I take it Spain's Desert Icons have listened to a fair bit of Thin Lizzy in the past. The bits on here that do sound like a metalized Lizzy are the downers here. They just lift and brighten the atmosphere a bit too much in something that has the potential to be dark and nasty... in an outstandingly metal way. Out of three songs, opening track "The search" is Alchemist meets Thin Lizzy and the second song, "Animal rage" is Immortal meets Thin Lizzy. And the Lizzy bits are everywhere in both. Closing track "Time for the storm" is the best of the bunch here by miles and it's killer. And there's no Thin Lizzy in it at all! It showcases a band with an identity of their own who sound so fluid when they just run with it rather than trying to show people that they can play like Thin Lizzy. NB. I think this is the most I've ever written Thin Lizzy in my life.]]> Mon, 24 Sep 2012 11:59:40 -0700 reviews http://www.itsatrap.com/n/37176-hole-in-the-sky-going-out-with-a-bang http://www.itsatrap.com/n/37176-hole-in-the-sky-going-out-with-a-bang http://www.itsatrap.com/n/37176-hole-in-the-sky-going-out-with-a-bang#comments Nö Music reports that the 2011 edition of Norway's renown metal fest Hole in the Sky will be its last and it appears they've put together a suitable lineup for a send-off: http://www.nomusicmedia.com/2011/04/08/the-last-supper-hole-in-the-sky-closing-its-doors-in-2011/
Immortal, Satyricon, Enslaved and Mayhem? Holy shit! Not to mention Godflesh, Ghost, etc.

Ah, gamle Norge! Home of countless renowned metal musicians, a good portion of whom play in countless renowned metal bands. Rather than list endless examples of musical cross-pollination in Norway, just take a look at the variety of projects that legendary sticksman Hellhammer has been involved in and you get the idea. It's the unique vision and creativity of these people that make for such a varied scene. So, what do you get if you take members of Red Harvest, Immortal, Aura Noir, Fuck You All and Infernö, a heady mix of thrash, industrial, black metal, and crust, and bring them together in one project? Well, you get Waklevören who, on their newest release, "De dødes arkiv" [see review here], have released one of the most blinding punk-fuelled thrash albums ever. Guitarist Bored invited It's a Trap! to check out the album and get the lowdown on one of Norway's most carefree musical anarchists.

How did Waklevören start out?

Me and Gorgon have known each other for ages but never been that close. We suddenly met at a local bar in Oslo, got drunk and started talking music, arguing back and forth showing no respect for each other's likes or dislikes. Thankfully, alcohol brought some kind of sense to our heads and we left that bar. During our drunken walk heading for Elm Street Rock Cafe we decided to form a band, handpicking our favorite musicians. A few months later we had a complete lineup and headed for our first rehearsal. That was in 2002. From the very first rehearsal everything was set. We jammed for some hours with a smile on our faces and Waklis was born.

Did you have any particular plans for the band back then?

Well, some changes have occurred since then: we started out with English lyrics and we never intended to perform live or record anything at all. All we wanted was a hobby project, getting away from our everyday routines, our other bands, just being drunk having a blast at rehearsals. It didn't work out the way we planned, I guess. People starting showing up at our comfort zone, somehow got hold of our recorded tapes, and rumours spread. Eight years later, three records, some concerts and publicity, and we're more satisfied now than if we'd stuck with the original idea of this band.

How do you all find the time to fit in all the other projects, or at least to fit Waklevören in around them? Are there ever any problems?

During our existence as a band we've played under 20 gigs and recorded merely an hour of music, so I guess finding enough time ain't our biggest problem. Some are married, some have kids, some of us are involved in other projects and we live more or less a normal life. Apollyon is doing his stuff with Immortal and Aura Noir, and him and Bestial Tormentor are also part of Lamented Souls. I have a few projects going on, Bergis is still running down the lane for 20 years with Red Harvest and Kenneth has his shop/record company, Neseblod Records. Nevertheless, we've always been able to find space now and then. It's all about baby steps. It's a lack of communication and pure all-over ignorance that has brought us this far, haha.

