IT'S A TRAP! Scandinavian Music Journal

Entombed - Welcome home (King Diamond)

Fri, 10 Aug 2012 18:10:09 -0700

Somehow I missed this when it was first posted, but better late than never! "Welcome home" is included as the b-side on Entombed's new 7" "When in Sodom revisited", out now via Screaming Records.

Converge - Wolverine blues

Tue, 07 Aug 2012 11:33:35 -0700

Slightly OT, but probably of interest to many: check out Converge covering Entombed's classic "Wolverine blues" with guest vocals from Tomas Lindberg of At the Gates, Aaron Turner of Isis and more. It's not exactly what I'd call "good", but I'm sure a good time was had by all.

De:Nihil to release new 7" from Swarm

Tue, 08 May 2012 17:39:34 -0700

De:Nihil Records is putting out a new 7" from Swarm, a bluesy noiserock trio featuring current and ex-members from revered Swedish acts such as Victims, Disfear and Entombed: http://denihilrecords.blogspot.com/2012/05/new-release-swarm-nihil011.html
2 songs, pre-orders start on May 19.

New (old) Entombed single in May

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 17:23:41 -0700

Ninetone Records has announced that they will be releasing the new Entombed single "Amok" -- yes, a re-recorded version of the song from the album "Serpent saints" -- on May 23.

MP3: Entombed - State of emergency

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 11:50:27 -0800

I have no idea how widely it's been reported, but Western Washington underwent some seriously extreme weather this past week, so between working my regular dayjob among itinerant power outages and making sure my family and pets are taken care of, keeping up this site doesn't exactly register on the priority list. So despite the carnage above which shows you the view from my home office window, we are all doing okay, more or less. The fence and the tree, not so much. I'll get back on top of things soon enough.

Screaming Records to release new Entombed 7", more

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:18:41 -0800

Danish label Screaming Records will be releasing a new 7" from Swedish death metal legends Entombed this coming May, ahead of the band's new full-length album due out late 2012. In other news, the label will also be doing a 7" with CPH upstart crust/hardcore act Parasight -- look for that one in late February.

Entombed live 1990 (video)

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 12:21:17 -0700

Entombed live in Stockholm circa 1990, what's not to like? Oh yeah, and they cover Black Sabbath too.

MP3: Nine - Time has come

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 11:52:43 -0700

Holy Moly, It's a Trap! is nine years old today! It's always weird to think back to when I first started this thing, back when there were no other websites devoted entirely to Scandinavian music (and certainly not in English!), back before Myspace and social networking, back in the time of Napster and a seemingly endless supply of free music. Naturally, times have changed quite a bit since then and while I'm thankfully no longer the sole representative of this particular niche, there's still no one else covering all the music I want to hear all in one place so I'm compelled to soldier on. So thanks to all my contributors past and present, tack till Jonas for managing the Clubnight, thanks to all the artists who keep me inspired and thanks to YOU for reading! Stubbornly I will persist for yet another year!

As for today's tune, the obvious choice would be "Nine years later" by Born Against (just as relevant today as when it was released 20 years ago), but since New York isn't in Sweden last I checked, I've got to go with Plan B and a quick perusal of my mp3 library leads me directly to Nine. Their combination of Entombed-style death'n'roll swagger and metallic hardcore was way ahead of its time, so while bands of that ilk seem to propagate nowadays in stupid amounts, let us remember back to an era when it was still sounding fresh. Did Nine ever properly get their due? Or were they forever doomed to obscurity thanks to their eminently un-Googleable name? What are those dudes up to now anyway? Bueller?

Rock Science, the game

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 13:43:20 -0700

Presenting "Rock Science", a new rock'n'roll boardgame featuring artwork and a themesong by Nicke Andersson of Imperial State Electric/The Hellacopters/Entombed. Check it: http://www.rockscience.tv/

Entombed on tour

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 18:22:59 -0800

Upcoming live dates for Entombed:

01/28 - Spring & Airbrake, Belfast (IRL)
01/29 - The Village, Dublin (IRL)
02/24 - Hulen, Bergen (NOR)
02/25 - Byscenen, Trondheim (NOR)
02/26 - Betong, Oslo (NOR)
03/10 - Studenthuset, Aalborg (DK)
03/11 - Godset, Kolding (DK)
03/12 - The Rock, Copenhagen (DK)
05/19 - Turock, Essen (GER)
05/20 - Hedon, Zwolle (NL)
05/21 - Patronaat, Harlem (NL)
05/22 - Effenaar, Eindhoven (NL)
05/27 - Metalfest, Dessau (GER)
05/28 - Metalfest, Mining am Inn (AUS)
05/29 - Metalfest, Pratteln (CH)
07/07 - Obscene Extreme, Nabojisti (CR)
07/09 - Getaway rock, Gävle (SWE)

Blood Mortized Bestial Nocturnal Blood Records

Wed, 19 Jan 2011 09:01:01 -0800

The old-school Swedish sound made famous by Entombed and Dismember back in the day has come back with such force and in so many numbers of late that it's hardly fair to call it a revival. There's part of me that is wholeheartedly delighted to hear fresh songs surface with the HM-2 guitar buzz yet, with the vast amount of bands sporting the sound these days, there's another part of me that concedes the fact that nothing compares to the likes of "Left hand path" or "Like an everflowing stream" when it comes to the allied genius of that sound and song structure. Blood Mortized are one of the few modern bands that pretty much have both aspects nailed down. They have displayed in "Bestial" a thorough knowledge of what drove the scene and drew the masses into the hellish depths of Sweden's death metal darkside back in the late '80s and early '90s. It's a pity that there are only three tracks on offer here but, with this being a vast improvement on 2009's debut full-length, there's a glimmer of hope that their next full length will be a subhuman monster of an album.

MP3: The Robots - Night of the living dead

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 17:42:36 -0700

It's Halloween weekend and I've been listening to The Misfits all day long, so I figure I should probably share and share alike, especially seeing as how they are perfect band for the occasion. Problem is, the only cover tunes I have handy come from the dismal "Hell on Earth - Hail to Misfits" compilation which is 98% garbage. I suppose that Entombed's take on "Hollywood Babylon" is solid, but that's not exactly seasonably appropriate so we gotta go with the next best thing which is "Night of the living dead" as performed by The Robots. Competent, yet unexceptional, but that's all I got, so yeah -- happy holidays I guess. Deal with it.

Entombed back to 5

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 16:42:07 -0700

Victor Brandt (Totalt Jävla Mörker, Djerv, Satyricon) has been enlisted as Entombed's new bassist with current member Nico Elgstrand switching permanently to 2nd guitar, making the band a 5-piece once more: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=49775189&blogId=538732071

Interment Into the crypts of blasphemy Pulverised Records

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 14:09:01 -0700

Ah, the good old days of Swedish death metal. They’ve never really gone away, with the early recordings of likes of Entombed, Dismember, Carnage and Grave still cited as the best, most influential death metal ever to disgust the planet. One band that was around back then -- having formed at the same time as all the aforementioned legends -- was fellow countrymen Interment. Having disbanded after the release of a few demos back in the day, they tested the water back in 2007 with a split with US death crew Funebrarum before going on to record this, their first ever full-length album. I could go on and on describing the sound and the songwriting in great detail but, to keep it short and to the point -- and to let you know exactly what this album sounds like -- one sentence will do the trick: it's the oldschool Stockholm sound and style, done with great authenticity and the aspiration to be the "Left hand path" of the 21st Century. Obviously, nothing can ever top "LHP" but, for those looking for something new in this particular style "Into the crypts of blasphemy" isn't too far away.

Necronaut lineup revealed

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 12:45:09 -0700

Necronaut, the solo project of ex-Dismember drummer Fred Estby, has posted the complete guest lineup for his upcoming album: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=414772938&blogId=538096458
For those that aren't so good with names, the list includes members from Entombed, Death Breath, Autopsy, At the Gates, Watain, Graveyard and more.

Entombed to support Volbeat on European tour

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 11:54:21 -0700

Swedish death metal legends Entombed will be supporting Danish act Volbeat on the latter's upcoming tour. Dates: http://www.volbeat.dk/

Sirius playlist week #24

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 11:29:21 -0700

Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU:

01. Randy - Who's side are you on?
02. TALK 1
03. Randy - Freedom song
04. Far From Tellus - Rosemary
05. Chicagojazzen - 18 år i en ruttnande kropp
06. TALK 2
07. Andreas Söderlund - Hawaii
08. Noisebud - Truck driver
09. Montys Loco - Heavy
10. TALK 3
11. Maim - Maimed
12. Turboweekend - Sweet Jezebel (Efterklang remix)
13. Pearl Fiction - The ruby fever
14. Meleeh - Hells mouth
15. TALK 4
16. Oranssi Pazuzu - Korppi
17. Brutus - Swedish lady
18. Entombed - Something out of nothing
19. Katzenjammer - To the sea
20. TALK 5
21. Robyn - Dancehall queen

Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.

Entombed interview + live review

Thu, 03 Jun 2010 17:25:44 -0700

Phil Freeman interviews Entombed for the Cleveland Scene: http://runningthevoodoodown.blogspot.com/2010/06/this-week-in-cleveland.html
He also caught the band live in NY: http://runningthevoodoodown.blogspot.com/2010/06/entombed-woe-of-tyrants-gwynnbleidd.html
For those that are curious there are plenty of videos of them (and others) from Maryland Deathfest online now, though most of the reports I've heard say that Entombed weren't so great.

