The latest in the ongoing legal woes of Satyricon as their touring guitarists defend rape charges in Canada: https://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=30709

Download the new song "Mephitication" from Norwegian death-metal act Blood Red Throne: https://www.earache.com/bands/blood_red_throne/mp3/Mephitication.mp3
The track comes from the band's new album "Altered Genesis", due out February 21 via Earache Records.

C.Aarmé reports that they've got seven new songs committed to tape and are working on a tour for February/March next year. Details soon.

Today's top ten comes to us from Markus Persson of the booking agency Monstera and the band Leif Karate. Be sure to check it out.

New mp3 today from Finland's Cleaning Women. I can't possibly begin to do this band justice, so let's have their bio do the talking:

Three guys in drag, clinking away like monkeys in heat at their home-made instruments made out of clotheshorses and pickle jars, hollering vaguely nonsensical slogans about the importance of cleaning.

Sounds like a gimmick, right? Well, if you're a cynic like me, then you're probably feeling quite skeptical right now. Hopefully, you're also still a bit curious though because if you pass on these guys, you're missing out. In some ways, Cleaning Women are like the Finnish version of Doo Rag: they get your attention through contrivance, but you stick around because the music really is quite good. "Ricewestern", the song posted today, is the first track from the band's 2001 debut album "Pulsator" and the sound is a bastard mix of funky metal percussion and distorted bass, glazed with a vocal melody that almost sounds lifted from the Finnish folk tradition. Intriguing, no? Investigate!

The website for Wild Kingdom is back up and running with a bit of news from The Doits, Maryslim, Gemini Five and Wonderfools: https://www.wildkingdom.se/

New UK dates in 2005 for Sondre Lerche:

02/25 - Wheelans, Dublin
02/26 - King Tuts, Glasgow
02/28 - University, Newcastle
03/01 - Night And Day, Manchester
03/02 - Arts Centre, Norwich
03/03 - Komedia, Brighton
03/04 - Social, Nottingham
03/05 - Louisianna, Bristol
03/07 - Academy, Birmingham
03/08 - Zodiac, Oxford
03/09 - Islington Academy, London

Surrounded will begin recording a new album at Helikopter Studio in Göteborg in January.

Updated tourdates for Mando Diao:

01/15 - Mean Fiddler, London (UK)
01/17 - Marquee, London (UK)
01/18 - Buffalo Bar, London (UK)
01/19 - Deathdisco, London (UK)
01/25 - Mudd Club, Berlin (GER)
01/27 - Top of the Pops, Cologne (GER)
02/22 - Kalkscheune, Berlin (GER)
02/23 - Markthalle, Hamburg (GER)
02/24 - Prime Club, Cologne (GER)
02/25 - Backstage, Munich (GER)
02/26 - Flex, Vienna (AUS)
02/27 - Rote Fabrik, Zurich (SWI)
02/28 - Fri-son, Frieburg (SWI)
03/01 - Batschkapp, Frankfurt (GER)
03/02 - The Tivoli, Utrecht (HOL)
03/03 - Melkweg, Amsterdam (HOL)
03/04 - Vera, Groningen (HOL)
03/05 - Ringlockschupen, Bielefeld (GER)

Check out an e-card for the brand new Ark album "State of the Ark": https://www.emi.se/artists/theark/sota/juke/

Speaking of The Ark, the band's website has a new incredibly annoying, flash-based redesign: https://www.thearkworld.com/

Scandinavian highlights from the Pitchfork top 50 album list include The Concretes (#45), Jóhann Jóhannsson (#37), Björk (#19), Annie (#15), Erlend Øye (#14) and Dungen (#13): https://www.pitchforkmedia.com/top/2004/index.shtml

The Norwegian female rock quintet Furia just finished up recording two songs with Pelle Gunnerfeldt at his studio near Stockholm and is in negotiations with various labels for an eventual album release.

Swedish radio P3's top played tracks and artists of 2004: https://www.musikindustrin.nu/mi/smpage.fwx?page=198&NYHETER=5309

Aftonbladet lists the top picks of the year from quite a few high-profile Swedish artists such as Marit Bergman, Per Gessle, Ola Salo, Magnus Uggla, Ebbot Lundberg, Nicke Andersson and so on: https://www.aftonbladet.se/vss/noje/story/0,2789,578772,00.html (in Swedish)