How much is Waklevören a priority in the running order of all the other bands you're involved in?

Without a doubt at least 60%. When we started out; doing dishes, going fishing or having sex was a proper excuse for not rehearsing. We were actually down to 30% priority by then. Now, 2010, we actually get along just fine and learned how to stay focused in some sense. But five ugly sweaty guys spending more than four hours together every second month feels as annoying as... well, I shouldn't really go there.

The new album... was it a totally collaborative process as far as writing went?

No, I wouldn't go as far to admit that one. We're not a spooning-band like many others. We rarely keep in contact as a band, other than doing a few gigs now and then, and some of us end up working together in a studio somewhere. But that's how it always been. We've talked about spending more time rehearsing and stuff like that, but... There is a positive side to it, I guess: this album has a lot more variety, because we all trust each other's songwriting. Therefore we've been able to combine our main ingredients within thrash, death, punk, hardcore and even some black metal stuff more than ever before.

How long did it take to write and record?

It took almost three years. If we're down to counting creative work hours, I would say approximately 70 hours recording. The rest is art, right? Writing this stuff, huh... there are a lot of old riffs being played here as well as new ones. The biggest challenge came to Bestial Tormentor's songs. Goddammit! Me and Bergis actually had to start rehearsing again doing speed-picking all over the guitar. Felt like being a squirrel tickling John Holmes forever.

What are your expectations for the album?

The only expectations that we live for are our own, and by now we're spot on! We're proud of the album and never look back thinking of what we could have done better. We definitely should have used less time writing and recording the album. Hopefully next time we'll consider recording the entire album in 48 hours and have it released. No strings attached here so far. Thankfully the critics so far have been jerkable, so we're pleased.

What are your main influences when it comes to writing music?

You know, I would really like to know that one my self. When I write Waklis riffs it's all about rhythm, not any sort of super technique. I spend years working out my riffs and inspiration is hard to find, that essential feeling of thrash/punk/hardcore riffing. I can't recall watching a toad jumping up and down in the grass that has ever made me think of double bass drumming, neither have I been inspired by Jenna Haze doing her bumping or caught myself toe-tipping by enjoying the sound of popcorn popping. Maybe mask-wearing bands do, but I don't. Listening to old metal records sure gives me some kind of inspiration and that's why I don't listen to them when I feel forced to actually be creative. So, my inspiration for writing my stuff, pure and simple: it's a drag, but a six string and a six pack and I'm good to roll!

What do you do to pass time outside of music?

Not much. Due to health issues I'm doing it Homer-style to a certain extent.

How do you find the metal scene in Norway these days? Have you noticed much change over the years?

It's better than ever, I guess. It's all about music now. No one cares where you're from or what bands you've played in. You can actually perform live not looking stupid without 'old-school' pilot glasses and not being judged for not wearing pikes, studs or worn out t-shirts. There are a lot of exciting bands out there, although I'm not that much up to date. And when it comes to media covering this scene, it's also looking good. They're now focused on quality rather than having a stupid cover story. And now we actually have Italians coming over not expecting Norwegian metal heads to be surrounded by polar beers, drinking blood, sacrificing children or burning churches. They actually buy beer without crying their lungs out if they see one of their idols.

There seems to be a healthy global scene for the type of hardcore/thrash that Waklevören play. Would you say that this is echoed in Oslo?

As I said, I'm not that up to date, but I would think so. One of those bands that comes to mind is Mongo Ninja that is doing really well these days having that good mixture. Probably a bunch of others as well, but I'm really not the right guy to talk to when it comes to discovering new bands.

Would you say that being in a metal band in Norway offers more opportunity or credibility than if you were based elsewhere?

It used to back in the early '90s if you played in a black metal band. Now I don't really think it matters where you come from. You find great bands within every genre everywhere. Just like you no longer have to go to Italy to enjoy a great pizza.

True to what you said back on the release of "Brutal agenda", you've remained with Neseblod to this day. Still the 'other member' of the band as far as you're concerned?

