Swedish punks (and recent Manifest Awards champions) Wolfbrigade have a new website: http://www.wolfbrigade.se/
The band recently recorded seven new tracks for a new 12"/CD and will be heading out on the road for a lot of dates this year. Plans are still being worked out for Australia and Japan, but here's what they have so far:

03/01 - PunkPartaj 6.66, Sandviken (SWE) w/Meanwhile, Counterblast, Kongh, more
03/09 - Kafé 44, Stockholm (SWE) w/DSB, Sista Sekunden
03/13 - Ar D'arto, Coimbra (POR)
03/14 - Porto Rio, Porta (POR)
08/29 - Balkanika Core festival, Kranj (SLO) w/ENT, Mob 47, more
09/06 - Play Fast or Don't 5, Hradci Králové (CZ) w/Selfish, Massgrave, more

Here are the winners of the 2008 Manifest Award, Sweden's alternative Grammy:

Rhythm: Kapten Röd - Stjärnorna finns här (SwingKids/Border)
Pop/Electronica: The Honeydrips - Here Comes The Future (Sincerely Yours/Playground Music)
Rock/Rockabilly/Blues/Garage: High Hats - Too Much Is Never Enough (Alleycat/Sound Pollution)
Hardrock/Metal: Dark Tranquillity - Fiction (Century Media/EMI)
Hiphop/R&B/Soul: Timbuktu - Oberoendeframkallande (Juju Records/Playground Music)
Experimental: Rolf Enström - Quarks (Caprice Records/CDA)
Dance: The Field - From here we go sublime (Kompakt)
Folk/Ballad: Sofia Karlsson - Visor från vinden (Amigo/Bonnier Amigo)
Jazz: Ludvig Berghe Trio - An unplayed venue (Moserobie Music Production/Bonnier Amigo)
Synth: Terror Punk Syndicate - Extended Playtime (Progress Productions/Border Music)
Punk/Hardcore: Wolfbrigade - Prey to the world (Agipunk/Unrest/MCR/Sound Pollution)
Singer/Songwriter: Christian Kjellvander - I Saw Her From Here/I Saw Here From Her (Startracks/V2/Bonnier Amigo)
Best Live Artist: Säkert!
Digfi-prize (unsigned act): Emily McWilliam's Desert Soul (Stockholm)

The nominees for this year's Manifest Awards, Sweden's alternative Grammy, have been announced:

Rhythm:
Kapten röd - Stjärnorna finns här (SwingKids/Border)
Million stylez - From a far (Bonnier Music/Bonnier Amigo)
Governor Andy – Underhållningsmaskinen (KBC Music/Border)
Livelihood - Sagans Sånger (SwingKids/Border)

Pop/Electronica:
Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala (Service/Border)
The Honeydrips - Here Comes The Future (Sincerely Yours/Playground Music)
Erik de Vahl - Oh! My Spine
The Mary Onettes - The Mary Onettes (Labrador/Border)

Rock/Rockabilly/Blues/Garage:
Murder by Guitar - On Parade (Human audio recordings/Sounds of Subterrania)
Maharajas - In Pure Spite (Low Impact Recordings/Sound Pollution)
Alex Face - Smell Like A Woman (Alleycat/Sound Pollution)
High Hats - Too Much Is Never Enough (Alleycat/Sound Pollution)

Hardrock/Metal:
Arch Enemy - Rise of the tyrant (Century Media/EMI)
Dark Tranquillity - Fiction (Century Media/EMI)
Hardcore Superstar - Dreamin' in a casket (Gain/Sony BMG)
Watain - Sworn to the dark (Season Of Mist/Sound Pollution)

Hiphop/R&B/Soul:
Timbuktu - Oberoendeframkallande (Juju Records/Playground Music)
Adam Tensta - It's A Tensta Thing (K-Werks/Border)
Ken - Äntligen hemma (Pope/Playground Music)
Basutbudet - Startpaketet/Pluspaketet (Devrim/V2/Bonnier Amigo)

