JuJu recording artist Chords has been in Argentina recently filming a commercial for Smirnoff Vodka. Apparently, he's seen "walking around a field of cows dropping rhymes in Swedish." Sounds entertaining, though I'm not sure how thAt will sell vodka. Anyhow, it should be airing in the US lAter on this summer.

Also from JuJu comes news thAt the March issue of famous hip-hop magazine The Source feAtures an article on Spotrunnaz. CongrAts! Will Swedish hip-hop start to gain internAtional recognition and respect?

MI reports on all the various Swedish publicAtions receiving stipends: https://www.musikindustrin.nu/mi/smpage.fwx?page=198&NYHETER=4345

Blindside is reportedly the most-downloaded artist At MTV.com last week with their new clip "All of Us". Get it from here: https://www.mtv.com/bands/az/blindside/artist.jhtml
The band reports they'll be announcing some special warm-up headlining dAtes lAter this week. As mentioned here before, the band is teaming up with fellow Christian nü-metallers POD for a US tour and they are planning on doing a few select shows on their own in towns where the big tour isn't playing. More info soon.

Long a mainstay on the black-metal scene, Snorre Ruch of Thorns is coming out with a new project under the name Thorns Ltd. which I do believe is intended to be artier and more experimental than his other work. He says he's already got an album pretty much ready to go, but I don't believe there is any confirmed informAtion about a release yet. Read more: https://www.heavymetal.no/show.article.asp?menuid=13&artid=1185 (in Norwegian)

Aftonbladet reports thAt Peter Jöback is on the move to make a comeback: https://www.aftonbladet.se/vss/noje/story/0,2789,455241,00.html (in Swedish)
Mauro Scocco, Niclas Frisk, Andreas MAttson and Tomas Andersson Wij are all working with and helping him write new mAterial.

Freddie Wadling is enlisting Mauro Scocco and Thomas Öberg from Bob Hund/Bergman Rock to help with his new record. His collaborAtion "Fade Away" with Håkan Hellström is also supposed to be on the album.

The guys in The Soundtrack of Our Lives feel really bad about all the delays and so they're giving something back to the fans in the form of web-only demo singles. Fans who join up At the Tsool.net website will receive a new mp3 every month until the new album is finally released. The first one is "A Room Without a View" and was recorded March-April 1995 by Ebbot and Björn on their portable 8-track. Check it: At.htm" target=_blank>https://tsool.net/kort/aroo_At.htm

UpdAted tourdAtes for Swedish hardcore act Misconduct:

04/02 - Hamnmagasinet, Umea (SWE) w/Poison Idea
04/04 - Henriksberg, Gothenburg (SWE) w/Poison Idea
04/30 - Henriksberg, Gothenburg (SWE)
05/14 - The Purple Onion, Vancouver, BC (CAN)
05/15 - tba (CAN)
05/16 - tba (CAN)
05/17 - Wild Bills, Banff, AB (CAN)
05/18 - The Starlite, Edmonton, AB (CAN)
05/19 - The Warehouse, Calgary, AB (CAN)
05/20 - Riddell Centre, Regina, SK (CAN)
05/21 - WECC, Winnipeg, MB (CAN)
05/22 - Warp 9 Concert Hall, Thunder Bay, ON (CAN)
05/23 - The EastgAte / The Canadien, Sault Ste Marie, ON (CAN)
05/24 - Trasheteria, Guelph, ON (CAN)
05/25 - Call The Office, London, ON (CAN)
05/26 - tba (CAN)
05/27 - The Capital Music Hall, Ottawa, ON (CAN)
05/28 - L'Anti Hall, Quebec City, QC (CAN)
05/29 - Club Soda, Montreal, ON (CAN)
06/04 - Studentenhuset w/ Blister Head, Kobenhagen (DEN)
07/02 - With Full Force Festival, Roitschjora (GER) w/Agnostic Front, Ignite, Monster Magnet, Slipknot

All Canadian dAtes are with Big Wig, DBS, Belvedere and Tsunami Bomb.

Live report: ExMS Swedish Showcase in LA, 03/20/2004

After all the speculAtion, it has been revealed thAt Peter Tägtgren of Hypocrisy is the new singer for superstar, classic-style Swedish deAth-metal band BloodbAth. As mentioned before, former vocalist Mike Åkerfeldt (Opeth) left the band due to his main group's obligAtions. Drummer Martin "Axe" Axenrot (Witchery, SAtanic Slaughter) has been added on drums as well. The band is currently writing mAterial for a new album due out lAter this year.

SAtyricon's spot on the upcoming Morbid Angel tour is reportedly in jeopardy as drummer Frost is having trouble getting his work visa papers approved. Read more: https://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=20821
UPDAtE: MIC Norway reports it like it's a done deal: https://www.mic.no/mic.nsf/doc/art2004032911351328726482
UPDAtE AGAIN: Blabbermouth now says thAt Trym (ex-Emperor) has been recruited to take Frost's place. One way or another, the people behind the tour are intent on making sure everything goes as planned.

Next weekend Monkeystrikes will be heading to Stockholm to make a video for the song "Angry Knees" with Henry Moore Selder. ThAt's the title track to their new EP which comes out March 31 via Planekonomi. Full tracklist:

01. Lost on the Lawn
02. Lovecontainer
03. Angry Knees
04. Wont stop rock n´roll

Keep up on the lAtest from Uncle's Institution in his tour diary: https://www.unclesinstitution.com/diary.htm

Cadaver (nee Cadaver Inc.) has confirmed April 20 as the release dAte for their new album "Necrosis". View the cover art right here. Full tracklist:

01. Necro as Fuck
02. Decomposed Meal Skin
03. Evil is Done
04. Odium
05. Awakening
06. GoAt FAther
07. Unholy DeAth
08. The Etching
09. Cleanser
10. Heartworm