Without a doubt! The whole idea behind Neseblod Records suits us just fine. The Norwegian music industry lost its face and cred many years ago and you really have to sell your soul to Al Qaeda or make it grand at some kind of a stupid talent show to make a living doing music over here. Although I guess that's common in every corner of the world. We're still able to have 100% control of what we're doing and it also keeps us true to our roots and the whole concept of why we actually started this primitive band.

As a label Neseblod definitely reflects the ethos of the band. Do you think you might ever move to another label or are you happy where you are?

Well, Gorgon runs the label, so it'd be kind of stupid doing a statement here going "Yes, we're actually ready for that!" Haha. But we've had some offers as far as I know, that we've turned down in a sweet way. That means, not sending a response. CTRL, ALT & DELETE has made it all so much easier. By now, we're more than satisfied being able to promote Neseblod for being a true incarnation of the coolest metal shop ever to have existed, including Helvete, of course. On the other hand, if someone wants to work with a band that denies touring, won't play live more than four times a year and accept that they will have absolutely no say in any circumstances at all, feel free to leave us a note and we'll promise to at least read it.

Interview by John Norby. Photo by Sebastian Ludvigsen.

You could maybe class Waklevören as the quintessential anti-supergroup. Comprising members of Red Harvest, Immortal, Aura Noir, Fuck You All and Infernö, they have every right to demand respect but, the fact is, they really don't give a damn. It's obvious in this, their heaviest record so far, that it has been a case of "Let's drink a shitload of beers and jam out some brutal hardcore thrash. If they like it, fair enough. If they don't, who cares!?" There's not much point in trying to single out highpoints on here as there's not a dull moment to be had. And the fact is, that if you're into the kind of filthy vehemence spewed by the likes of countrymen Obliteration or Sweden's crustcore kings Skitsystem, you'll absolutely adore this. It might be a bold statement, but I'd even go so far as to say that this is possibly the best album released that falls under that crusty, punky thrash umbrella. If ever there was an essential album within a particular genre, this is it. Having reviewed hundreds of albums over the years, I must also point out that this is the first I've ever given full marks to. Why? Just buy the fucking thing and find out!]]> Mon, 02 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0700 reviews http://www.itsatrap.com/n/33019-immortal-turn-down-spellemann http://www.itsatrap.com/n/33019-immortal-turn-down-spellemann http://www.itsatrap.com/n/33019-immortal-turn-down-spellemann#comments Immortal say "no thanks" to their Spellemannprisen nomination: http://www.nomusicmedia.com/2010/01/26/immortal-slams-door-on-spellemann-jury/

Female Artist:
Ane Brun - Live At Stockholm Concert Hall (Det Er Mine, Balloon Ranger Recordings)
Hanne Hukkelberg - Blood From A Stone (Propeller Recordings)
Julie Dahle Aagård - Stompin' Feet (Sweet Morning Records)
Noora Noor - Soul Deep (Blue Mood)

Male Artist:
Alexander Rybak - Fairytales (EMI Music Norway)
Martin Hagfors - Men and flies (ME Records)
Sivert Höyem - Moon Landing (Hektor Grammofon)
Sondre Lerche - Heartbeat Radio (Rounder Records/Decca Records/Universal Music)

Pop Group:
Datarock - Red (VME/Yap Records)
Donkeyboy - Caught In A Life (Warner Music Norway)
Kings Of Convenience - Declaration Of Dependence (Virgin/EMI Music Norway)
Kråkesølv - Trådnøsting (Diger)
Montée - Isle Of Now (VME)

Electronica:
Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas - 2 (Eskimo Recordings/VME)
Mungolian Jetset - We Gave It All Away (Smalltown Supersound/VME)
Röyksopp - Junior (Virgin/EMI Music Norway)
Vinter In Hollywood - Outbreak (MTG/Vulcano Records)

Rock:
DumDum Boys - Tidsmaskin (oh Yeah!/EMI Music Norway)
Heroes & Zeros - Simian Vices Modern Devices (Nightliner/Sonet/Universal Music)
John Olav Nilsen & Gjengen - For Sant Til Å Være Godt (VME)
Motorpsycho - Child Of The Future (Rune Grammofon)
Skambankt - Hardt Regn (Tuba Records)

