It's not exactly surprising in any way whatsoever, but anyhoo: Enslaved has signed a worldwide deal with and will be releasing a new album this fall. Their last couple releases, aside from that Scion A/V EP, were handled by in North America and abroad via .
The nominees for the 2012 Manifest Awards, Sweden's alternative/indie Grammy, have been announced:
Folk/Ballad:
Marin/Marin – Småfolket ()
Merit Hemmingson – EQ ()
Navarra – Nya fönster ()
Siri Karlsson – Gran Fuego ()
Dance:
Skudge – Samlad årsproduktion ()
Jonsson/Alter – Samlad årsproduktion ()
The Field – Looping State of mind ()
Pallers – The Sea Of Memories ()
Punk:
Sju Svåra År – Storma varje hjärta ()
Obnoxious Youth – The Eternal Void ()
Vånna Inget – Allvar ()
Black Feet – Black Feet ()
Hip-Hop:
Mofeta & Jerre – Briljanter & Smaragder ()
Ison & Fille – För evigt ()
Mohammed Ali – Vi ()
Roffe Ruff – Barrabas ()
Experimental:
Hans Appelqvist – Sjunga slutet nu ()
Hanna Hartman – H ^ 2 ()
Ophir – Opus Operatum ()
Midaircondo feat. Michala Østergaard-Nielsen – Reports on the Horizon ()
Hardrock:
In Solitude – The World. The Flesh. The Devil ()
Opeth – Heritage ()
Terra Tenebrosa – The Tunnels ()
The Haunted – Unseen ()
Rhythm:
Syster Sol – Kichinga! ()
Simone Moreno – Planetas ()
Kapten Röd – Fläcken Som Aldrig Går Bort ()
OK Star Orchestra – The Beat and the Melody ()
Pop:
Azure Blue – Rule of thirds ()
Jonathan Johansson – Klagomuren ()
Korallreven – An album by Korallreven ()
Loney Dear – Hall Music ()
Rock:
Pascal/Mattias Alkberg – Allt det här ()
Kajsa Grytt – En kvinna under påverkan ()
Bob Hund - Det överexponerade gömstället ()
Tramp – Indigo ()
Synth:
Henric de la Cour – Henric de la Cour ()
Necro Facility – Wintermute ()
Mr Jones Machine – Monokrom ()
Covenant – Modern Ruin ()
Jazz:
Jonas Holgersson – Snick Snack ()
Parti & Minut – Från klart till halvklart ()
Priming Orchestra – Deep Blue ()
The Splendor – Delphian Palace ()
Best Unsigned:
Death By Armborst
Storskogen
Schizo and the Personalities
Farsta
Singer/Songwriter/Country/Americana:
Brothers of End – Mount Inside ()
Ane Brun – It All Start With One ()
Promise & the Monster – Red Tide ()
Lars Bygdén – Songs I Wrote ()
Best live act:
Kriget ()
This is Head ()
Graveyard ()
Mattias Alkberg ()
Interesting to see and dominating their respective niches. Winners will be announced on February 3 at a ceremony at Nalen in Stockholm. Read more: http://manifestgalan.se/manifestgalan-2012/nominerade/
Immortal's Demonaz is going "solo" and will be releasing his debut album "March of the Norse" under his own nom de guerre on April 1 via , solo being in quotes because the album also features Immortal co-founder Abbath. Samples and more details via Blabbermouth: http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=154216
Retro hardrockers Graveyard have officially signed with who will be releasing the band's much-anticipated new album "Hisingen blues" in late March.