Nirvana 2002 Recordings 89-91 Relapse

Tue, 18 May 2010 11:28:11 -0700

Ahhh, the sonic wonder that is old-school Swedish death metal. Remembering the good old days when the likes of Entombed (Nihilist), Dismember, Carnage and the crew were kickstarting a musical style that would not only define a genre, but remain in fond memory for decades to follow. Another band in the fold during those early days of death was Nirvana 2002, also spewing forth the guitar tone from Helvete (you know the one) and blasting out some of the best death metal this side of the "Left hand path". Indeed, the opening track on this, "Mourning", could easily sit on the lauded debut from Entombed and hold its own. In fact, it even kicks the ass of some of the tunes on "LHP" and, since that's probably my all-time favorite death metal record, it's really saying something. The songs here have all the elements of classic Swedish death metal: from the overall, face-ripping sound, to the masterful song construction that offers fast sections, pummelling mid-paced passages, and slow, haunting, melodic runs. Obviously, with this release being a collection of early recordings there's bound to be some variation in production between songs. The quality doesn't really begin to waver though until track seven ("Physical excursion / Truth and beauty"), which is understandable, given the songs from here on comprise the band's very first demos and rehearsal tapes. It's not an issue, however, as they give true insight into the workings of a fledgling genre, essentially serving as a window to the past and offering us the chance to really hear what was going on back in those formative years. On that note, the tracks from 1990's "Disembodied spirits" are presented here in two forms -- the original mix and a fresh 2009 mix. As could probably be expected, while the new mix offers a fuller, beefed out sound, the 1990 mix allows the true power of the original songs to shine through. As a whole, this is an exceptional and very welcome release indeed. An essential album for fans of the genre.

Fred Estby unveils Necronaut

Tue, 06 Apr 2010 13:09:21 -0700

Necronaut, the solo project of ex-Dismember/Carnage drummer/Sunlight Studios engineer Fred Estby, has signed with Regain Records and will be releasing their self-titled album later this year. The band features music written by Estby with a huge cast of metal all-stars contributing guest vocals and guitar tracks including luminaries such as Tomas Lindberg (Disfear, At the Gates), Nicke Andersson (Death Breath, ex-Entombed, The Hellacopters), Robert Pehrsson (Death Breath, Dundertåget), Robert "Strings" Dahlqvist (Dundertåget) and many more. Hear a sample tune at myspace featuring vocals from Chris Reifert (Abcess, Autopsy) and lead guitar from Uffe Cederlund (Disfear, ex-Entombed): http://www.myspace.com/necronaut666

The Generals Stand up straight Metalcentral Records

Mon, 05 Apr 2010 12:57:14 -0700

The best way to put a tag on this Swedish quartet is to take Entombed's "To ride, shoot straight and speak the truth" and Dismember's "Massive killing capacity" and fuse the two to create an album that displays the mid-90s death 'n' roll sentiment as expressed by the country's extreme forerunners back then. Both bands have long since left their bop-mosh tendencies to explore different paths (although it was really Entombed's ball, with Dismember lightly toying with the idea amid a more straightforward death metal foundation), essentially leaving a gap in the market for those who fell in love with the style and who strive to make it their own. The Generals manage to pull it off with great conviction, despite not quite achieving the hair-raising impact made by their death metal ancestors. There's one main ingredient here -- the old-school Tomas Skogsberg guitar sound – that elevates this to a status it wouldn't otherwise deserve. It offers what is essentially slightly-above-par songwriting a boost into the realms of acceptance and makes the songs a good deal more enjoyable than if they had some sort of generic death metal tone. That said, the production on here is ever-so-slightly on the wrong side of tinny and it gets a tad annoying after a while. Songwise, it's average with a few shining moments here and there, most notably on their purer death metal moments such as "The offer still stands" and "Consulting with the sinner". Track of the disc must go to "Portal to paradise" though, with its clever use of '80s Sunset Strip hard rock passages that fit so well with the heavier elements that it's a shame The Generals didn't have the foresight to make more use of the amalgam. Overall, "Stand up straight" is a good debut album that shows a wealth of potential, providing the band take the right steps on their next effort.

The Tarantula Waltz - Bacchus (live, feat. Nicke Andersson)

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:56:19 -0800

Check out a live video of The Tarantula Waltz playing their new single "Bacchus" with a guest appearance by Nicke Andersson (Hellacopters, Death Breath, Entombed, etc.): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jtkF6WbpEQ
Be sure to also peep the more/related for lots more clips from the record release show.

NEI New agenda National

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 15:46:05 -0800

If System of a Down appeared in the '60s, prior to the invention of super-heavy distortion, this is probably what they would sound like. Swedish quartet NEI take that style and make it their own, offering an eccentric and upbeat collection of songs that envelops the sounds of the '60s in a pseudo-punk meets Queens Of The Stone Age infused veil. While this is far from a metal album, it's also quite reminiscent of Entombed's polarizing "Same difference" opus, the album that found the Swedish death metal stalwarts relinquish their characteristic grinding guitar tone in favor of a more alternative warmth. "New agenda" even offers whole chunks of music that wouldn't sound out of place on "SD" in terms of song construction and guitar sound -- take "The destroyer man" and "Hello" as prime examples. Variety comes in abundance on this album with a perfect amalgam of styles and a wealth of tempo changes, and it makes this one of the most enjoyable and exciting albums to emerge from Sweden in a long time. It must be said that it's a grower, though. First listen doesn't really make that much of an impression but on successive spins it gradually reveals its true genius. For the most part it's airy and driving with occasional pensive moments placed sparingly to inject a cool dynamic into the mix. A brilliant album indeed! One minor point, though: guys, what's with the 'cabaret-magician-meets-original-series-Star Trek' outfits? Jeez!

Entombed extracurricular activities

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 16:31:35 -0800

Metal Bastard gives the lowdown on Entombed's many various sideprojects throughout the years, complete with samples of each: http://metalbastard.blogspot.com/2010/02/entombed-side-projects-galore.html

Entombed back in America

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 11:37:00 -0800

Entombed have confirmed a short run of US dates:

05/30 - Maryland Deathfest, Baltimore, MD
05/31 - Champ Bar and Grill, Trenton, NJ
06/01 - Opera House, Toronto, ON
06/02 - The Gramercy Theatre, NYC, NY
06/03 - Peabody's, Cleveland, OH
06/04 - Blondie's, Detroit, MI
06/05 - Reggie Rock Club, Chicago, IL
06/06 - Rave, Milwaukee, WI

Tortyr Ingen kommer undan D-takt & Råpunk

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 17:49:32 -0800

There's not really that much to say about Sweden's Tortyr other than if you like your crust bassy and dirty as hell then you'll love them. Musically, they're a mix of punk and crust with a tiny hint of death metal that goes a long way to surpassing the likes of genre luminaries Skitsystem in the heaviness stakes. As with a lot of this type of music, however, it tends to get a bit samey after a few tracks. Thankfully, Tortyr do offer a little in the way of variation, although not nearly enough. "De blindas lakej" kicks off like an oldschool Swedish death metal effort, and doesn't sound a million miles away from something you'd expect from an early-90s Entombed. For me, at least, it's the track of the album and showcases an aspect of this band that they should really explore. Vocally, there's some work to be done here. It's just too shouty-screamy and, although that's the style generally used for this type of music, it's clear that these guys would benefit greatly from the odd death-growl passage here and there. It's more of this type of variation -- both musically and vocally -- that could elevate Tortyr to greater recognition and see them output a truly monstrous album. Here's hoping for next time...

Sirius playlist week #50

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 09:35:11 -0800

Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU, 100% pre-millennium edition:

01. TALK 1
02. Honey Is Cool - Bolero
03. Beyond Dawn - Addictions are private
04. Commando M Pigg - Baby doll
05. TALK 2
06. Kent - If you were here
07. Fireside - Let Rasputin do it
08. CMX - Ainomieli 97
09. Docent Död - Bensin i blodet
10. TALK 3
11. Bitch Boys - Automobile
12. Nicolai Dunger - This town
13. Broder Daniel - I'll be gone
14. Starmarket - Ten seconds
15. TALK 4
16. Madrugada - Beautyproof
17. Breach - Black sabbath
18. Silverbullit - Thank you Mr.
19. Camouflage - Syster sol
20. TALK 5
21. Entombed - Lights out

Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers. Next week's show will feature tunes from my top 10 albums of the year.

Entombed to tour South America

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:05:13 -0800

Swedish death metal legends Entombed are heading to South America for the first time ever:

11/19 - Circo Volador, Mexico City (MEX)
11/21 - Bar Orange, Armenia (COL)
11/22 - Teatro la mama, Bogotá (COL)
11/23 - Mao Bar, Lima (PER)
11/25 - Centro Comercial Mundial, La Paz (BOL)
11/27 - Club Cadilac, Santiago (CHL)
11/28 - El Huevo, Valparaíso, Valparaíso (CHL)
11/29 - Hangar, Sao Paulo (BRA)

Also check out myspace for European dates in December: http://www.myspace.com/serpentsaints

Metal Bastard's #1 album of the 90s revealed

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 17:18:44 -0700

Metal Bastard says that Entombed's "Clandestine" is the best album of the 90s: http://metalbastard.blogspot.com/2009/08/metal-bastard-reveals-best-album-of-90s.html

Sirius playlist week #29

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 11:11:07 -0700

Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU:

01. Gocart System - Always been the same
02. TALK 1
03. [ingenting] - Halleluja
04. The Kid - Transient dance
05. Thåström - Kort biografi med litet testamente
06. TALK 2
07. Small - Sunshine lover
08. Heroin and Your Veins - The trigger
09. Kongh - Tank pa doden
10. Villebråd - Vaknar aldrig
11. TALK 3
12. Anna Leong - Guillotine
13. Ison & Fille - Jag skrattar idag
14. Dyno - Burning blood
15. TALK 4
16. The Bear Quartet - Sweet beef
17. Entombed - State of emergency
18. Skatan - Top of the mountain
19. Familjen - Mine øyne de ska se
20. TALK 5
21. Suzy Thunder - Big

Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.