Metal:
Code - Resplendent Grotesque (Tabu Recordings)
Immortal - All Shall Fall (Dunder Records)
The Cumshots - A Life Less Necessary (Rodeostar)
Årabrot - The Brother Seed (Norway Rat Recordings)

Hip-hop:
Chris Lee - Love Ghost (Oslo Records/Bonnier Amigo Music)
Lars Vaular - D'e Glede (VME)
Tommy Tee - Studio Time (Bonnier Amigo Music)

Jazz:
Håvard Stubø Quartet - Way Up (Bolage)
Kim Johannesen/Svein Magnus Furu/Tore Sandbakken - Kayak (Aimsoundcity)
Nils-Petter Molvær - Hamada (Emarcy/Universal Music)
Solveig Slettahjell - Tarpan Seasons (SloMO/Universal Music)
Tord Gustavsen Ensemble - Restored, Returned (ECM)

Open Class:
Crimetime Orchestra - Atomic Symphony (Jazzaway Records)
Kristin Asbjørnsen - The Night Shines Like The Day (Emarcy/Universal Music)
Knut Reiersrud - Gitar (Jazzland Recordings/Universal Music)
Mari Boine - Sterna Paradisea (Lean/Universal Music/Emarcy)
When - Homage Series Vol.1: Sun Ra (Jester)

Lyrics:
Anne Grete Preus - Nesten Alene (Warner Music Norway)
Kjartan Kristiansen/Aslak Dørum - DumDum Boys; Tidsmaskin (EMI Music Norway)
Stein Torleif Bjella - Heidersmenn (EMI Music Norway)
Sverre Knudsen - La Det Brenne (Ohyeah!)
Tønes - Sobihob (VME)

Best Newcomer:
Alexander Rybak
Donkeyboy
John Olav Nilsen & Gjengen
Kråkesølv
Vilde Frang

More here: http://spellemann.no/

01. TALK 1
02. Switchblade - 1815
03. TALK 2
04. Abandon - In reality suffer
05. Raison d'Etre - Metamorphyses phase III
06. TALK 3
07. Notre Dame - Le theatre du vampire
08. Mercyful Fate - Desecration of souls
09. Cortex - Warrior night
10. TALK 4
11. Immortal - All shall fail

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.

01. Sivert Høyem - Moon Landing
02. Jonas Fjeld feat Henning Kvitnes - Den Gamle Veien
03. The Blacksheeps - Blacksheeps
04. Asbjørn Ribe - Ornand Vet Hvordan
05. Minor Majority - Either Way I Think You Know
06. Kings Of Convenience - Declaration of Dependence
07. Diverse artister - Melodi Grand Prix Junior 2009
08. Solveig Slettahjell - Tarpan Seasons
09. John Olav Nilsen & Gjengen - For Sant Til Å Være Godt
10. Anne Nørdsti - Livet er nå
11. Mari Boine - Sterna Paradisea
12. Thomas Dybdahl - En Samling
13. Tommy Tee - Studio Time
14. OnklP & Jaa9 - Sellout!
15. Immortal - All Shall Fall
16. Steinar Engelbrektson Band - Minna Som Eg Har
17. The Cumshots - A Life Less Necessar
18. Adjagas - Mànu Ràvdnji
19. A-ha - Foot Of The Mountain
20. Paperboys - Oslo Agreement