Experimental:
Jean-Louis Huhta - Halfway Between the World and Death (Slottet Records/Dotshop.se)
Mårten Falk - Eclectric Guitar Experience (dB Productions/CDA)
Rolf Enström - Quarks (Caprice Records/CDA)
Tape & Minamo - Birds of a Feather (Headz/Dotshop.se)

Dance:
Mikael Stavöstrand - Various productions 2007
The Field - From here we go sublime (Kompakt)
Minilogue – Orglar (Minilogue Rec)
Hug - Heroes (Kompakt)

Folk/Ballad:
Ale Möller Band - Djef Djel (Amigo/Bonnier Amigo)
Various Artists - Poem, ballader och lite blues - Återbesöket (Amigo/Bonnier Amigo)
Lisa Rydberg och Gunnar Idenstam - Bach på svenska (Gazell Records AB/Bonnier Amigo)
Sofia Karlsson - Visor från vinden (Amigo/Bonnier Amigo)

Jazz:
Ludvig Berghe Trio - An unplayed venue (Moserobie Music Production/Bonnier Amigo)
e.s.t. (Esbjörn Svensson Trio) - e.s.t Live in Hamburg (ACT/Bonnier Amigo)
Adåker, Milder, Stenson, Danielsson, Öström - Miles by Five (Touché Music AB/CDA)
Lennart Åberg & Norrbotten Big Band - Up north (Caprice Records/CDA)

Synth:
Emmon - The art and the evil (Wonderland records)
Endless Shame - Price of Devotion (KTOWN Records/Misty Music)
Mr Jones Machine – Återvändsgränd (Progress Productions/Border Music)
Terror Punk Syndicate - Extended Playtime (Progress Productions/Border Music)

Punk/Hardcore:
Wolfbrigade - Prey to the world (Agipunk/Unrest/MCR/Sound Pollution)
The Accidents - Summer dreams (Burning Heart/Epitaph/Bonnier Amigo)
Auktion - Spader ess (Cage Match Federation/Border)
The Mockingbirds - Always late and not even close (HepTown Records/Sound Pollution)

Singer/Songwriter:
Christian Kjellvander - I Saw Her From Here/I Saw Here From Her (Startracks/V2/Bonnier Amigo)
Kristofer Åström - Rainaway Town (Startracks/V2/Bonnier Amigo)
José González - In Our Nature (Imperial/Playground Music)
Mattias Bärjed - Originalmusiken till Upp till kamp! (Razzia/Bonnier Amigo)

Best Live Artist:
Familjen
Säkert!
Maia Hirashawa
Laakso

Digfi-prize (unsigned act):
Cocoanut Groove (Umeå)
Emily McWilliam's Desert Soul (Stockholm)
Cartwall (Piteå)
Knivderby (Jönköping)

Read more: http://www.manifestgalan.se/122.aspx

MP3: M:40 - När bomberna faller

So what if M:40 lives up to most every d-beat/crustcore cliché? Natty dreads, two vocalists (one screechy, one burly), lyrics decrying the sorry state of the system/world/life, and so on. It doesn't matter 'cuz the music is well-written, well-played and well-recorded. The genre doesn't really need anyone to push it forward; it was doing just fine with the Discharge blueprint before His Hero Is Gone came along, not to mention all of the Swedish legends such as Wolfbrigade/Wolfpack, Totalitär and Skitsystem. I admit I do get bored of everyone endlessly covering the same subjects in pretty much the exact same way (not to mention preaching to the choir), but when I hear a band play this stuff with a proper level of intensity, it's impossible for me to deny the appeal. Oh, and I fucking love that muted chug-chug/chug-chug-chug stuff. Cut the shit, start the pit!

