf, Omnium Gatherum, Razor Crusade, Security Threat, Sewer Election, Switchblade, Total Devastation and tons more. As always, I don't necessarily agree with a lot of their taste, but anyone even remotely interested in hardcore and metal should definitely check it out.

Nasum has announced that Jon "Elle" Lindkvist has joined the band as their new bassplayer, replacing Jesper who left to concentrate on his other band Burst. Not only does Jon have the same initials as Jesper, but he also auditioned in the same Neurosis t-shirt. Creepy, eh? Jon also currently plays with Sayyadina as well as having done time with numerous well-known Swedish punk bands such as Victims, Accursed, and Outlast. Former live-only guitarist Urban Skytt has also joined on as a full-time member.

Check out some recent live pics from Victims, Disfear and Satirnine on this site.

Webzine Aversionline has finally put up their July issue with a demographic feature on Swedish hardcore band Rentokiller and, as always, tons and tons of reviews. Featured bands include Damn Right, Insula, The Musique Concrete Ensemble, Victims, Inti, Darkthrone, Madder Mortem, Morning After and Opeth.

Magnet's new album "On Your Side" comes out June 30 in Norway and July 7 in UK. They'll be heading over to the latter to support Bebel Gilberto on the following dates:

07/19 - Manchester Bridgewater Hall
07/22 - London Shepherds Bush Empire
07/30 - Bristol Academy

The band also has a feature in the June issue of The Fly magazine along with a four-star review of the new album. They also received quite a nice write-up in Q who describe them as "blissed out electronic pop that sounds like Simon & Garfunkel restructuring Radiohead's most fragile moments." Head over to their website for more details.

Madrugada has added two new festivals to their summer tour plans:

06/29 - Nel Nome Del Rock, Palestrina ,Italy
08/30 - Bizarre Festival, Flughafen Niederrhein, Germany

Check this link out to view and listen to performances and interviews from Spain's Sonar Festival including Bjorn Torske, Jaga Jazzist and much much more.

Here's the schedule for the Uppsala Summer Hardcore Fest. Doors open at 17:00 both days.

06/23
22:30 - Tear it Up (New Jersey, US)
21:45 - Between Us (Stockholm)
21:00 - Regulations (Umeå)
20:15 - Last Hope (Linköping)
19:30 - The 21st Impact (Uppsala)
18:45 - Labour (Cästerås)
18:00 - Rabid Grannies (meå)
06/24
22:30 - What Happens Next? ("Canada", acutally from the SF Bay Area, CA)
21:45 - Second Thought (Stockholm)
21:00 - Victims (Nyköping)
20:15 - The Jam Session (Mjölby)
19:30 - Bruce Banner (Stockholm)
18:45 - One Step Ahead (Nyköping)

Sleeping arrangements at the fest can be booked for 20sek along with your ticket purchase. For more info go here: http://uahc.diskonto.org/festival

Here's some information on the new "Autovision" CD single from CDOASS by way of Dolores Recordings. There will also be a 7" version with a remix of the title track on the b-side as part of the Dolores Singles Club.

Check out the video for "B.L.O.S.S.O.M.", the new track from Komeda right here.

The Barbarella garage/rock'n'roll festival is now set for August 27-28. Bands confirmed so far include Dixie Buzzards, Sons of Cyrus, and Finland's Flaming Sideburns.

Word on the street is that Parasol is currently in negotiations to release the upcoming Moonbabies album "The Orange Billboard" in the US. Details when they're confirmed.

The Haunted have their new website up and running.

Moneybrother has been added to the Roskilde lineup.

Speaking of Roskilde, any of you Swedes thinking of going might consider taking the train where they'll have even more bands playing on the way to the fest. Seriously. So far Como and Little Miss Swede are booked for the occasion. Read more: http://www.tuborg.se/roskilde/taget.html

Isolation Years have been confirmed for the Västrahamnsfesten/Woody West in Malmö on June 13 along with Woodrock in Bern, Switzerland on August 8.

Via Unioncarbideproductions.com comes word that the upcoming Hultsfred-fest single will indeed be released commercially in Sweden, but no dates have been revealed as of yet. View the cover art here. In related news, Björn Olsson made a few contradictory comments to P3 Musikjounalen about his participation in the upcoming reunion gig. Will he or won't see? No one's saying for sure. Go to the UCP site to read the translated transcript.

The first group of bands have been announced for the upcoming Uppsala Summer Hardcore Festival: Between Us, Regulations, Victims, The Jam Session, Bruce Banner, The 21st Impact, Labour, Second Thought, Rabid Grannies, and One Step Ahead. The event takes place June 23-24 at Ungdomens Hus. More info here: http://uahc.diskonto.org/festival/

Webzine Samson & Rourke has posted another slew of demo reviews, this time featuring the likes of Hospital, The Clarks Royale, and Autumn Swing. (in Swedish)

Abba has gone gold yet again in America, this time with the "20th Century Masters - The Best Of ABBA" collection.

Service Records reports that Franke will have a new single "Drunknandets Färg" from their album "Optimismens Hån" out sometime by the end of summer. They also say that The Embassy is currently working on a video as weather permits and Studio is uh, in the studio working on a new album. They also hint that they have signed some new acts, but no details have been revealed yet. I'll let you know.

DigitalMetal.com reviews "Trigger", the new EP from In Flames.

It's kinda silly, but here's a contest for the best photoshopped picture featuring someone from Immortal, found via Musique Machine.

Download the mp3 for the song "Dominate" from Project Hate's forthcoming album "Hate, Dominate, Congregate, Eliminate", due out in August from Threeman Recordings.

Via Blabbermouth, comes this amazing commercial for Coop Prix, a Norweigan food store. Why is it relevant? Well, that's Masterplan and ex-Yngwie frontman Jorn Lande.

Internet-only label Monotonik's latest release is "Oll Tolk'n' no Ding atcheev'd" from Ernesto Aeroflot aka Teemu Kiiskilä of Raahe, Finland. Their description:

Mr. Aeroflot is a mysterious fellow who's released on net.label Commie and a host of smaller labels under names/groups such as TranceYlvania, Sky Wide Jazz, Oodi & Elegia, High Grade Multi Purpose Intelligent Terminal (!), and more. This 10-track album showcases his unpredictable but riveting style excellently, as '80s bleep sounds and stuttering electro mix up with distorted unrest, sweeping electronica, and a wholly surprising bonus cut to create something truly different.

Read more and download from here: http://www.mono211.com/content/releases/mtkmp111.html

Thy Primordial has parted ways with vocalist Isidor due to "lack of interest and inspiration" and has already been replaced by Nicke Holstensson of Nominon. The band says "his voice are of course a bit different compared with Isidor's but fits the new material really well!" They are scheduled to go into Abyss Studios later this month to commence work on their sixth album "Pestilence Upon Mankind". Look for it late 2003 from Blackend Records.

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