07/13 - BB King Blues Club, NYC, NY
07/15 - The Avalon, Los Angeles, CA]]> Wed, 24 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25994-i-between-two-worlds-nuclear-blast http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25994-i-between-two-worlds-nuclear-blast http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25994-i-between-two-worlds-nuclear-blast#comments "Between two worlds" picks up, in some way, where Immortal left off. In times when noone knows if said band will record more records, this release from ex-frontman Abbath comes as a great relief. Sure, if you're looking for "true" black metal, this isn't really up your alley as what we're facing here is a dose of classic heavy- and thrash metal. Influences from bands such as Motörhead, Bathory and WASP are very present and in a good way! It just goes to show that the classic metal acts are never to be ignored. However, despite these influences, you can still hear some Immortal-licks, especially in "Mountains". And Abbath's vocals are still as evil as can be. But, and there is a "but" here, not all is jolly good with this release. There are songs that don't quite cut it for me such as the titletrack and the closer "Cursed we are". You gotta love bands that instantly makes you think of favorite bands such as, in this case, Judas Priest, but there are limits. I mean, why buy the new Trivium record when you can purchase "Killers"? Why buy this one when you can purchase "Screaming for vengeance"?]]> Wed, 17 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0800 reviews http://www.itsatrap.com/n/27840-mp3-i-far-beyond-the-quiet http://www.itsatrap.com/n/27840-mp3-i-far-beyond-the-quiet http://www.itsatrap.com/n/27840-mp3-i-far-beyond-the-quiet#comments Abbath's new band I picks up pretty close to where Immortal left off and I think that's great. See, unlike most black-metal purists, I've always felt that the each of the band's albums was better than the one that preceded it. Besides being recorded terribly, early material such as "Pure holocaust" and "Battles in the north" just aren't that good. The promo photos? Still undeniably classic. But the music? Eh, I rather listen to Darkthrone if I want to stay tr00 and kvlt. I however, is something different. The cold darkness of black-metal remains, but the music is far more rooted in thrash and other, more classic heavy metal styles. Just listen to that song I've posted today and tell me that opening riff doesn't remind you of "Bark at the moon". Sure, it starts to sound a lot more like Bathory once the drums and ominous keyboards come in, but that too is a good thing. Abbath's croaking vocal style might be too much for some to take, but I think it just adds to the atmosphere he's trying to create. It's supposed to sound evil, y'know? Thrash on.]]> Thu, 04 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0800 mp3s http://www.itsatrap.com/n/3650 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/3650 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/3650#comments DigitalMetal reviews "Between two worlds", the debut album from I - Abbath's (ex-Immortal) new band: http://www.digitalmetal.com/reviews.asp?cid=7846]]> Fri, 17 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/4238 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/4238 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/4238#comments Blodårstid takes a look back at Immortal's debut album "Diabolical fullmoon mysticism": http://www.holyterror.com/blod/2006/09/29/immortal-diabolical-fullmoon-mysticism-cd/]]> Fri, 29 Sep 2006 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/4258 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/4258 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/4258#comments It was already announced that Immortal would be reuniting for next year's Wacken festival, but now they've also added two US dates to their schedule:

07/13 - BB Kings, NYC
07/15 - The Avalon, LA

Unlike the previous Emperor reunion gigs, I'd actually say these might be worth attending depending on the price. Emperor is incredibly boring live, but Immortal put on a great show when I saw them on tour with Manowar.]]> Thu, 28 Sep 2006 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/4355 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/4355 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/4355#comments I, the new band from ex-Immortal frontman Abbath, has posted two new songs on myspace: http://www.myspace.com/abbathi]]> Wed, 20 Sep 2006 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25596-video-mix-a-ha-a-camp-fidget-vapnet-the-psyke-project-timbuktu-more http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25596-video-mix-a-ha-a-camp-fidget-vapnet-the-psyke-project-timbuktu-more http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25596-video-mix-a-ha-a-camp-fidget-vapnet-the-psyke-project-timbuktu-more#comments Thanks to the modern miracle of YouTube, we now have video on-demand twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. No longer are Scandinavian music videos the sole domain of MTV Nordic, ZTV and the like. Now it's for everyone, everywhere, anytime. Hopefully this will be the first of many posts where we can share in the bounty just waiting to be discovered.