Entombed confirmed for 2010 Deathfest

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 18:31:25 -0700

Entombed is an early confirmation for next year's Maryland Deathfest.

Sirius playlist week #27

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:51:53 -0700

Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU:

01. TALK 1
02. Entombed - Kick out the jams
03. Ironville - The wild
04. Florence Valentin - 8 & 5
05. TALK 2
06. Sweatmaster - Calling Satan, let me in
07. Viola - Shimmery summery (sha-la-la love)
08. Marit Bergman - Thoughts grow darker in the night
09. Nutid - Bodensia
10. TALK 3
11. The Bear Quartet - Millions
12. Enter the Hunt - Fighters
13. The Sods - Irene the doorbell
14. Lacrosse - It's always Sunday around here
15. TALK 4
16. Mattias Alkberg - Jag är en antenn
17. Pintandwefall - Angus
18. Anna Maria Espinosa - Glowing with you
19. Arvid - Kan inte hålla dig kvar
20. Kristofer Åström - Come out
21. TALK 5
22. Björn Kleinhenz - Krokås

Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.

Various Artists Swedish Death Metal Index Verlag

Thu, 07 May 2009 17:43:01 -0700

At first I bemoaned the fact that this collection was only coming out as a 3-CD set and not on vinyl, but the truth of the matter is that three 60+ minute CDs would necessitate a massive LP boxset. As if the mountain of licensing paperwork I'm sure this collection entailed wasn't enough, I can only imagine the intimidating pricetag that would add to it. No, the format this collection really should have been released as is cassette tape -- that's how this music was first distributed, that's how it was listened to. Bands aspired to vinyl, but the era of the demo tape defined the early Swedish death metal scene and that's where a lot of this source material originated. The heavyweights are all here: Nihilist, Entombed, At the Gates, Unleashed, Dismember, Grave, etc.; even if Earache and Black Mark would not relinquish rights for landmarks such as Entombed's "Left hand path" or Bathory's "Under the sign of the black mark" without a hefty fee, at least we can still hear many of the demos. Many other less prominent, but by no means less worthy acts are represented as well: Merciless, Liers in Wait, Evocation, Nirvana 2002... all painstakingly collected by the corresponding book's author Daniel Ekeroth, who also provides liner notes for each track. As a single-session listening experience, it's near-overkill, but as a historical document and learning aid it is invaluable. Of course, the tracklist isn't perfect and Daniel's prejudice towards Gothenburg's melodic metal scene is evident, but I see no valid reason to complain. The entire project is a labor of love and we are lucky it exists at all. Daniel's respect and dedication for the genre trumps any benefit deeper pockets (or broader minds) could afford and for that he has my deepest admiration.

MP3: Entombed - Masters of death

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 11:22:28 -0700

It took me way too long, but I finally finished Daniel Ekeroth's masterful book not too long ago, the self-explanatory "Swedish Death Metal". Entertaining, informative and inspirational -- it's amazing that a handful of Swedish teenagers managed to create their own internationally-recognized genre. It was a unique time, to be sure -- the underground scene still lives on today, but it will never be like it was back in the days of fanzines and tape trading. I was a few years late to the party myself, so I missed out on the first wave, but I definitely dug deep starting around 1994/95 when the whole Gothenburg melodic metal thing started (before it turned to shit). Swedish Death Metal is, after all, the early impetus for this site's creation and my appreciation of Scandinavian music in general, and now, with this book as my guide, I get to dig even deeper, tracking down old demos and connecting the dots for all the great bands I missed. Of course, there's no better starting point than Entombed and this track from 2007's "Serpent saints" offers a lyrical primer for further research. Know your history! Hail!

Sirius playlist week #9

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 11:47:59 -0800

Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU:

01. TALK 1
02. Culkin - Breathholders
03. Max Peezay - Boven i droven
04. Detektivbyrån - En annan typ av disco
05. Billie the Vision & the Dancers - You'd better watch out, 'cause I like you
06. TALK 2
07. Sad Day for Puppets - Marble gods
08. Viola - The hardest hit
09. Samuraj Cities - Spoonful of talk
10. Kalle J - I skydd av mörkret
11. TALK 3
12. Murmansk - Vague language
13. Boeoes Kaelstigen - Radius (Dmitry Fyodorov Radius Relaxation Remix)
14. The Low Frequency in Stereo - Texas fox
15. David Åhlén - We sprout in thy soil
16. TALK 4
17. Paper - Out of it into it
18. Andreas Tilliander - Caught in a riot
19. On Volcano - Out of sight
20. Entombed - Seeing red
21. TALK 5
22. Säkert! - Någon gång måste du bli själv

Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.

Sirius playlist week #6

Mon, 09 Feb 2009 11:48:39 -0800

Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU:

01. Franke - Exil riktas inåt
02. TALK
03. Cut City - Ulyssian widow
04. Montt Mardié - Names not forgotten
05. Strayfolk - I thought I had it down
06. TALK
07. Halph - New money
08. Kaizers Orchestra - Kontroll på kontinentet
09. Wardruna - Kauna
10. TALK
11. Dieter Schöön - Mary Jane
12. Holiday For Strings - Two of you
13. Menfolk - One is all
14. Lama - Raha
15. TALK
16. Bitch Boys - Sighsten H.
17. Regina - Saanko jäädä yöksi
18. Entombed - Parasight
19. Gåte - Snåle mi jente
20. TALK
21. Dyno - Emotional

Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.

MP3: The Hellacopters - Where the action is

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 11:42:05 -0700

This weekend The Hellacopters will play their final run of shows and gracefully bow out of existence. I'm sure people have all sorts of varying opinions on whether or not this is the right time to call it quits, but I think it's fitting. They rocked harder and longer than most; better to end it all with dignity fully intact.

I'm bummed they never made it over to the US for one last tour, but at least I did manage to see 'em a few times, though never during the era of "Payin' the dues", easily my favorite 'Copters record. I was under 21 when that album came out in 1997, so all I could do was eye the club listings and wait. They still played a huge role in my Swedish music education though, especially with tracks like "Where the action is", a song that's not much more than a laundry list of friends' bands: Nomads, The Robots, Kids Are Sick, Entombed, Backyard Babies... and those are just the obvious names. It wouldn't matter if it wasn't also kick-ass rock'n'roll, but of course they pull that off flawlessly. See, learning can be fun!

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 16:42:11 -0700

Regain Records will be putting out reissues of five albums from the Entombed/Nihilist back-catalogue including "Inferno", "Unreal Estate", "Serpent saints", "When in Sodom" and "Nihilist demos". No exact date set yet, but expect them by the end of the year.

MP3: Hebosagil - Big sun

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700

I'm leaving for Stockholm today, but that doesn't mean I leave you reader's empty-handed. Expect mp3 posts and review updates to continue more or less as usual the next two weeks.

Hebosagil's self-released debut EP was my favorite demo release last year¹ and now their proper full-length debut "Colossal" is out via Kaos Kontrol. I am not privileged enough to have heard the entire thing at this point, but judging by the first track they've released for public consumption ("Big sun"), they've decided to take their music into more of a conventional doom/stonerrock direction. It's still plenty heavy and crusty, but way less thrashy and with way less old-school death-metal flavor (think early Entombed, Autopsy). Kinda of a let-down, if you ask me. I mean, it's still good, but it takes them until the solo section to finally push things into the red and get way blitzed out. Now that's the Hebosagil I want to hear! While the track is indeed growing on me more and more with with each subsequent listen (it's been on steady rotation all week, despite my low rating), it's falling short of ideal. Give me more grinding, more feedback! More damage!

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 10:52:39 -0700

Here's the playlist for this week's radio show:

01. Peter Morén - This is what I came for
02. TALK 1
03. Entombed - Hollowman
04. King Of All The Animals - Concrete skyline
05. Jettie - The lay up
06. TALK 2
07. Happy Trash Culture - Frisky pet
08. Josse - You had a plan
09. Ondo - Sleep
10. TALK 3
11. Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words - This room seems empty without you
12. Håkan Hellström - För sent för edelweiss
13. Marvins Revolt - Deliberate deeds
14. Marybell Katastrophy - Hey Frank
15. TALK 4
16. The Bear Quartet - Mvh contempt
17. Lögnhalsmottagningen - Snacka gär ju
18. Ghost Brigade - Based on you
19. TALK 5
20. September Malevolence - I shut doors and windows
21. The End Will Be Kicks - Ass of a friend
22. Anna Leong - Battered, bruised and cold
23. TALK 6
24. Bright Oak - On the list
25. Tape - Moth wings
26. Axewitch - Hot lady
27. TALK 7
28. Nationalteatern - Jack the Ripper
29. Tsukimono - Heart beater
30. Zeigeist - Bunny
31. TALK 8
32. First Floor Power - The jacket (Karin Dreijer remix)
33. No Hope for the Kids - Angels of destruction
34. Docenterna - Popmusik
35. Vapnet - Skorpan
36. TALK 9
37. Björn Kleinhenz - Olis
38. Fireside - Ambulance
39. Looptroop Rockers - Living on a prayer
40. TALK 10

Sun, 23 Mar 2008 19:25:38 -0700

Here's the playlist for this week's radio show:

