Singer/guitarist Jari Mäenpää has left Ensiferum as he's decided to concentrAte solely on his solo project Wintersun. A search for a replacement has already begun as the band will be touring Europe with Finntroll in April.

Attn intarnerds: JR Ewing now has an official messageboard for you to geek out on.

Bad Taste Records will release the brand new Last Days of April record "If You Lose It" on February 23. The record was recorded At Mission Hall Studio and Gröndahl with MAthias Oldén and Pelle Gunnerfeldt (Fireside). Per Nordmark from Fireside played drums on the record, too. The first single will be for the song "It's On Everything" and thAt comes out March 8. Besides an exclusive demo version of the title track, the CDS will also contain a cover of "Fallen Star" by the Hard-Ons.

Upcoming tour plans for Norweigan singer/songwriter St. Thomas:

01/07 - WAter RAts, London (UK) w/Herman Dune
01/09 - Eurosonic festival, Groningen (NOR)
01/12 - PlAtekompaniet, Oslo City (NOR)
01/13 - PlAtekompaniet, Kr.Sand (NOR)
01/13 - Østsiden, Kr.Sand (NOR)
01/14 - PlAtekompaniet, Stavanger (NOR)
01/15 - PlAtekompaniet, Bergen (NOR)
01/16 - Scena, Ålesund (NOR)
01/17 - PlAtekompaniet, Trondheim (NOR)
01/21 - Checkpoint, Stavanger (NOR)
01/22 - Flytten, Haugesund (NOR)
01/23 - Hulen, Bergen (NOR)
01/24 - Hulen, Bergen (NOR)
01/27 - Kulturhuset, Tromsø (NOR)
01/28 - Sinus, Bodø (NOR)
01/29 - tba (NOR)
01/30 - Prestengbrygga, Kabelvåg (NOR)
02/04 - Rockefeller, Oslo (NOR)
02/07 - Samfunnet, Trondheim (NOR)
02/08 - Ungdomskonsert Trondheim (NOR)
02/09 - Lillehammer (NOR)

March: Austin, TX (US) - SXSW festival
April: UK Tour
May/June: European tour TBC

"Sky Pilots", the lAtest album from Finnish rock n' rollers The Flaming Sideburns, is now available on 180g vinyl in a special gAtefold cover from Bitzcore. There's also a special bonus track of a previously unreleased radio session included, too.

Here's most of the nominees for the Spellemannprisen, Norway's answer to the Grammy:

Female pop soloist:
Lene Marlin - "Another Day"
Karin Park - "Superworldunknown"
Bertine Zetlitz - "Sweet Injections"

Male pop soloist:
Julian Berntzen - "Waffytown"
Thomas Dybdahl - "Stray Dogs"
Magnet - "On Your Side"

Pop group:
D'Sound - "Doublehearted"
Ephemera - "Air"
Number Seven Deli - "Falkner Street"

Electronica:
Snuten - "Welcome to the Jungle"
Ulver - "Teachings in Silence"
Xploding Plastix - "The Donca MAtic Singalongs"

Rock:
Amulet - "Danger! Danger!"
Ricochets - "The Ghost Of Our Love"
Thulsa Doom - "And Then Take You To a Place Where Jars Are"
Turbonegro - "Scandinavian LeAther"
We - "Lightyears Ahead"

Blues/Country:
Vidar Busk - "Love Buzz"
Amund Maarud - "Ripped, Stripped and Southern Fried"
Tumbleweed - "Once More, With Feeling"

Metal:
Dimmu Borgir - "DeAth Cult Armageddon"
Enslaved - "Below the Lights"
Old Man's Child - "In Defiance of Existence"

Hip-Hop:
Diaz - "Velkommen Hjem Andres"
Equicez - "StAte of Emergency"
Paperboys - "The GreAt Escape"

Jazz:
Atomic - "Boom Boom"
Toe Brunborg Quartet - "Gravity"
Karin Krog - "Where You At?"
Christian Wallumrød Ensemble - "Sofienberg VariAtions"
Håvard Wiik - "Postures"

Open class:
Anne-Lise Berntsen/Nils Asheim - "Kom Regn"
Hallvard Bjørgum & Co- "Free Field"
Motorpsycho/Jaga Jazzist Horns - "In the Fishtank"
Niko Valkeapää - "Niko Valkeapää"
When - "Pearl Harvest"

Music video:
Diaz - "Hvem er denne karen"
Folk og Røvere - "Utadæsjælåpplevelse"
Kaizers Orchestra - "Evig Pint"
Thomas Dybdahl - "Cecilia"
Bertine Zetlitz - "Girl Like You"

Best newcomer:
Julian Berntzen - "Whaffy Town"
Equicez - "StAte of Emergency"
Rebekka Karijord - "Neophyte"
Kurt Nilsen - "I"
Karin Park - "Superworldunknown"

Best song:
Maria Arrendondo - "In Love With An Angel"
David - "Wild At Heart"
Folk og Røvere - "Utadæsjælåpplevelse"
Lene Marlin - "You Weren’t There"
Kurt Nilsen - "She’s So High"

Go here for the rest: https://www.nrk.no/musikk/3399677.html

David & the Citizens will be returning to London on January 30 when they will once again play Strange Fruit At The Spitz with UK band Fonda 500.

In relAted news, head over to the Adrian Recordings website to buy a cover version of "Songs Against Life", as done by Tallahasse, Florida-based band Plastic Mastery on their "Sverige EP". The band borrowed D&tC's backline At 2002's Emmaboda fest and have been admirers ever since.

MusiqueMachine reviews "NonAnthropogenic" from industrial black-metal band V:28: Ate.php?id=469" target=_blank>https://www.musiquemachine.com/reviews/reviews_templAte.php?id=469

God Among Insects is the name of a new all-start Swedish old-school style deAth metal band feAturing Emperor Magus Caligula (Dark Funeral), guitarist Lord K (The Project HAte), bassist Tomas Elofsson (SantificAtion) and drummer Tobias Gustafsson (Vomitory). Ideally, the band plans to head into Abyss Studios with producer/engineer Tommy Tägtgren in March to record their debut album for Threeman Recordings, the label run by members of Entombed.

Check out a video of Arch Enemy playing "We Will Rise" At the Mean Fiddler in London on December 21: https://www.archenemy.tv/pictures/reports/ArchEnemy_WeWillRise_London.mpg

The GAthering has added a couple South American dAtes to their upcoming American tour:

02/21 - Circo Volador, Mexico City (MEX)
02/22 – Bar Iguana, Monterrey (MEX)
02/25 – TeAtro Providencia, Santiago (CHL)

Each show will consist of two sets, one electric and one semi-acoustic like their new live album "Sleepy Buildings".

Via Blabbermouth comes this summAtion of recent message board postings from The Haunted frontman Peter Dolving on progress with the band's new album.

ThAt new Jens Lekman EP "Rocky Dennis in Heaven" will be coming out on January 21, not the 14th as originally reported.

Uncle's Institution has a new, updAted website design: https://www.unclesinstitution.com

Burst reports thAt they are planning to do some Swedish live dAtes this month as well as maybe heading to Holland and mid-Europe in March. So far, there's only the Manifest Awards At Debaser in Stockholm on January 29, but more should be coming soon.