A-ha - Take on me

Certified classic. Great song made even better by an amazing video. An obvious first choice. (AR)

A Camp – I can buy you

I don't watch that many videos these days, but when this came out I lived with my parents (a time for sitting on the couch, watching MTV and drinking chocolate milk) and I remember being swept away by the cunning use of two polar opposite Ninas! Shame that the rest of the A Camp album wasn't as good. (ST)

Fidget - Living on video

Although the video does not come close to the original (Trans-X, 1982) it is still a grand cover. (PA)

The Knife - Handy-man

Despite the extremely bright colors and goofball lyrics, this video still totally creeps me out. (AR)

Teh funneh Immortal

Everything is better when it's set to the Benny Hill music. And I actually really like Immortal. (AR)

Vapnet – Thoméegränd
Here's another well made video with a nice little storyline. It's difficult to not be biased though, when the song is my favourite one of the year. (ST)

Refused - New noise

What's with the bunny suites? Anyway, this video makes me want to dance... (PA)

The Psyke Project - In the mist

There's no way that a video matching the brutality of the music would get aired anywhere, so we've got to settle for a performance clip on an empty soundstage. Works for me. (AR)

Timbuktu – The botten is nådd

This is Swedish hip-hop, which would mean nothing to you if you don't speak Swedish, but thanks to the brilliance of videos, everyone should be able to understand the message of hangover and regrets from the previous night, that this song by Timbuktu so masterfully conveys. (ST)

Tiger Lou - Sam

A brilliantly dark video from a brilliant artist. I feel so honored to be working with Tiger Lou on the "Until I'm there" 7" that I'm putting out. (AR)

The Embassy - Stage persona

Say what you will about the band, this video is brilliant! (PA)

Last Days of April – Playerin

An awful and shoddy video for a... no wait a minute, this is indeed a horrible video, but it's a great song and it features a guy running, something that the director of The Embassy's video obviously stole and made into a visual feast. (ST)

.:Who's who?

AR: Avi Roig
PA: Per Apelqvist
ST: Simon Tagestam

]]> Thu, 03 Aug 2006 00:00:00 -0700 articles videos http://www.itsatrap.com/n/6746 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/6746 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/6746#comments Could there be an Immortal reunion? What's the dreaded orange-grip? Find out more here: http://www.heavymetal.no/show.article.asp?menuid=&artid=4000]]> Tue, 07 Mar 2006 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/10405 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/10405 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/10405#comments Blabbermouth reports on a new Immortal tribute comp, due out this fall: http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=37091
Confirmed artists so far include Aura Noir, Zweizz, Vreid, Beyond Dawn, Sunn 0))) and more.]]> Mon, 23 May 2005 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/10739 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/10739 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/10739#comments Ex-Immortal bassist Iscariah has started a new project called Dead to this World and you can listen to their 3-song demo on Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/deadtothisworld
Iscariah plans to put together a lineup for live shows soon and will be recording their debut album this summer.]]> Mon, 02 May 2005 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/10743 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/10743 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/10743#comments Today marks the start of a new feature here at IAT where I'll be posting old tunes for download on Fridays. I'm trying to keep to a more consistent mp3 posting schedule and this will give me an opportunity to feature some of the stuff from my collection that I feel deserves more attention. New stuff on Mondays and Wednesdays, classics on Friday. Got it?