01. Frivolvol - Out come the knives
02. TALK 1
03. Lapko - Dead disco
04. Gentle Touch - Once you used to
05. Pellarin - Whistle like you're 56
06. TALK 2
07. Björn Kleinhenz - Light of love
08. Pascal - Smärtsillande
09. Ljudbilden & Piloten - Weddings
10. TALK 3
11. Margaret Berger - Samantha
12. Doughnuts - Become one
13. Kusowsky - Jonny
14. NEI - The devil
15. TALK 4
16. Happiness - Loot at that rabbit go!
17. Firefox AK - Pushing
18. Fattaru - Hörde jag skål
19. TALK 5
20. Britta Persson - Cliffhanger
21. Grizzly Twister - Black box
22. The Social Services - Baltic Sea
23. TALK 6
24. Montys Loco - Criminal
25. Fontän - Alla kan se dig
26. Animal Alpha - Pin you all
27. TALK 7
28. Astrid Swan - Spartan picnic
29. Barra Head - Undermine
30. Fun - 2:22men
31. TALK 8
32. Ted Gärdestad - Oh, vilken härlig dag
33. Christian Kjellvander - Poppies and peonies
34. Echo Is Your Love - Lion tamer vs tigers
35. TALK 9
36. I Am Bones - Home is the one corner of hell that didn't catch fire
37. Miss Li - I'm sorry, he's mine
38. The Deer Tracks - YesThisIsMyBrokenShield
39. TALK 10
40. Entombed - Damn deal done

Sun, 27 Jan 2008 12:20:55 -0800

Here's the playlist for this week's radio show:

01. Elias and the Wizzkids - Young and hairy
02. TALK 1
03. Barra Head - Common ground
04. Familjen - Kom säger dom
05. José González - Killing for love
06. TALK 2
07. Marybell Katastrophy - Red red lips
08. Trentemøller - Moan (Trentemøller remix ft. Ane Trolle)
09. Lykke Li - I'm good, I'm gone
10. TALK 3
11. Dreamboy - Stars
12. Laakso - Worst case scenario
13. Marit Bergman - This is the year
14. TALK 4
15. Abhinanda - Rumble
16. Docenterna - Bensin i blodet
17. The Bombhappies - And at Belle Bed Inn, I found you
18. TALK 5
19. Firefox AK - Winter rose (ft. Tiger Lou)
20. Peloton - Nozal
21. The Bell - Target group
22. TALK 6
23. Moto Boy - Young love
24. Aerial - Kallisti
25. Truckfighters - Atomic
26. TALK 7
27. I'm From Barcelona - Treehouse
28. Pascal - Smärtsillande
29. Hero Dishonest - Fist song
30. Vijaya - Your gun will never set you free
31. TALK 8
32. Matts Katt - About the French
33. C.Aarmé - Dustin
34. Leütenhaven - Abbatoir the ghost
35. TALK 9
36. Lukestar - Shade you hide
37. Christian Kjellvander - Two souls
38. Royal Downfall - A life of constant failure
39. TALK 10
40. Entombed - Lights out

Thu, 27 Dec 2007 11:18:21 -0800

The final list of this year's Swedish Grammi nominees have been confirmed:

Best Album
Kent - Tillbaka Till Samtiden
Lars Winnerbäck - Daugava
Sahara Hotnights - What If Leaving Is A Loving Thing
Salem Al Fakir - This Is Who I Am
Säkert! - Säkert!

Best Dance/Hip-Hop/Soul
Adam Tensta - It's A Tensta Thing
Familjen - Det Snurrar I Min Skalle
Ken - Äntligen Hemma
Mange Schmidt - Känslan Kommer Tillbaks
Petter - God Damn It

Best Folk/Country
Abalone Dots - From A Safe Distance
Ale Möller - Band Djef Djel
Lars Demian - Välkommen Hit
Sofia Karlsson - Visor Från Vinden
Sven-Bertil Taube - Alderville Road - Ord & Toner Av Evert Taube

Best Group
Kent - Tillbaka Till Samtiden
Mando Diao - Never Seen The Light Of Day
Sahara Hotnights - What If Leaving Is A Loving Thing
The Ark - Prayer For The Weekend
The Hives - The Black And White Album

Best Hard-rock/Metal
Entombed - Serpent Saints
Hardcore Superstar - Dreamin' In A Casket
Lillasyster - Hjärndöd Musik För En Hjärndöd Generation
Mustasch - Latest Version Of The Truth
Takida - Bury The Lies

Best Jazz
Alice Babs Med Jan Johansson & Georg Riedels - Orkester Illusion
Bitter Funeral Beer Band W Don Cherry & K. Sridhar - Live In Frankfurt 82
E.S.T. - Live In Hamburg
Nils Landgren - Funk Unit Licence To Funk
Rigmor Gustafsson - Alone With You

Best Songwriter
Annika Norlin - Säkert!
Benny Andersson - Bao 3
Joakim Berg & Martin Sköld - Tillbaka Till Samtiden
Ola Salo - Prayer For The Weekend
Salem Al Fakir - This Is Who I Am

Best Female Artist
Anna Järvinen - Jag Fick Feeling
Laleh - Prinsessor
Miss Li - God Put A Rainbow In The Sky
Sonja Aldén - Till Dig
Säkert! - Säkert!

Best Live Act
Lars Winnerbäck
Lena PH & Orup
Takida
The Hives
Timbuktu

Best Song
Lars Winnerbäck & Miss Li - Om Du Lämnade Mig Nu
Mange Schmidt Feat. Petter - Giftig
Sahara Hotnights - Cheek To Cheek
Salem Al Fakir - Good Song
The Ark - The Worrying Kind

Best Male Artist
Lars Winnerbäck - Daugava
Moneybrother - Mount Pleasure
Måns Zelmerlöw - Stand By For…
Salem Al Fakir - This Is Who I Am
Timbuktu - Oberoendeframkallande

Best Newcomer
Adam Tensta - It's A Tensta Thing
Maia Hirasawa - Though, I'm Just Me
Oh Laura - A Song Inside My Head, A Demon In My Bed
Salem Al Fakir - This Is Who I Am
Säkert! - Säkert!

Best Producer
Benny Andersson - Bao 3
Björn Olsson - Never Seen The Light Of Day
Björn Yttling - Writer's Block & What If Leaving Is A Loving Thing
Jon Joshua Schuman & Kent - Tillbaka Till Samtiden
Salem Al Fakir - This Is Who I Am

Best Lyrics
Annika Norlin - Säkert!
Eva Dahlgren - Petroleum Och Tång
Jason Diakité - Oberoendeframkallande
Joakim Berg - Tillbaka Till Samtiden
Salem Al Fakir - This Is Who I Am

MTV-Prize for Best Video
Adam Tensta - My Cool (Dir: Marcus Lundin)
Familjen - Det Snurrar I Min Skalle (Dir: Johan Söderberg)
Kent - Ingenting (Dir: Mattias Montero/Adam Berg)
Slagsmålsklubben - Malmö Beach Night Party (Dir: Andreas Nilsson)
The Ark - Prayer For The Weekend (Dir: Magnus Renfors / Kindpeople)

Top 10s for 2007: Mattias Alkberg (The Bear Quartet/MABD)

Wed, 05 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0800

I worried a bit earlier this fall if I was on the verge of insanity. I couldn't stop listening to black metal, especially as performed by torturers and murderers. But then it dawned on me that I'd been listening to "good" music as well. So here goes:

01. Spiritual music (Black Metal [Gahhlskagg, Trelldom, Emperor, Svartkraft, Darkthrone], Roots Reggae [Jah Stitch, Dillinger, Dr Alimantado], Cosmic Jazz [Pharoah Sanders, Alice Coltrane, John Coltrane, Miles])
The jury's still out on the insanity part, though.

02. Old TV Shows: Heimat 2, Fanny and Alexander, Freaks and Geeks, Prime Suspect, The Lakes etc

03. UFC on Swedish TV

04. Writing songs

05. Playing shows

06. Starting up a place with friends were we can play guitar and write stuff at all hours.

07. Some other people that released records this year, such as Einstürzende Neubauten, Killa Priest, R-Kelly, Entombed, Babyshambles, The Liars and Julie Doiron.

Otherwise it's been a terrible year, one of the worst so far.

---------------------------
Mattias Alkberg plays in both The Bear Quartet and Mattias Alkberg BD. Expect new albums from both in 2008?
www.mabd.se
www.bearquartet.com

Tue, 04 Dec 2007 13:32:52 -0800

This year's Swedish Grammi (Grammy) Award nominees have been announced:

Best album:
Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala
Kent - Tillbaka Till Samtiden
Lars Winnerbäck - Daugava
Moneybrother - Mount Pleasure
Sahara Hotnights - What If Leaving Is A Loving Thing
Salem Al Fakir - This Is Who I Am
Säkert! - Säkert!
The Ark - Prayer For The Weekend
The Hives - The Black And White Album
Timbuktu - Oberoendeframkallande

Best dance/hip-hop/soul:
Adam Tensta - It's A Tensta Thing
Dogge Doggelito - Superclasico
Familjen - Det Snurrar I Min Skalle
Fjärde Världen - Världens Ände
Ken - Äntligen Hemma
Mange Schmidt - Känslan Kommer Tillbaks
Million Stylez - From A Far
Petter - God Damn It
September - Dancing Shoes
Vincent - Lucky Thirteen

Best group:
Eldkvarn - Svart Blogg
Kent - Tillbaka Till Samtiden
Mando Diao - Never Seen The Light Of Day
Sahara Hotnights - What If Leaving Is A Loving Thing
Shout Out Louds - Our Ill Wills
The Ark - Prayer For The Weekend
The Hives - The Black And White Album
Oh Laura - A Song Inside My Head, A Demon In My Bed
Peter Bjorn And John - Writer's Block
Weeping Willows - Fear & Love

Best hard-rock/metal:
Arch Enemy - Rise Of The Tyrant
Candlemass - King Of The Grey Island
Clawfinger - Life Will Kill You
Crashdiet - The Unattractive Revolution
Dark Tranquillity - Fiction
Entombed - Serpent Saints
Hardcore Superstar - Dreamin' In A Casket
Lillasyster - Hjärndöd Musik För En Hjärndöd Generation
Mustasch - Latest Version Of The Truth
Takida - Bury The Lies

Best songwriter:
Anna Järvinen - Jag Fick Feeling
Annika Norlin - Säkert!
Benny Andersson - Bao 3
Christian Kjellvander - I Saw Her From Here/I Saw Here From Her
Joakim Berg & Martin Sköld - Tillbaka Till Samtiden
José González - In Our Nature
Moneybrother - Mount Pleasure
Ola Salo - Prayer For The Weekend
Peter Bjorn And John - Writer's Block
Salem Al Fakir - This Is Who I Am

Best female artist:
Anna Järvinen - Jag Fick Feeling
Eva Dahlgren - Petroleum Och Tång
Jaqee - Nouvelle D'amour
Laleh - Prinsessor
Louise Hoffsten - Så Speciell
Maia Hirasawa - Though, I'm Just Me
Miss Li - God Put A Rainbow In The Sky
Sonja Aldén - Till Dig
Sophie Zelmani - Memory Loves You
Säkert! - Säkert!

