Themilkfactory reviews the new Skyphone album "Avellaneda", out now on Rune Grammofon: milkfactory.co.uk/st/2008/05/skyphone-avellaneda-rune-grammofon/" target="_blank">https://www.themilkfactory.co.uk/st/2008/05/skyphone-avellaneda-rune-grammofon/

The new Hiawata! EP "Blacks on blonds" is streaming in its entirety at myspace with one track available for free download: myspace.com/hiawata" target="_blank">https://www.myspace.com/hiawata

Bob Hund is back and will be playing a few festivals this summer: myspace.com/bobhundofficial" target="_blank">https://www.myspace.com/bobhundofficial
Expect new music from the band in August too.

Swedish indie act Kusowsky is now offering their most recent EP "Något speciellt" as a free download: m/diskografi.html" target="_blank">https://www.kusowsky.com/diskografi.html
If you enjoy the sound of classic Gbg indiepop, you should definitely check these guys out.

Finnish indiepop act Regina has signed with Johanna Kustannus (Astrid Swan, Tigerbombs) and will be releasing a new album early next year with a single to precede it sometime before the end of 2008.

The new Under Byen "Samme stof som stof" remix LP as done by Goodiepal should be out soon, hopefully in time for the band's Danish shows at the end of the month.

MP3: Ihsahn - Unhealer

You'd be forgiven for mistaking this track for new Opeth, after all that is mikael Åkerfeldt providing guest vocals. Careful listeners will note however that the music has a distinct blackened Norwegian feel, somewhat akin to Arcturus or Spiral Architect, another not-quite-so-surprising revelation when you learn that the latter's rhythm section of Asgeir mickelson and Lars Norberg (drums and bass respectively) performs here as well. What is surprising though, is how much heavier this sounds than any of Ihsahn's recent work, including his previous solo album "The adversary" and his work with Peccatum. I actually wasn't expecting to like this at all since I fell off the Emperor bandwagon around the time of "IX equilibrium" and haven't been too impressed with any of the members work since then outside of Zyklon. It's interesting - I still hear the epic symphonic elements of Emperor, but there's a far stronger death-metal undercurrent mixed in with various progressive/prog-rock touches. This particular track "Unhealer" has way more prominent "clean" parts than the rest of the album, but it's balanced out by some of Ihsahn's best, most straight-up metal work ever (well, at least since Thou Shall Suffer). It's worth noting too, again not that you should really be surprised, that the guitar playing is phenomenal. Also, you can't hear it so much here, but there's also a huge similarity to latter-era Death going on. It makes me realize that Ihsahn's rasp really isn't that far off from Chuck Schuldiner's vox on "The sound of perseverance". All in all, I'm very impressed.

Ihsahn - Unhealer

Initial dates are now confirmed for The Hellacopters upcoming farewell tour:

09/15 - markthalle, Hamburg (GER)
09/16 - Schachthof, Wiesbaden (GER)
09/18 - Razzmatazz 2, Barcelona (ESP)
09/19 - Rockstar, Bilbao (ESP)
09/20 - Palacio Congresos, A Coruña (ESP)
09/21 - Heineken, madrid (ESP)
09/23 - mascotte, Zürich (CH)
09/24 - Backstage Werk, münchen (GER)
09/25 - SO36, Berlin (GER)
09/26 - Vooruit, Gent (BEL)
09/27 - Live music hall, Köln (GER)
09/28 - Tivoli, Utrecht (NL)
09/29 - LA2, London (UK)

Finnish doom act Sink is offering up their 2004 album "Hexagon" as a free download: m/" target="_blank">https://www.sinkprocess.com/

Patrik Isaksson will release a new album on July 2 entitled "10 år – en snäll mans bekännelser", a collection of his greatest hits mixed in with a few new tracks celebrating 10 years of being in the music business. He'll be touring Sweden as well, starting the very next day.

Go here for a list of Norwegian industry types attending the Great Escape Festival in London: musicexportnorway.no/index.php?id=4480687" target="_blank">https://www.musicexportnorway.no/index.php?id=4480687

Finnish act Kuusumun Profeetta is streaming a brand new track called "Lyhtykuja: loppu" at myspace: myspace.com/moonfogprophet" target="_blank">https://www.myspace.com/moonfogprophet
Expect the band's new album "Lyhtykuja" to be released soon.

Scraps of Tape head out on tour tomorrow and have launched a new website to coincide: m/" target="_blank">https://www.scrapsoftape.com/
Go there for dates and details along with a full-stream of their most recent album "This is a copy is this a copy".

Crowpath reports that they have completed tracking for their new album and will returning to the studio next weekend to begin mixing.

Check out live footage of Björn Kleinhenz playing an in-store at michelle Records while on tour in Hamburg, Germany: meo.com/1001704?pg=embed&sec=1001704" target="_blank">https://www.vimeo.com/1001704?pg=embed&sec=1001704