The long-awaited Dead Can Dance tribute "The Lotus Eaters" from Black Lotus Records has been confirmed for a May 11 release. As mentioned before, there's a number of great artists contributing including Scandinavians Ulver, The Gathering, Arcana, Green Carnation and more. Full details: https://www.black-lotus-recs.com/bands.html?action_bands=show&id_bands=494

A new issue of Aversionline means a huge batch of new reviews to pour through. Some of the Scandinavian acts covered this time around: The Change, Darkane, Dimension Zero, Eucharist, Gorgoroth, Naglfar, Nightrage, V:28, The Vectors, The Wake, the "Lyckantropen" DVD (ft. music and interview with Ulver) and tons more.

Ulver reports that Ronan Chris Murphy is mixing the new album "Blood Inside" at his Veneto West studio in Los Angeles. Murphy played in Freak Baby right before Dave Grohl joined the band back in the mid0-80s, but his most recent work has centered around mixing King Crimson albums, judging by his AMG discography. No exact release date, but expect it to come this fall.

In other Ulver news, the group has confirmed two feature film soundtrack assignments, one for Mona Hoel's "Freedom From Fear" and one for Aksel Hennie's "Uno" which will be a collaboration with UK-based singer/songwriter Tom McRae. There's more negiotations for other projects in the works, but nothing confirmed yet.

In somewhat Ulver-related news, mainman Garm's label Jester Records will reissue Origami Galaktika's album "Horisont" sometime before summer. The music for that was composed as a joint sound-picture exhibition with painter Bård Solhaug back in 2002. They say to look for new albums on the horizon from Kåre Jöao, Bogus Blimp and Rotoscope, 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

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

Here's some excerpts from the tracklist to that long-awaited Dead Can Dance tribute coming out next year on Black Lotus Records:

Arcana - In The Wake Of Adversity
Hortus Anime (w/Liv Kristine Espenaes from Theatre of Tragedy) - Summoning Of The Muse
The Gathering - In Power We Entrust The Love Advocated
Nightfall - The Obiguitous Mr. Lovegrove
Green Carnation - Cantara
Ulver - In The Kingdom Of The Blind The One-Eyed Are Kings
Noekk (ex-Empyrium) - How Fortunate Is The Man With None

It's gonna two discs total and there's a totally diverse roster of artists on it, including non-Scandinavian artists like Anathema, Jarboe, Amber Asylum, Black Tape for a Blue Girl, Septic Flesh and more. Add another one to the list on anticipated albums coming next year...

Vendlus Records is putting out the US DVD release of the film "Lyckantropen", directed by Steve Ericsson and featuring an excellent soundtrack by Norway's Ulver. The disc features deleted scenes, a slideshow, "the sound of wolves" and a 20-minute interview with the band. View the trailer here and go to the label's newly redesigned website to order.

Also coming up from Vendlus in the near future is the US releases of the Lamented Souls album "Origins of Misery" (feat. members of Dimmu Borgir, Borknagar, Beyond Dawn, and Arcturus) and the Bomberos "Hate" CD/10" (members of Mayhem, Virus, Beyond Dawn, Aura Noir, Cadaver Inc.). Both of those releases are on license from Norway's Duplicate Records, the label run by Einar of Beyond Dawn (hence his involvement with both projects).

DigitalMetal has posted an aptly quick review of the new Ulver EP "A Quick Fix Of Melancholy".

News from Ulver:

"We are working dedicatedly on our next full-length release, with the Heart album as working title, replacing the utopian enterprise. Oblivion to you all."

They also recently released a new EP called "A Quick Fix of Melancholy" along with the "Svidd Neger" soundtrack album. Both are great and recommended listening.

It took awhile, but Aversionline has finally updated with a new issue featuring an interview with Born from Pain out of Holland, around 130 new reviews including Darwin, Darkthrone, Disfear, Enslaved, Fleurety, General Surgery, Imperious, Isengard, Muskel, Skepticism, Ulver and Ved Buens Ende, plus tons more. Check it out.

"Deathlike Silence: Norsk black metal 1993-2003" - a Norweigan essay on the past 10 years of black metal, as alerted to me by the Solefald site. Since they're much more eloquent writers than me, here's what they had to say on the paper:

On September the 5th the Norwegian review Samtiden (www.samtiden.no) published an essay by Cornelius entitled "Deathlike Silence. Norwegian Black Metal 1993-2003". The essay, unfortunately available in Norwegian only, contains memories from those first crazy years (Euronymous' "Helvete" shop), rare excerpts from the personal letters of Euronymous, and also comments on how the Norwegian media have been dealing with the genre over the last ten years. The essay has probably only little new to say to experienced Metallers; what is new is that a cultural review directed at a broader, educated public actually takes black metal seriously, both as an artform and as an ideological phenomenon. Mostly grimmer black metal bands such as Darkthrone, Satyricon, Emperor, Immortal and Mayhem are featured, as the origin and history of Norwegian black metal is the centerpoint of the essay. There is of course a lot to be written about the second generation of bands (from 1995 and onwards, roughly), acts such as Arcturus, Ulver, DHG, Borknagar, Khold, Myrkskog, and hopefully also yours truly... The title "Deathlike Silence" has rather melancholic implications, as August the 10th was the 10th anniversary of Euronymous' murder. Without the life and work of that twisted, idiosyncratic mind, Norwegian black metal would be just that, a deathlike silence. But since then, as we all known, black metal has evolved so drastically that in some cases it cannot simply be called "black" anymore, maybe "avantgarde" or "post-black" or "neo-black" or you name it (just not "Radical Designer Rock'n'Roll" [as Solefald labels themselves -ed.]).

I agree - it's definitely interesting to note the way the media has picked up the black metal phenomenon and how it's been covered throughout the years. I remember when I first heard those bands way back in the early nineties and how scary and inhuman they sounded. Strange how times have changed - Satyricon and Cradle of Filth are on majors now, for starters. Those of you like me who don't read Norweigan and are interested in learning more about the scene should definitley pick up the book "Lords of Chaos: The Bloody Rise of the Satanic Metal Underground" by Michael Moynihan and Didrik Soderlind. It's not perfect, but it does provide for a good primer.

The latest Aquarius Records new release list has the great new Beyond Dawn album "Frysh" as a featured highlight, along with reviews and samples of various new Jester Records-related releases from Virus, Ulver and When - all stuff worth checking out IMO. Oh, and the usual selection of indie-rock and other stuff, too.

Black Lotus Records will be putting out a Dead Can Dance tribute album called "The Lotus Eaters" sometime in the near future. Contributors include Trail of Tears, Theatre of Tragedy, Ulver, Green Carnation, and The Gathering along with various others from outside the Nordic scene like Antimatter, Faith and the Muse and maybe Diamanda Galas.

Musique Machine has posted a review of the Merzbow remix album "Frog Remixed And Revisited" which features tracks from artists such as Ulver, When and more.