Best live act:
Benny Anderssons Orkester
Jens Lekman
Lars Winnerbäck
Lena Ph & Orup
Parksommar
Per Gessle
Peter Jöback
Takida
The Hives
Timbuktu

Best song:
Lars Winnerbäck - I Duett Med Miss Li Om Du Lämnade Mig Nu
Mange Schmidt Feat. Petter - Giftig
Markoolio - Ingen Sommar Utan Reggae
Martin Stenmarck - 100 År Från Nu (Blundar)
Måns Zelmerlöw - Cara Mia
Sahara Hotnights - Cheek To Cheek
Salem Al Fakir - Good Song
Sonja Aldén - För Att Du Finns
The Ark - The Worrying Kind
Ola - Natalie

Best male artist:
Christian Kjellvander - I Saw Her From Here / I Saw Here From Her
Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala
José González - In Our Nature
Lars Winnerbäck - Daugava
Moneybrother - Mount Pleasure
Måns Zelmerlöw - Stand By For...
Peter Lemarc - Kärlek I Tystnadens Tid
Salem Al Fakir - This Is Who I Am
Timbuktu - Oberoendeframkallande
Timo Räisänen - Love Will Turn You Around

Best newcomer:
Abalone Dots - From A Safe Distance
Adam Tensta - It's A Tensta Thing
Anna Järvinen - Jag Fick Feeling
Maia Hirasawa - Though, I'm Just Me
Måns Zelmerlöw - Stand By For...
Oh Laura - A Song Inside My Head, A Demon In My Bed
Salem Al Fakir - This Is Who I Am
Sonja Aldén - Till Dig
Säkert! - Säkert!
Vincent - Lucky Thirteen

Best producer:
Benny Andersson - Bao 3
Björn Olsson - Never Seen The Light Of Day
Björn Yttling - Writer's Block & What If Leaving Is A Loving Thing
Jari Haapalainen - Svart Blogg
Jon Joshua Schuman & Kent - Tillbaka Till Samtiden
José González - In Our Nature
Laleh - Prinsessor
Maia Hirasawa - Though, I'm Just Me
Salem Al Fakir - This Is Who I Am
Vincent Pontare - Lucky Thirteen

Best lyrics:
Anna Järvinen - Jag Fick Feeling
Annika Norlin - Säkert!
Eva Dahlgren - Petroleum Och Tång
Jason Diakité - Oberoendeframkallande
Joakim Berg - Tillbaka Till Samtiden
Lars Winnerbäck - Daugava
Ola Salo - Prayer For The Weekend
Peter Lemarc - Kärlek I Tystnadens Tid
Plura Jonsson - Svart Blogg
Salem Al Fakir - This Is Who I Am

Go here for the full list: http://www.musikindustrin.nu/mi/smpage.fwx?page=198&NYHETER=8646

MP3: Entombed - Night of the vampire

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 11:28:14 -0700

Halloween is a special day so it deserves a special post. My first thought was to go with a Misfits cover, cuz y'know nothing says Halloween quite like them, but instead I've opted for Entombed covering Roky Erickson's "Night of the vampire". I actually kinda prefer the flipside from the original split 7" with New Bomb Turks (a cover of "I hate people" by Anti-Nowhere League), but this is pretty damn killer and, let's face it, it's a perfect track for today. Who can't get down with some creepy Texas psychrock as covered by a Swedish death-metal band?

Sun, 28 Oct 2007 12:25:21 -0700

Here's the playlist for this week's special spooky/scary Halloween edition radio show:

01. TALK 1
02. Entombed - Hollywood Babylon
03. ARM - Humming bug
04. Camouflage - Oktober
05. TALK 2
06. Notre Dame - Red Cross
07. Sanctum - Lie low
08. Bay Laurel - Pale colours
09. TALK 3
10. At the Gates - Blinded by fear
11. Frode Haltli - Lude
12. Brighter Death Now - Little baby
13. Death Breath - Lycanthropy
14. TALK 4
15. Breach - Mr. Marshall
16. The Skull Defekts - Carved in bones
17. The Cardigans - Mr. Crowley
18. TALK 5
19. Diabolique - Catholic
20. Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words - Masks, walls and other ways to keep things out, to keep things in
21. The Bear Quartet - Broken heart
22. Mercyful Fate - Come to the Sabbath
23. TALK 6
24. Beyond Dawn - Cigarette
25. Pimentola - Heart's dementia (Phase I)
26. Repoman - Chemically obsessed
27. TALK 7
28. MZ412 - Infernal affairs II
29. Satyricon - Nemesis divina
30. Switchblade - Selfdestruct schematics / Open aftermath
31. TALK 8
32. Rasion D'etre - Metamorphyses Phase IV
33. Cortex - We are the dead
34. TALK 9
35. Emperor - I am the Black Wizards

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 15:43:45 -0700

In case you were wondering, here's the live lineup for Death Breath's upcoming Swedish tour: Scott Carlson (Repulsion) - vocals/bass; Robert Pehrsson (Thunder Express) - vocals/guitar; Nicke Andersson (Hellacopters, ex-Entombed) - drums; Erik Wallin (Harms Way, Merciless) - guitar; Jörgen Sandström (ex-Grave/Entombed) - vocals.

Tue, 24 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0700

Antenna talks to LG Petrov from Entombed: http://www.antenna.nu/entombed/interview1.php

Thu, 12 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0700

This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:

01. Lasse Stefanz - Vagabond
02. Per Gessle - En händig man
03. Entombed - Serpent saints
04. Eva Dahlgren - En blekt blondins ballader
05. Cajsastina Åkerström - Visor från förr & nu
06. Oh Laura - A song inside my head, a demon in my bed
07. Magnus Carlsson - Live forever - The album
08. Ted Gärdestad - För kärlekens skull - Det bästa med
09. The Ark - Prayer for the weekend
10. Sarah Dawn Finer - A finer dawn
11. Markoolio - Värsta Plattan
12. Måns Zelmerlöw - Stand by for...
14. Sahara Hotnights - What if leaving is a loving thing
15. Torgny Melin - Allting som vi har
16. Maia Hirasawa - Though, i'm just me
17. Sonja Aldén - Till dig
18. Danny - Heart beats
19. Hellfueled - Memories in black
20. Salem Al Fakir - This is who I am

MP3: Entombed - Serpent saints

Tue, 26 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0700

Entombed has been releasing album after album of consistently decent material for long enough now that a new one is essentially a non-event. With their latest "Serpent saints - The ten amendments", the story remains unchanged. Maybe they lost a guitarist and changed drummers this time around, but casual listeners will be hard-pressed to notice. Or give a damn. It still sounds like Entombed and that's what matters. LG Petrov is still one of metal's best frontman and his imposing growl remains the band's strongest trademark aside from their ever-present, oft-copied guitar tone. The band's death'n'roll swagger is firmly intact and they've made no foolish attempts to modernize their recordings. Title and opening track "Serpent saints" kicks off perfectly with a short evil acoustic guitar + piano intro before launching straight ahead into the shit. I can't explain how they get away with such lazy metal clichés, but it works perfectly. As the old adage goes, don't fix it if it ain't broke! Entombed: once again proving that death metal can be fun. I dunno about you, but this puts a big smile on my face.

Mon, 18 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0700

Global Domination reviews the new Entombed record "Serpent saints": http://www.globaldomination.se/reviews/entombed-serpent-saints

Sat, 16 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0700

The playlist for my radio show this week:

01. Pistol Disco - Walking with Jesus
02. TALK 1
03. Heroes & Zeros - Into the light
04. Vijaya - Your gun will never set you free
05. Convoj - My timekeeping heart
06. TALK 2
07. Darkthrone - Too old, too cold
08. A Perfect Friend - Rush hour
09. Death By Kite - Hiroshima
10. TALK 3
11. Fun - I've got a truck
12. Moonbabies - Walking on my feet
13. The Perishers - When I fall
14. TALK 4
15. Regulations - Police siren
16. Viola - Ordinary teenage sensation
17. Björn Kleinhenz - Starlit queen
18. TALK 5
19. Gravy - Glory to our brilliant name
20. Hero Dishonest - Stalin vs Hank Hardy
21. Sophie Zelmani - To know you
22. Ulver - Capitel III: Graablick blev hun vaer
23. TALK 6
24. Håkan Hellström - Ramlar
25. Abhinanda - Highway tonight
26. Single Unit - Passion, pirates & parasites
27. TALK 7
28. Kompjotr Eplektrika - Skulldrummantra
29. The Tiny - Just like you
30. Death Breath - Death breath
31. TALK 8
32. Entombed - Serpent speech
33. The Cardigans - Marvel hill
34. Soviac - I got the ribbah
35. TALK 9
36. The Bear Quartet - Put me back together
37. You Is Stupid - I am history
38. Paris - 60 minutes
39. The Process - Mot Sverige i tiden
40. TALK 10
41. Weeping Willows - I give you the morning

MP3: Hebosagil - Slightly confusing

Tue, 12 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0700

Huge props are due to Teemu from Lupatarkastaja for turning me on to Hebosagil. And yes, they do sound like being run over by a train. Or more precisely, they sound like the fiercest crusty metal band you could imagine. Think early Entombed meets... Dystopia, perhaps? The recording is definitely reminiscent of the Sunlight Studios sound that Entombed helped make famous. Everything is raw and totally overblown, often crossing far into the red. I imagine that some of the harshness was slightly unintentional as, generally speaking, most engineers would be reluctant to let everything get so crazy distorted. Whatever the case, it don't matter a bit as it works perfectly in context for this music. A brutal recording just makes the band sound that much heavier.
If you like this track be sure to download the rest of the "Cosmic" EP: http://www.hebosagil.com/
I often talk about songs being taken out of context from the rest of the album, but this is definitely a case where the sum is greater than the individual parts. Very highly recommended!