M:40 - När bomberna faller

This week's playlist for my show on Sirius:

01. Kristofer Åström - The dark
02. TALK 1
03. Amandine - Better soil
04. Christel Alsos - What you gotta do
05. Tarantula - Two arrows
06. TALK 2
07. Kristin Asbjørnsen - I'm on my way
08. Thomas Denver Jonsson - Dreams at the film club
09. Tenderloud - Texas down
10. TALK 3
11. Hyacinth House - Ghost town
12. Strayfolk - I'll be a-goin'
13. The First Miles - Bottle, don't let me down
14. TALK 4
15. Hello Saferide - I was definitely made for these times
16. Hederos & Hellberg - I can't hold myself in line
17. Two Times the Trauma - I fell in love with an ocean
18. David Sandström Overdrive - The Fatville Treaty
19. HGH - Stupid song
20. TALK 5
21. Gorgoroth - Procreating Satan
22. Enslaved - The voices
23. Invocator - Breed of sin
24. TALK 6
25. Seance - Post mortem
26. Watain - Underneath the cenotaph
27. Dark Tranquility - Icipher
28. TALK 7
29. Eucharist - The Eucharist
30. At the Gates - Slaughter of the soul
31. Wolfbrigade - EU (European Union)
32. TALK 8
33. Katatonia - Had to (leave)
34. Bloodbath - Soul evisceration
35. Cult of Luna - The revelation embodied
36. TALK 9
37. Finntroll - Slaget vid blodsälv

Looks like the dates for Wolfbrigade's upcoming US minitour have been confirmed:

06/02 - tba, Milwaukee, WI w/Pisschrist, La Fraction
06/03 - Subterranean, Chicago, IL w/Pisschrist, La Fraction, Rat Bastards
06/04 - Memory Lanes Bowling Alley, Minneapolis, MN w/Pisschrist, Misery, Stormcrow, Cognitive Dissonanace (Free!)
06/06 - Ash Street Saloon, Portland, OR w/Order Of The Vulture (last show)
06/07 - Satyricon, Portland, OR w/Hellshock
06/09 - Triple Rock, Minneapolis w/Loaded First, 2 Minute Tantrum, Useless Wooden Toys, Condenada, Tolar
06/10 - tba, Wisconsin

I'm bummed that it looks like a Seattle show won't be happening. I'm tempted to make the 2-hour drive to Portland, but probably won't.

Havoc has updated with news on new releases from Kvoteringen, Wolfbrigade and Regulations as well as US tourdates for the latter two plus The Vicious and Skitsystem: http://www.havocrex.com/

Wolfbrigade is back! The legendary Swedish crusties have reunited and will be recording a new album in February for release via Agipunk in Europe, Unrest in North America, MCR in Japan and an as-yet-unnamed label in Brazil. The band's first show will be with Victims in Stockholm on March 17 with lots more international touring to follow. Read the official statement: http://www.myspace.com/wolfbrigadeoffical

Aversionline.com has posted new reviews from Switchblade and Wolfbrigade.

Wolfbrigade has cancelled almost all of their US tour plans. Here's the complete statement from the band:

We are truly sorry to anounce that we will not be able to fullfil the US tour. Micke, our singer, have got an infection on his vocalcordes, and this jeopardies not only our last recording we are doing this weekend, the whole US tour, but also Micke's abilty to talk and sing in the future. He will go trough a operation sometime soon, and hopefully he will get better.
His doctor says he might be able to do one or two shows, so we will do thrashfest(even though it will be painful for him), but not 14. We are really sorry for this, we have been looking forward to end the band in a proper way, and now everything is in danger.
We have been discussing talking in an stand-in singer, but it doesn't feel right when it's our last shows. It just isn't an alternative in this situation. If Micke had left the band maybe, but now, hwn he can't do it due to an infection, it doesn't feel right.
Our apologies to Felix, Yannick, Michele, and everyone else involved in this tour. We will report news on Micke's voice when we know more.
Keep your fingers crossed and we hope you understand that this is nothing we've choosed.

Those two dates still happening are May 1 (Thrash Fest 5) in Minneapolis and possibly May 3 in Chicago.

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

Webzine Aversionline is updated yet again with their usual 100+ reviews: http://www.holyterror.com/aversionline/
Featured bands listed this month include Burst, Dead in the Water, Dogpound, Elenium, Kaaos, Ulver, Wolfbrigade, Zyklon and tons more.

Hardcore webzine Cara A Cara has published an interview with Swedish crustpunks Wolfbrigade.

Here's some Swedish crustcore mp3s by way of Cara A Cara: Disfear / Wolfbrigade