Today's selection comes from Immortal of Norway, a band probably known better for their ridiculous photos than for their music. Which is a shame, because they were a great band. Many people consider the album "Battles of the north" to be their greatest contribution to the black-metal genre, but I think that's bullshit. Sure, it's cult and grim and all that, but it also has a terrible recording, zero dynamics and is incredibly boring. I need more than ridiculously fast buzzing guitars and absolute nihilism, okay? It's only after that album that Immortal truly started to improve, firmly establishing themselves as one of the BM greats. Each new album found the band becoming more progressive and more melodic, but never ever sacrificing their eminent darkness or their brutality. Sure, it's not all hyperspeed blast-beats anymore, but I happen to think that tempo changes are a good thing. The culmination of their career was 2002's "Sons of nothern darkness" from which this song is the lead track. Listen to that drumming! Those riffs! So amazing. It's a shame the band isn't around anymore, but at least they went out at the top of their game.]]> Fri, 29 Apr 2005 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/14629 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/14629 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/14629#comments There will be a special Bathory tribute at the upcoming Hole in the Sky Festival in Norway this coming August. As mentioned before, Bathory mastermind Thomas "Quorthon" Forsberg recently passed away due to heart failure. Artists set to take part: Abbath (ex-Immortal), Apollyon (Aura Noir), Faust (ex-Emperor), Gaahl (Gorgoroth), Grutle (Enslaved, Ivar (Enslaved), Nocturno Culto (Darkthrone), Samoth (Zyklon, ex-Emperor) and Satyr (Satyricon). A portion of the proceeds from the event will go to Black Mark Records, the label owned by Quorthon's father, Börje Forsberg.]]> Wed, 23 Jun 2004 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/14714 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/14714 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/14714#comments Drummer Horgh (ex-Immortal) has left Grimfist due to his position in Hypocrisy. Because of the lineup change, the band will not play the With Full Force Festival in early July as planned and has 'decided to start the search for a new skinsman.' Interested parties are encouraged to contact the band at contact@grimfist.com.]]> Tue, 15 Jun 2004 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/15502 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/15502 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/15502#comments Pitchfork takes a look at new discoveries made this year by their writers, including Immortal - "Battles in the North", Maja Ratkje - "Voice" and Turid - "I Retur": http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/]]> Wed, 21 Apr 2004 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/16511 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/16511 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/16511#comments Grimfist, the band of ex-Immortal drummer Horgh, is currently working on material for a new album due out late 2004/early 2005 on Candlelight. "The follow-up to last year's "Ghouls of Grandeur" will become a beast unlike none other," they say, "We will slay with this release, mark our words!"]]> Thu, 12 Feb 2004 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/17044 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/17044 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/17044#comments Ex-Immortal and current Grimfist drummer Horgh has joined long-running Swedish death metal act Hypocrisy. It seems that former drummer Lars Szöke could not cope with the band's long and hectic upcoming tour schedule, so he was forced to step down from the position. Of course this also means that Grimfist's scheduled appearance at the upcoming Inferno Fest in Norway has been cancelled. A replacement act is due to be announced shortly.]]> Mon, 12 Jan 2004 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/17293 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/17293 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/17293#comments Candlelight Records has secured US licensing rights for all releases from Dutch label Karmageddon Media. Beginning in 2004 the label will release new albums from Morifade, Hearse, Within Y, Dismember and more, as well as special enhanced reissues of albums from Aeturnus, Nocturnus and the Dimmu Borgir/Old Man Child split. For those that don't know, Candlelight is the label home of black-metal legends Emperor and has recently put out records by bands such as Zyklon (feat. ex-Emperor guitarist Samoth), Grimfist (feat. ex-Immortal drummer Horgh) and many more.]]> Wed, 17 Dec 2003 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/17948 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/17948 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/17948#comments Grimfist (feat. ex-Immortal drummer Horgh) has been added to the lineup of the 'Blackest of the Black' show put on by headliner Danzig at The Forum in London on November 22. Other acts on the bill include Marduk (SWE), Zyklon (NOR), Orange Goblin (UK) and Meldrum (SWE).]]> Wed, 08 Oct 2003 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/18274 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/18274 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/18274#comments "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.]]> Fri, 12 Sep 2003 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/18646 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/18646 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/18646#comments Ex-Immortal drummer Horgh's new band Grimfist has posted a number of sample mp3s online here. The tracks all come from the forthcoming album "Ghouls of Grandeur", due out September 23 on Candlelight Records. Despite the terrible band name, they claim the music "masterfully blends the best of death, black metal and traditional thrash for a crushing wall of immense sound that will leave metal fans gasping and begging for more."

Go here for a bunch of pictures from the recent videoshoot for "First Day Of My Life" from The Rasmus.]]> Tue, 12 Aug 2003 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/18753 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/18753 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/18753#comments Ex-Immortal guitarist Abbath to join Dimmu Borgir? I guess the rumor has been floating around, but Dimmu guitarist Silenoz dismisses it saying, "No, that is totally wrong." He continues (from an interview with Swedish Metal):

"It is on the other hand true that he has participated as a guest vocalist in two songs on the album. But it is absolutely not anything more than that. He put down his vocals in the middle of April and that was a long time before their split up. That is by the way a high surprise for us and it is incredibly sad that they've chosen to quit. I don't understand why they're doing it but I'm sure that they have their reasons, and I fully respect that of course."