Wed, 06 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0700

Candlelight has brand new tracks from long-running Swedish acts Entombed and Birdflesh up on myspace: http://www.myspace.com/candlelightrecordsusa

Wed, 02 May 2007 00:00:00 -0700

Entombed's new album "Serpent saints" is confirmed for release on June 25 via Candlelight.

Wed, 21 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0700

Lambgoat reports that long-running Swedish death-metal act Entombed has signed with Candlelight for the release of their new album "Serpent saints – The ten amendments": http://www.lambgoat.com/news/view.aspx?id=8586

MP3: Death Breath - Morbid mind

Tue, 09 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0800

Almost every review of Death Breath that I've read so far seems entirely too preoccupied with how they compare to some other classic death-metal throwback. Who cares? All that matters is that "Stinking up the night" rips! It's by no means a life-changing classic, but that was never the point. The story: Nicke Andersson (The Hellacopters, ex-Entombed) was inspired by Decibel magazine editor Albert Mudrian's book "Choosing death: The improbable history of death metal and grindcore" and decided to explore his roots. It harkens back to a time when death-metal meant bands like Autopsy or Possessed, before Entombed made their mark on the scene. The horror of the lyrics is kitchsy, like an old b-movie. It's meant to be fun, not scary. Death Breath is pure nostalgia, but it's also more than a few old, tired dudes trying to relive their youth. They recapture the energy and vitality of those early days and I love it.

Mon, 04 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0800

Death Breath's video for their namesake song is now online: http://www.deathbreath.se/site/death_breath_video.asp
Death Breath is the old-school death-metal revival act of Nicke Andersson (Hellacopters, ex-Entombed). As for the clip, the ending is kinda meh, but the concept is hot.

MP3: Dismember - Override of the overture

Fri, 10 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0800

I'm kinda bummed out by yesterday's news that the upcoming Entombed/Dismember/Grave tour has been cancelled. Consensus has it that Entombed is very much past their prime, but how can you pass up three of Swedish death-metal's forefathers on one bill? While I know that Entombed will never release another "Left hand path" or "Clandestine", their latest output has still been pretty damn solid, especially considering all the lineup difficulties they've gone through. Anyhow, that's not the band I want to talk about today - this week's Friday mp3 comes from Dismember off their landmark 1991 release "Like an everflowing stream". Entombed may be the band everyone thinks of first when they're talking about Swedish death-metal pioneers, but we cannot forget Dismember. They were just as important when it comes to that famous, instantly recognizable 'Sunlight studios sound.' New bands are still trying to rip it off, but no one can touch the original masters. That guitar tone is so thick, meaty and totally devastating. When I want to hear something heavy, that's what I have in mind.

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0800

The previously announced Swedish death-metal legends US tour set for December featuring the unholy trinity of Entombed, Dismember and Grave has been cancelled.

Video mix: KVLR, El Perro Del Mar, Totalt Jävla Mörker, Entombed, Division of Laura Lee, Abhinanda, more...

Thu, 21 Sep 2006 00:00:00 -0700

KVLR - Birthcam
Nothing new under the sun in the directing of this video. Just the band playing the song in a room, a video that's been done so many times before. BUT the song itself makes this video a must-see. KVLR is a band more people should discover. (JA)

The Knife - Pass this on
Great Video and a great song. My girlfriend is convinced that is a transvestite singing. I really can't tell. Maybe my living situation has made me blind. Good thing I am off for some much needed vacation in... ehr, San Francisco. (PA)

El Perro Del Mar – Gods knows (you gotta give to get)
Twee animation here from El Perro Del Mar. Ambitious video, fantastic song. (ST)

Totalt Jävla Mörker - Kall värld
The new album by TJM may have more metal influences in it, but these guys still play hardcore as it's supposed to sound. And the refrain is a damn hit! Check out the new self-titled album out on Relapse. (JA)

Juli & The Monoliths - Itämaista Rakkautta
The lipsynch is terrible, but who could fault Nina Persson? Everything she does has her own attractive appeal. Ain't that so boys! In Finnish she is daft. (JC)

Entombed - Night of the vampire
Who doesn't love a good Swedish death-metal cover of Roky Erickson? Not me. I think I still have this 7" sitting around somewhere. (AR)

Division Of Laura Lee - Dirty Love
Features Nina Persson (The Cardigans, A Camp) on guest vocals. In my opinion, one of Swedens finest bands. Pretty cool video as well... (JA)

Jenny Wilson & Robyn – List of demands (Saul Williams cover)
Yes, two of Sweden's greatest female artists do a blinding cover of Saul Williams' hypnotic song. (ST)

Quit Your Dayjob - Vlado video
Just like one of my previous videopost for IAT (Logh - The smoke will lead you home), this video is shot just a few blocks from my apartment. In fact, in the videostore where I rent horrormovies when I'm in that mood! Low-budget and hilarious! (JA)

Abhinanda - City of hope
Yes! Classic Norrland sXe hardcore at its finest! This shows the beginnings of that classic discordant post-hardcore sound I hold so dear. (AR)

.:Who's who?

PA: Per Apelqvist
JA: Jonas Appelqvist
JC: Jason Christie
AR: Avi Roig
ST: Simon Tagestam

MP3: Nihilist - When life has ceased

Fri, 25 Aug 2006 00:00:00 -0700

My mom's in town visiting today, so regular updates won't be happening and I doubt I'll get around to putting together this week's newsletter. At least not today like I usually do. However, I still want to leave you with something to listen to, so here's a track from Nihilist, the band that would later become Entombed.

Tue, 22 Aug 2006 00:00:00 -0700

Swedish death-metal legends Entombed, Dismember and Grave will tour the US together in December:

12/01 - Knitting Factory, Hollywood, CA
12/02 - The Pound, San Francisco, CA
12/03 - tba, Chico, CA
12/04 - Rock N Roll Pizza, Portland, OR
12/05 - tba, Vancouver, BC
12/06 - Studio 7, Seattle, WA
12/07 - tba, Boise, ID
12/08 - tba, Salt Lake City, UT
12/09 - Hubba's, Denver, CO
12/10 - The Launchpad, Albuquerque, NM
12/11 - tba, Tulsa, OK
12/12 - Chics, El Paso, TX
12/13 - Clubhouse, Phoenix, AZ
12/14 - The Forum, Mexicali, MEX
12/15 - Showcase Theater, Corona, CA
12/16 - The Jumping Turtle, San Marcos, CA

Fri, 04 Aug 2006 00:00:00 -0700

Death Breath, the old-school death-metal band of Entombed/Nihilist/Hellacopters founder Nicke Andersson has officially signed with Relapse Records. The band's debut album "Stinking up the night" will be released October 17.

Thu, 15 Jun 2006 00:00:00 -0700

Swedish death-metal legends Dismember, Entombed, Grave and Unleashed will team up for a European tour together in November. Dates and details soon.

Fri, 09 Jun 2006 00:00:00 -0700

Black Lodge has announced the signing of Death Breath, the new death-metal band of Nicke Andersson (The Hellacopters, ex-Entombed). Their as-yet untitled debut album is finished and is currently being prepped for a late August/early September release. The band will also release a three-song 7" single very soon featuring the a-side "Death breath" b/w two exclusive tracks: "Corpses of death" (featuring Markus Karlsson of I Quit on vocals) and "Matricide". Listen to a short sample track at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/deathbreathdeathmetal

Mon, 15 May 2006 00:00:00 -0700

Speaking of drummers bailing, Peter Stjärnvind has left Entombed. Olle Dahlstedt of Alpha Safari will be filling in on all upcoming live show.

Mon, 27 Mar 2006 00:00:00 -0800

Deathbreath, the new retro death-metal project of Nicke Andersson (The Hellacopters, ex-Entombed), has posted the rough mix of a song for streaming on myspace: http://www.myspace.com/deathbreathdeathmetal
I was expecting much of the typical Swedish/Sunlight Studios sound ala Bloodbath (who totally rule btw), but this is different and totally awesome in its own way.

Thu, 09 Mar 2006 00:00:00 -0800

Entombed's next album has been postponed in favor of an EP release since the band "so many good songs to choose from." The first release date stays the same: 06.06.06 (of course). The full-length album "Serpent saint" will happen on September 18.

Mon, 06 Mar 2006 00:00:00 -0800

The new Nicke Andersson (Hellacopters, ex-Entombed) death-metal project now has a name: Death Breath. The band also features Jörgen Sandström (Viscious Art, ex-Entombed/Grave) on vokills and Robert Persson (Hellacopters, Thunder Express) on guitar. Look for their debut album later this year.

Mon, 20 Feb 2006 00:00:00 -0800

The new Backyard Babies album "People like people like people like us" has been confirmed for release on April 12. The record was produced by Nicke Andersson of The Hellacopters/Entombed and the band will support the release with a Scandinavian tour beginning in mid-April.

