Finnish music download site For Your Ears is moving to a LAME-encoded 256k VBR MP3 format. Finally, someone who understands that sound quality is important and is willing to adjust, file size be damned. Maybe some folks can deal will all those 128k mp3s most people sell, but they give me a headache. Anyhow, the catalogue is slowly being converted and everyone will be able to download new versions of tracks they already have paid for. In other FYR news, Exogenic Breaks will be adding their label's catalogue (Accu, Brothom States, Reuna and PJVM) to the site shortly.

Lampshade will be throwing a record release show on November 15 at KB in Malmö to celebrate their new album "Because trees can fly", to be released on Germnay's Glitterhouse Records.

Laakso on tour in Germany:

11/18 - Glocksee, Hannover (GER)
11/19 - Schilleroper, Hamburg (GER)
11/20 - Bastion, Bochum (GER)
11/21 - tbc (GER)
11/22 - Rosenkeller, Jena (GER)
11/24 - Moritzbastei, Leipzig (GER)
11/25 - Tanzklub Volkspark, Halle (GER)
11/26 - Clubmetropolitan, Traunstein (GER)
11/27 - tbc (GER)
11/28 - Rakete, Nürnberg (GER)
11/30 - Waldschloss, Potsdam (GER)
12/01 - Magnet, Berlin (GER)
12/02 - MS Stubnitz, Rostock (GER)
12/03 - Klex, Greifswald (GER)

The dates for that Tiamat, Theatre of Tragedy, Pain and Sirenia tour have been confirmed:

12/26 - Hof Ter Loo, Antwerpen (BEL)
12/27 - Haus Auensee, Leipzig (GER)
12/28 - JZ, Andernach (GER) (no Tiamat)
12/29 - Kallewerk, Bad Salzungen (GER) (no Tiamat)
12/30 - Ohrakel, Ingolstadt (GER)
12/31 - Planet Music, Wien (AUS)
01/02 - Rockhaus, Salzburg (AUS)
01/03 - Z7, Pratteln (SWI)
01/04 - Rainbow, Milano (ITA)
01/05 - Substage, Karlsruhe (GER)
01/06 - O13, Tilburg (NL)
01/07 - Live Arena, Münster / Breitfeld (GER)
01/08 - Columbia Fritz, Berlin (GER)
01/09 - Faust, Hannover (GER)

Check out an audio sample of the brand new Dissection single "Maha Kali": https://www.dissection.nu/sounds/mahakali/mahakali_sample.mp3
There's also a video sample here: https://www.dissection.nu/media/dvideo.mov

Since that Type O Negative tour fell through, Amorphis will be teaming up with Into Eternity and Beyond the Embrace for some new American dates. Here's what's been confirmed so far:

02/24 - Hard Rock Live, Guadalajara (MEX) (Amorphis only)
02/25 - Salon Arena, Morelia (MEX) (Amorphis only)
02/26 - Gran Forum, Mexico City (MEX) (Amorphis only)
02/27 - Cafe Iguana, Monterrey (MEX) (Amorphis only)
03/02 - Mason Jar, Phoenix, AZ
03/03 - Key Club, West Hollywood, CA @
03/04 - Galaxy Theatre, Santa Ana, CA
03/09 - Bluebird Theater, Denver, CO
03/14 - House Of Blues, Cleveland, OH

Enslaved are more than just the world's best viking metal band, they are also excellent fishermen: https://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=28427 (via Blabbermouth)

Chalksounds has confirmed that the upcoming Ellis the Vacuumchild album will be called "Peace by extermination". As mentioned before, it comes out January 28. Labelmates The End Will Be Kicks have taken the easy way out and decided to give make their debut album self-titled. Again, as mentioned before, that one comes out a week earlier on January 21.

Moonbabies will be supporting Matt Sharp (ex-Weezer, The Rentals) on tour in Northern Europe:

11/27 - Frankfurt-Nachtleben (GER)
11/28 - CH-Genf-L'uisine (SWI)
11/29 - Atomic Cafe, München (GER)
11/30 - Rote Fabrik, Zürich (SWI)
12/01 - Schwimmbad, Heidelberg (GER)

The top Scandinavian videos streamed last week at on-demand video service Musicbrigade.com:

01. Nightwish - Wish I had An Angel
02. Annie - Chewing Gum
03. Ana - We Are
04. Gunther & Sunshine Girls - Teeny Weeny String Bikini
05. Alcazar - This Is The World We Live In
Requested Videos: 356,617
Total Streams: 508,460

In honor of John Peel: Sahara Hotnights - Teenage kicks

IAT will be packing up the wife and dogs and leaving for the mountains tomorrow for a bit of R&R. No computer, no email, no nothing. Regular updates and mailorder will resume again on Wednesday, so if you've been thinking about ordering something, you should do it today before I leave.

Be sure to tune in to P3 Live on Swedish radio on Monday to hear a live show from KVLR.

The complete list of gigs that The Tiny will be playing while in the NY/NJ area later this month:

10/25 - tba, New Jersey
10/26 - The Knitting Factory, NYC w/The Feverfew, Sleep Station, All Rattle & Dust, Zolof The Rock & Roll Destroyer
10/27 - The Living Room, NYC
10/28 - ExMS showcase @ The Lion's Den, NYC w/Hell on Wheels, Prime Sth
10/29 - Pete's Candystore, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
10/30 - Barbes Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY

Hammerfall is wrapping things up on their new record: https://www.hammerfall.net/scripts/news.asp?ID=144