The nominees for the 2010 Manifest Awards, Sweden's alternative Grammy, have been announced:
Punk/Hardcore:
En Svensk Tiger - Versace style ()
Troublemakers - Made in Sweden ()
Tysta Mari - Sveriges Casino ()
The Clichés - Monkey see, monkey do ()
Dance:
Minilogue - Samlad årsproduktion
Samuel L Session - The man with the case ()
The Field - Yesterday and Today ()
Tomas Andersson - Stiff Disco ()
Jazz:
Bengt Berger - Beches Brew ()
Jonas Kullhammar Quartet - The Half Naked Truth 1998-2008 ()
The Opposite - Intertwined ()
Plunge With Bobo Stenson - Origo ()
Rhythm:
Calle Real - Me Lo Gané ()
Jaqee - Kokoo Girl ()
Music is the weapon - Music is the weapon ()
Syster Sol - Dömd att bli bedömd ()
Rock:
Florence Valentin - Spring Ricco ()
Makeouts - In A Strange Land ()
Murder by guitar - Murder by guitar ()
Skriet - Skriet ()
Pop:
Anna Järvinen - Man var bland molnen ()
El Perro Del Mar - Love Is Not Pop ()
JJ - JJ n° 2 ()
Jonathan Johansson - En hand i himlen ()
Hårdrock/Metal:
Abandon - The Dead End ()
Candlemass - Death Magic Doom ()
Katatonia - Night Is The New Day ()
Tribulation - The Horror ()
Synth:
Arvid - Andetag ()
Dupont - Entering The Ice Age ()
Emmon - Closet Wanderings ()
Rupesh Cartel - Anchor Baby ()
Singer/songwriter:
Ane Brun - Live at Stockholm Concert Hall ()
David Åhlen - We Sprout In Thy Soil ()
Jonna Lee - This Is Jonna Lee ()
Kristofer Åström And The Rainaways - Sinkadus ()
Folk/ballad:
Taken By Trees - East of Eden ()
Miriam Aida - Letras au Brasil ()
Tore Berger - I huset långt på landet ()
Esbjörn Hazelius - Blunda och du ska få se ()
Hip-hop:
Mohammed Ali - Processen ()
Organismen - Om Gud vill och vädret tillåter ()
Promoe - Kråksången ()
Stor - Nya skolans ledare ()
Best live:
Frida Hyvönen ()
Jenny Wilson ()
Fever Ray ()
Florence Valentin ()
Best unsigned:
Den Svenska Björnstammen
Extended Heads
Fulmakten
Nora
Go here for more: http://www.manifestgalan.se/122.aspx
ImmortalThe new album from a reunited Immortal is better than you might have guessed, but that doesn't mean it's all that great either. Essentially, the band picks up right where they left off at 2002's "Sons of northern darkness" and tread water, content to cycle through the same sort of thrashy black-metal riffs they employed to positive effect on that album and not much more. Die-hards will be pleased, everyone else will shrug their shoulders. Me, I really enjoyed them when I saw them on the "Living Cartoons of Metal Tour" together with Manowar, so I'd probably go see them again should they come around, but I can't say ever need to hear this record another time.
- Avi Roig
In FlamesIn Flames' ninth studio album is a big YES if you are a 13 year old emo kid who think life sucks. With lyrics like "I feel like shit, but at least I feel something," it is evident enough they are aiming for the teen audience. On the contrary, it's a big NO if you like me, started to like this band around "The jester race" and have followed their demise. Sure, this album offers a few songs that will assure radio play and MTV exposure. "The mirrors truth", "March to the shore" and "Move through me", are all pretty good songs, but the formula is so well known from the last two efforts, you could swear you've heard this before. Sadly, half of the songs are b-side material at best. It's funny how this band moves more towards Korn and Linkin Park, but I guess they are going for the easy money. And sadly they will make some good cash with this half-assed album.
- Richard Wilson
MeshuggahMeshuggah hit their stride a few albums ago, for better or for worse. The album opener shows promise for me with probably the most thrash-like song since their debut, and has a relentlessness that hasn't been seen since "Chaosphere". Unfortunately, the promises end there. The simple fact is that they have taken their sound to pretty much everywhere it needed to go and they don't have anything left to add. Despite of all this, "obZen" is a very effective record, and even a more challenging one than the previous two, but it has nothing on the ferocity of "Chaosphere" or the genius of "I". Guitarist Frederik Thordendal's Allan Holdsworth boner has to stop though, album after album he re-hashes the same over-tired solos in the typical overly reverb-ed guitar sound. No more. I will probably still listen to this record plenty of times, which, I guess, is a testament to its quality.
- Simon Thibaudeau
Dimmu Borgir's seventh album is the first black metal album to ever have a number one chart position in any country (number one in Norway). That alone should turn "real" black metal fans off. This is the follow up to "Death cult armageddon", and it would be so easy to shoot down this band as just being black metal for beginners. Well, that is a true statement, however you can't deny the great musicianship and the actual songwriting talent these guys possess. The music is actually a bit heavier than the last few albums and less orcestrated. Shagrath is taking a step forward as a singer and Hellhammer (Mayhem) beats the shit out of the drums as he should. Black metal or not, it's still entertaining music, but not enough to keep me interested the whole album through.
This concept album takes place in medieval Europe and I can't say I'm very intimate with its story, but the main theme is of a priest's assistant that discovers that he has nothing to do with Christianity, and that his powers are greater than he thought. Not a very frightening story but I would probably love this if I was still in my teens.
- Richard Wilson
"Between two worlds" picks up, in some way, where Immortal left off. In times when noone knows if said band will record more records, this release from ex-frontman Abbath comes as a great relief. Sure, if you're looking for "true" black metal, this isn't really up your alley as what we're facing here is a dose of classic heavy- and thrash metal. Influences from bands such as Motörhead, Bathory and WASP are very present and in a good way! It just goes to show that the classic metal acts are never to be ignored. However, despite these influences, you can still hear some Immortal-licks, especially in "Mountains". And Abbath's vocals are still as evil as can be. But, and there is a "but" here, not all is jolly good with this release. There are songs that don't quite cut it for me such as the titletrack and the closer "Cursed we are". You gotta love bands that instantly makes you think of favorite bands such as, in this case, Judas Priest, but there are limits. I mean, why buy the new Trivium record when you can purchase "Killers"? Why buy this one when you can purchase "Screaming for vengeance"?
- Jonas Appelqvist