Fri, 10 Feb 2006 00:00:00 -0800

Something that most bands never considered pre-2000 was name googlability. My old bandmates used to think I was crazy to book tours via email back in '97-98 and look where we are now. Being said, Nine totally blew it when they decided on their moniker. I guess in some ways it works well for the Internet age because it makes finding tracks on p2p a bit more difficult, but I seriously doubt that that's something a small hardcore band from Sweden worries about. Today's Friday oldie comes from Nine's 2000 album "Kissed by the misanthrope". The band's sound is a powerful mix of bluesy Entombed-style death'n'roll and pounding hardcore. I haven't been as stoked on their more recent material, but this stuff kicks ass. Catchy melodies and brutal breakdowns, what more could you ask for? Who knows though, maybe their new alliance with Finnish label Combat Rock Industry will give them renewed vigor. Look for the new MCD "Death is glorious" to be released soon.

MP3: Nine - Getting it out

Fri, 10 Feb 2006 00:00:00 -0800

Thu, 09 Feb 2006 00:00:00 -0800

New confirmed tourdates for Entombed:

03/17 - Klubb Idiot, Örebro (SWE)
03/18 - folkets park, Växjö (SWE)
03/25 - bakfickan, Hjo (SWE)
03/31 - FP, Huskvarna (SWE)
04/01 - Sticky, Göteborg (SWE)
04/08 - Festival, Zurich (SWI)
04/16 - Killer Fest, Chaulnes (FRA)
04/28 - Rockboat, Oslo (NOR)
04/29 - Kings Of Metal Underground , Arnhem (NL)
05/05 - Heavy fidelity, Borås (SWE)
05/10 - KGB, Barcelona (SPA)
05/11 - Santana 27, Bilbao (SPA)
05/12 - Copernico, Madrid (SPA)
05/13 - Sala Vivero, Malaga (SPA)
05/26 - Mogwai, Norrköping (SPA)
06/10 - Devil Days, St. Leonard am Forst (AUS)
06/24 - Hellfest, Clisson (FRA)
06/29 - Wan2festival, Mezotúr (HUN)
07/16 - Festival, Illosaari (NOR)

Blake Planetizer WolfGang Records

Thu, 09 Feb 2006 00:00:00 -0800

Blake simply rock, a lot. Somewhere along the lines of Entombed's death n' roll and more traditional stoner rock (think Nebula), Blake rely on a strong bass line and build around it. The build is one of heavy guitars, catchy leads and vocal lines, and steady drums. They might sound a bit too polished for their own good, while their songwriting, on the other hand, fits perfectly what they are trying to accomplish. Nice.

Fri, 13 Jan 2006 00:00:00 -0800

Entombed has confirmed that their new album "Serpent saints" will be released on June 6. That's 06/06/06 in case you weren't paying close attention.

Fri, 18 Nov 2005 00:00:00 -0800

When I first heard that Nicke from Entombed had started a garage-rock sideproject, I was stoked. I was just starting to get into other dirty rock/garage bands like The Mummies and The Devil Dogs, so the first Hellacopters album "Supershitty to the max" fit right in with my collection. And while that record is pretty good, it's the second disc "Payin' the dues" that really got me going. That record is absolutely on fire and you can hear it with the very first track "You are nothin'". If that's not a ballsy statement of intent, I dunno what is. Unlike the band's more recent material, the recording is still buried in fuzz and dirt, perfectly emulating the style they were going for. Remember- this is garage rock, not the 70s-style arena rawk the band later evolved into. Both eras of the 'Copters are excellent (and in some ways, I prefer the latter), but it's always good to listen back at where they came from.

MP3: The Hellacopters - You are nothin'

Fri, 18 Nov 2005 00:00:00 -0800

Wed, 02 Nov 2005 00:00:00 -0800

Entombed has revealed that "Serpent saints" will be the title of their forthcoming album, due on June 6, 2006 via their own Threeman Recordings. Rumor has it that ex-drummer Nicke Andersson (The Hellacopters) might contribute to the songwriter and recording now that Uffe is gone, but nothing is confirmed yet.

Fri, 21 Oct 2005 00:00:00 -0700

Ex-Entombed drummer/current Hellacopters frontman Nicke Andersson has announced that he is working on a throwback death-metal project. Read more: http://www.rocket.fm/rockoversweden/news/?ID=558

Wed, 21 Sep 2005 00:00:00 -0700

The Kongelige Teater in Köpenhamn, Denmark will be using music from Sweden's Silverbullit in an upcoming ballet production entitled "To die for" which will premiere on October 8. It's not quite as awesome as Entombed's "Unreal estate" IMO, but still very cool.

Mon, 12 Sep 2005 00:00:00 -0700

Guitarist Uffe Cederlund has left Entombed after god knows how many years. The band plans to continue as a four-piece.

Fri, 19 Aug 2005 00:00:00 -0700

When Nicke Andersson first left Entombed to concentrate 100% on The Hellacopters, the future of his old band was left totally up in the air. C'mon, what do you do when one of your founding members and main songwriters leaves? The pressure was on, to say the least. So when the new album "Same difference" finally was released in 1998 with new drummer Peter Stjärnvind, a lot of people were especially critical of the record. Now, I'm not gonna come out and say that everyone was wrong, but I do think they were unjustly harsh. While it's obviously not the best thing they've ever done, it's still nowhere near as bad as a lot of those initial reviews would have you believe. Coming out after the fuzzy death n' roll onslaught of 1997's "To ride, shoot straight and speak the truth", "Same difference" was a study in contrasts. The production was significantly cleaner and the playing was much more subdued, though tighter. It was the sound of a band in transition, trying to figure out where to go next. Yeah, there's some definite clunkers on the record, but I think that it hold up well regardless. It doesn't help that the tracklist is totally front-loaded, but it works just fine on shuffle. And ignore those five bonus tracks on the US version - they were much better off left as a separate disc on the "TRSSASPTT" limited edition digipack. So anyhow, as you should know, I love me some country music along with my death metal. So when Entombed throws some downtuned slide guitar into the mix, you bet your ass I'm all about it as on today's track "Clauses". It still might not be enough to redeem all of "Same difference", but hopefully it'll at least make you go back and rethink it.

Tue, 12 Jul 2005 00:00:00 -0700

Ex-Entombed drummer/current Hellacopters frontman Nicke Andersson filled in on guitar with his old bandmates at the Peace & Love Festival in Borlänge last weekend as regular guitarist Uffe Cederlund was on tour with his other band Disfear.

Wed, 04 May 2005 00:00:00 -0700

Music (for Robots) posts a track from the Entombed/Swedish ballet collaboration live album "Unreal estate": http://music.for-robots.com/archives/000935.html

Tue, 08 Mar 2005 00:00:00 -0800

Threeman Recordings has confirmed an April 25 release date for their official reissue of the famed Nihilist demos, the band that eventually became death-metal legends Entombed. It should go without saying, but the band was a huge influence worldwide and it's about time the recordings got a proper release. Here's the tracklist:

01. Sentenced to Death
02. Supposed to Rot
03. Carnal Leftovers
04. Abnormaly Deceased
05. Revel in Flesh
06. Face of Evil
07. Severe Burns
08. When Life Has Ceased
09. Morbid Devourment
10. Radiation Sickness
11. Face of Evil
12. But Life Goes On
13. Shreds of Flesh
14. The Truth Beyond

Wed, 22 Dec 2004 00:00:00 -0800

Photo:Henrik has posted new pics of Entombed, Mando Diao, The Solution and Sophie Rimheden: http://www.photohenrik.com/

Tue, 21 Dec 2004 00:00:00 -0800

Entombed will be doing a few dates in the Baltics towards the end of January:

01/21 - Rock Café, Tallinn
01/22 - Salamander, Riga
01/23 - Mulen Ruzas, Vilnius

Thu, 16 Dec 2004 00:00:00 -0800

The nominees for the 2004 Swedish Grammy awards have been announced. Here's most of em:

Best newcomer:
Ana Johnsson - "The Way I Am"
Anna Ternheim - "Somebody Outside""
Deportees - "All Prayed Up"
Jens Lekman - "When I Said I Wanted To Be Your Dog"
Raymond & Maria - "Vi ska bara leva klart"

Best album:
Christian Walz - "Paint By Numbers"
Marit Bergman - "Baby Dry Your Eye"
Stina Nordenstam - "The World Is Saved"
The Hives - "Tyrannosaurus Hives"
The Soundtrack of our Lives - "Origin Vol. 1"

Best artist:
Gyllene Tider - "Finn 5 Fel!"
Lena Philipsson - "Det gör ont en stund på natten men inget på dan"
Marit Bergman - "Baby Dry Your Eye"
The Hives - "Tyrannosaurus Hives"
The Soundtrack of Our Lives - "Origin Vol. 1"

Best song:
Raymond & Maria - "Ingen vill veta vart du köpt din tröja"
Lena Philipsson - "Det gör ont"
Nic & The Family - "Hej Hej Monika"
Gyllene Tider - "Tuffa tider/Sten vid en sjö i en skog"
Shirley Clamp - "Min kärlek"

Best pop (female):
Anna Ternheim - "Somebody Outside"
Lena Philipsson - "Det gör ont en stund på natten men inget på dan"
Marit Bergman - "Baby Dry Your Eye"
Sophie Zelmani - "Love Affair"
Stina Nordenstam - "The World Is Saved"

Best pop (male):
Christian Walz - "Paint By Numbers"
Di Leva - "Tiden faller"
Jens Lekman - "When I Said I Wanted To Be Your Dog"
Mattias Alkberg BD - "Tunaskolan"
Tomas Andersson Wij - "Stjärnorna i oss"

Best pop group:
Alcazar - "Dancefloor - Deluxe"
Deportees - "All Prayed Up"
Gyllene Tider - "Finn 5 Fel!"
Melody Club - "Face The Music"
Raymond & Maria - "Vi ska bara leva klart"

