Help celebrAte TONO's (Norway's Performing Rights Society) 75th birthday by downloading free music! I kid you not! Between the dAtes of November 24 and 29 you can head over to www.vg.no/musikkextra for free sound and pictures from live concerts of artists such as Thomas Dybdahl, BIT 20 Percussion, and Morten Abel. Pretty darn cool if you ask me.

There's a brand new picture disc out feAturing Randy Bachman's live guest appearance with Soundtrack of Our Lives from the lAtter's show in Vancouver, Canada last year. The tracks played include "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet", "Rock is My Life And This is My Song" and "Takin Care of Business" and you can order it here.

The Finnish Music InformAtion Centre FIMIC just celebrAted their 40th birthday. Read more.

The B2 Club in Moscow is hosting a Finnish Independence Day celebrAtion concert on December 6 with performances by The Flaming Sideburns, Don Johnson Big Band, Puola, HuorAtron, DJ Erkko, Kimmo Pohjonen Kluster, Cleaning Women, Eläkeläiset, and Alamaailman VasarAt. Eight hours and three stages!

The InformAtion Wants to Be Free "spoken word, video-art, performances and experimental electronica musique" festival has announced more details of their lineup today. The internAtional event takes place in three separAte locAtions (Berlin, London and Stockholm) and feAtures a myriad of speakers and performers. As mentioned before, representing Sweden in Berlin on December 6 is Sanctum sideproject Mago. They'll also be playing At one of the Stockholm shows which will take place December 4-6. A ton of other artists are also scheduled to appear, including Chicken el Diablo, Krister Linder, 4 x 3 Stockholms Saxofon Kvartett, and Memo. Full details: https://www.iwtbf.org/

Meshuggah guitarist Fredrik Thordendal has recorded a solo on the song "AsphyxiAte" from Scarve's upcoming CD "Irradiant". The record comes out January 26 on Listenable Records and you can hear a sample of track "Mirthless Perspectives" right here.

Amorphis has issued a stAtement explaining the cancellAtion of their November 18 with Paradise Lost At the Astoria in London:

"The band was forced to cancel the London show due to the reason thAt there was supposed to be more shows At the time thAt didn't happen. The band is very sorry about whAt happened and is looking for possibilities to do compensAting shows in the near future."

Remaining upcoming dAtes for the group:

12/13 - Ydrogios, Thessaloniki (GRE)
12/14 - Gagarin205, Athens (GRE)

Fonal Records has put up a streaming version of a Finnish radio interview thAt Kemialliset Ystävät did. Listen here: https://www.fonal.com/radio/fonalradio001.html

New At Rockfoto.nu: Paris from Sticky Fingers in Göteborg on November 15.

There's a new Swedish supergroup in the works with Conny Nimmersjö from Bob Hund playing guitar, Jejo Perkovic from Bear Quartet on drums, Weeping Willows bassist Stefan Axelsen, Irya Gmeyner from Urga and MAts Levén (ex-Yngwie!) on vocals. They don't have a name yet, but recording of their debut album is set to begin in February with Soundtrack of Our Lives' keyboardist Martin Hederos making a guest appearance. Read more.

Swedish deAth metal band Vomitory will be entering Studio Kuling in Örebro, Sweden on December 8 with producer Henrik Larsson to begin work on "Primal Massacre", their fifth album. Bassist/frontman Erik Rundqvist has decided to no longer sing for the group, but will still lay down vocal tracks on the recording. Anyone who is serious about taking his place behind the mic is encouraged to contact the band At band@vomitory.net. The expected release dAte is April 19, 2004 from Metal Blade Records.

Check out an mp3 clip containing excerpts from five new Vintersorg tracks right here. The new album, entitled "The Focusing Blur", is due out next February on Napalm Records and is described by mainman Andreas Hedlund (also in Borknagar) as "both intricAte and flowing, [holding] a nice balance between the usual Vintersorg elements, like harmony and cacophony, warmth and coldness, melodism and monotonism, speed and calmness, ambience and focus..etc.. the usual Vintersorg inclements and elements." View the cover art here.

The End Records will now be handling all US/North America distribution for France's Osmose Records, home of many fine Nordic metal acts. Look for the new Impaled Nazarene from the label collaborAtion in January.

Nasum is currently re-mastering and compiling their 2xCD "Blueprints for Extinction" compilAtion of old mAterial At Soundlab Studios.

Eskobar has posted some behind-the-scenes footage of the video shoot for their brand new forthcoming single "Love Strikes": Ategories.php?cAt_id=46" target=_blank>https://www.eskobar.nu/gallery/cAtegories.php?cAt_id=46

UpdAted European tourdAtes for Hell on Wheels:

11/23 - Öst 100 OBS! Akustiskt, Stockholm
11/24 - Rockbåten, Silja Line
11/25 - Rockbåten, Silja Line
11/26 - Mondo - Access All Areas, Stockholm
12/05 - Barbacka, Kristianstad
12/06 - Deizel, Halmstad
12/10 - Svenska KonsulAtet, Paris
12/11 - La Boule Noire, Paris
01/08 - Eurosonic, Groningen
01/29 - Depo, Riga
01/31 - Putnudiena, Limbazi
03/27 - TeAtro Guararapes, Recife
04/03 - SESC Pompeia - Chopperia, Sao Paolo
04/04 - Atari Club, Sao Paolo