Best rock album (solo):
Kristofer Åström - "Loupita"
Lars Winnerbäck - "Vatten under broarna"
Nicolai Dunger - "Here's My Song You Can Have It..."
Stefan Sundström - "Hjärtats melodi"
Ulf Lundell - "Ok Baby Ok"

Best rock group:
Sahara Hotnights - "Kiss & Tell"
Silverbullit - "Arclight"
Teddybears Sthlm - "Fresh!"
The Hives - "Tyrannosaurus Hives"
The Soundtrack of Our Lives - "Origin Vol. 1"

Best songwriter:
Anna Ternheim
Christian Walz & Ollie Olson
Marit Bergman
Per Gessle
Stina Nordenstam

Best lyrics:
Anna Ternheim
Jens Lekman
Lars Winnerbäck
Marit Bergman
Tomas Andersson Wij

Best producer:
Christian Walz
Johan Forsman & The Soundtrack of Our Lives
Lars Halapi
Pelle Gunnerfeldt & The Hives
Teddybears Sthlm & Phat Fabe

Best hip-hop/soul:
Damn! - "Youth Style"
Embee - "Tellings From Solitaria"
Infinite Mass - "1991"
Ison & Fille - "Ison & Fille"
Promoe - "The Long Distance Runner"

Best hard-rock/metal:
Dismember - "Where Ironcrosses Grow"
Entombed - "Unreal Estate"
Europe - "Start From The Dark"
In Flames - "Soundtrack To Your Escape"
The Hellacopters - "Strikes Like Lightning"

Best club/dance:
Andreas Tilliander - "World Industries"
Da Buzz - "Dangerous - The Album"
Guidelines - Must Be The Music"
Hird - "Moving On"
Stonebridge - "Can't Get Enough"

Best jazz:
Goran Kajfes - "Headspin"
Kullrusk - "Kullrusk"
Putte Wickman & Jan Lundgren - "We Will Always Be Together"
Rigmor Gustafsson And The Jacky Terrasson Trio - "Close To You"
The Torbjörn Zetterberg Hot Five - "Förtjänar mer uppmärksamhet"

Open category:
Alice Babs & Nisse Linds Hottrio - "Alice Babs & Nisse Linds Hot-Trio"
Anders F Rönnblom - "F-Box"
Blacknuss - "Gold"
Stefan Nilsson - "Så som i himmelen"
Titiyo - "Best of Titiyo"

Check out the full list here: http://www.ifpi.se/02.images/01.top/02.subnav_pdf/08.grammis/pdf/Grammisnomineringar_2004.pdf

Mon, 06 Dec 2004 00:00:00 -0800

Entombed's new live album "Unreal estate" has been confirmed for a US release on February 22 via Candlelight Records. As mentioned before, the recording is from the band's collaboration performance with the Swedish Royal Ballet way back on March 1, 2002. The disc will come with a thick booklet of pictures from the performance and rehearsals, but sadly there's still no word on a DVD. Anyhow, I've heard the music and can report that it sounds absolutely killer.

Tue, 30 Nov 2004 00:00:00 -0800

The first string of dates for the upcoming Entombed US tour with Crowbar, Pro-Pain and The Mighty Nimbus have been announced:

02/07 - B.B. Kings Blues Club, New York, NY
02/08 - Jaxx Nite Club, Springfield, VA
02/09 - Trocadero Theater, Philadelphia, PA
02/11 - Northern Lights, Clifton Park, NY
02/12 - The Chance, Poughkeepsie, NY
02/14 - House of Blues, Cleveland, OH
02/15 - Joe's, Chicago, IL
02/16 - Ascot Room, Minneapolis, MN
02/17 - Ranch Bowl, Omaha, NE
02/18 - Gothic Theater, Englewood, CO
02/19 - Lo Fi Cafe, Salt Lake City, UT
02/21 - Fat Tuesday's, Spokane, WA
02/22 - Graceland, Seattle, WA
02/23 - Sabala's @ Mt. Tabor Theater, Portland, OR
02/26 - House of Blues, Los Angeles, CA

Tue, 23 Nov 2004 00:00:00 -0800

Entombed will be teaming up with Crowbar, Pro-Pain and The Mighty Nimbus for a US tour to kick off on February 7 in NYC. Full dates soon. Read the press release from Candlelight: http://www.digitalmetal.com/news.asp?cid=3827

Fri, 12 Nov 2004 00:00:00 -0800

Entombed's new live album "Unreal estate" has been pushed back to a November 22 release date due to printing problems.

The Haunted Revolver Century Media

Mon, 08 Nov 2004 00:00:00 -0800

A few years ago, while I was fully immersed in metal, The Haunted became one of my favourite bands. Their first album took the art of the no-frills trash record to new heights; to me that record was better than Slayer's "Reign in Blood" or "Season in the Abyss", Metallica's "Master of Puppets" or Megadeth's "Peace Sells". It was a revelation and it carried afterwards a slew of other good (Darkane, Defleshed, The Crown) and not so good (Carnal Forge, Gandalf) bands that were brought to prominence at the end of the nineties. While The Haunted continued their road on the thrash map, in the process changing vocalist from Peter Dolving to Marco Aro, I lost a bit of interest. Aro's delivery, while aggressive, was run-of-the-mill death vocals that did absolutely nothing for me. The additional consequence was that the bands felt the need to go as aggressive as possible with Aro and were losing the subtle things that made them good in the first place.

Two records later: Dolving is back and so is the band. First of all, this supposed evolution of the band is not that big of a deal. What they did is finally picked some melodic elements in the old At the Gates' bag of tricks, which was left unopened since the demise of the band and the formation of this one. We are talking about a majority of the songs here being extremely up tempo and a few numbers being mid-paced. The return of Dolving permits the band to use his vast array of talents in different situations and vary the attack with a lot more ease than it would have been possible with Aro. Here is how it goes song per song:

"No Compromise" starts the record as if recorded in a shoe box with strange rhythm pattern before going all out in the traditional Slayer-at-their-best thrash number that starts off the record not only with a bang but also reintroduced shouted backing vocals to the foray, something that was never part of their arsenal with Aro. The slower mid-section is so chest-pumping heavy it is amazing.

"99" is a bit of lower bpm affair that brings memories of "The Red in the Sky is Ours", with a bit a more modern melodic Gothenburg style but not without your scarifying on the violence.

"Abysmal" starts with clean guitars and Dolving doing what makes him a better fit for this band: the ability to actually sing (although he does very little of that on the record), and it is a nice change of pace. Once again this one lowers the bpm a little more and shows the band in all their mid-paced glory. This song sounds a bit like what Entombed sound like since the Death 'n Roll conversion.

"Sabotage" is one of those songs that is meant to blow your head clean off and does not quite succeed even though the song is pretty good. The breakdown at the end of the song particularly good the chorus just doen't do it.

"All Against All" is more of a mid-paced song that is probably the weakest on the entire album. I don't know why they felt the need to put it right in the middle of the album. It does have a nice lead and melodic guitar riff that accompanies it.

"Sweet Relief" is a throwback to the self-titled album: Fast and furious riffing but once again a very nice melodic lead and a breakdown changes things up mid song, much to my delight. This rocks.

"Burn to a Shell" once again displays Dolving's abilities, in the singing and screaming department. This could be considered The Haunted's ‘ballad' much like "Fade to Black" was but this one never stays in the ballad mode for long. Perhaps the strongest number on the album as it shows everything they are able to do, as well as combining them with a lot of ease.

"Who Will Decide" continues in the not-so-fast department but also shows just about every tempo change in a single song this band is able to do, and they do it well. Not the strongest song but certainly not the worst.

"Nothing Right". At this point if you did not enjoy the rest of the album, then you have no reason listening to this, but you would be missing out. The Haunted on this record throws at you everything but the kitchen sink and this song is a perfect example of subtle changes in riffs, stopping the guitars there and just changing things up mid-song. Just great stuff.

"Liquid Burns" continues the tradition of fast thrash and melodic enhancement this record brought to us.

"My Shadow" finishes the album, much like the self-titled one finished with a half spoken-word, half singing affair in depressing fashion. This is a good finishing song, although it is certainly not the band's strength.

Mon, 01 Nov 2004 00:00:00 -0800

Check out the video for "Retaliation" from Entombed: http://launch.yahoo.com/video/default.asp?vid=1131176

Fri, 15 Oct 2004 00:00:00 -0700

Alex Hellid of Entombed talks to Live4Metal about the band's upcoming DVD plans, what's going on with Threeman Recordings and more: http://www.live4metal.com/entombed2004.htm

Tue, 14 Sep 2004 00:00:00 -0700

High Bias on the latest from Entombed: http://highbias.com/reviews/20040912_short1.html#Entombed

Thu, 26 Aug 2004 00:00:00 -0700

Entombed has revealed more details about the upcoming "Unreal Estate" CD that I posted about yesterday. October 20 will be the official release date in Scandinavia and it will hit Europe on November 8. An extensive booklet with photos from the event will be included and here's the tracklist:

01. DCLXVI / Intermission
02. Chief Rebel Angel
03. Say It in Slugs
04. It Is Later Than You Think
05. Returning to Madness
06. Mental Twin
07. Night of the Vampire
08. Unreal Estate
09. In the Flesh
10. Something Out of Nothing
11. Left Hand Path (outro)

For some reason, I thought they did more special exclusive material for the show, but I guess not. Oh well, should be cool anyways.

Wed, 25 Aug 2004 00:00:00 -0700

Entombed will finally be releasing "Unreal Estate" sometime early next year through their own label Threeman Recordings, shortly followed by a US release on Candlelight. As mentioned ages ago, "Unreal Estate" is the 45-minute piece the band composed and performed at the Royal Opera Hall in Stockholm with accompaniment by 30 ballet dancers as a special commissioned work. Of course, I'd like to see video footage of the event on DVD of the event, but whatever - I'll take what I can get.