Upcoming Dimmu Borgir US tour dates w/Children of Bodom, Hypocrisy and Nevermore:

11/07 - Showplace Theater, Buffalo, NY
11/08 - Harpo's, Detroit, MI
11/09 - House Of Blue's, Chicago, IL
11/11 - Government, Toronto, ONT
11/12 - The Medley, Montreal, QUE
11/13 - Toad's Place, New Haven, CT
11/14 - Convention Hall, Asbury Park, NJ
11/15 - Trocadero, Philadelphia, PA
11/16 - Club Laga, Pittsburgh, PA
11/18 - Masquerade, Atlanta, GA
11/19 - Masquerade, Tampa, FL
11/21 - Engine Room, Houston, TX
11/22 - Deep Ellum Live, Dallas, TX
11/23 - Backroom, Austin, TX
11/25 - Bash On Ash, Tempe, AZ
11/26 - House Of Blues, Los Angeles, CA
11/28 - Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA
11/29 - Roseland Theater, Portland, OR
11/30 - Showbox, Seattle, WA
12/01 - Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, BC
12/03 - Bricks, Salt Lake City, UT
12/04 - Ogden Theater, Denver, CO
12/05 - Bottleneck, Lawrence, KS
12/06 - Pop's, St. Louis, MO
12/07 - The Quest, Minneapolis, MN
12/09 - The Rave, Milwaukee, WI
12/10 - Agora Theater, Cleveland, OH
12/11 - 9:30 Club, Washington, DC
12/13 - The Palladium, Worcester, MA
12/14 - Saratoga Winners, Albany, NY

Via Blabbermouth, comes this story concerning the Colorado-based Aircat Aerial Art dance group performing a piece entitled "Trycaliptica" which utilizes the music of Finnish heavy metal cello quartet Apocalyptica.

"'Trycaliptica' is a tale of transformation. It could be the tale of how aerial dancing was created by dancers trying to break the boundaries of the horizontal space, reaching for new, vertical challenges. Freed from the ground, the dancers explore the body's defiance of gravity."

They will perform the piece this coming Friday and Saturday at the Dairy Center for the Arts in Boulder, CO as part of the Frequent Flyers Productions' Aerial Dance Festival. More info: www.frequentflyers.org]]> Mon, 04 Aug 2003 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/18861 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/18861 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/18861#comments Okay, so the label was misinformed and it really is true that Immortal is breaking up. The label's message, straight from the Nuclear Blast website:

Well, sad news.. Although stated differently earlier as it seemed as if the band only wanted to take a long break, here’s the 100% official news, directly from the band and management:
"After 13 years and 7 albums we have decided to stop working with Immortal due to personal reasons. A great thanks to all our fans worldwide who helped us making Immortal superb through all this time.
Abbath, Demonaz, Horgh"

Those of you in the UK are probably already well aware, but singer/songwriter Magnet aka Even Johansen has been racking up quite a portfolio of gushing reviews. Check out this profile from MIC Norway.]]> Tue, 22 Jul 2003 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/18884 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/18884 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/18884#comments It seems that reports of Immortal's demise were premature. Their label is now saying that the split is not totally true and that "Immortal will simply take a long break, as the musicians need to rest a while after 12 months of excessive touring." As for the member's current plans, they say "both Abbath and Horgh will concentrate on their own projects. To start with, the debut album of Grimfist will probably be released in September on Candlelight Records, with Horgh on drums (along with ex-Immortal bassist Iscariah). So folks, don't worry, you know what 'Immortal' means."]]> Mon, 21 Jul 2003 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/18890 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/18890 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/18890#comments Immortal, one of black metal's most long-running and respected groups, has apparently called it quits. In a statement posted to the Scream Magazine forum the band stated "After 13 years and 7 albums we have decided to stop working with Immortal due to personal reasons. A great thanks to all our fans worldwide who helped us making Immortal superb through all this time." No word on the member's future plans, but I'll be sure to post details when I get them.]]> Fri, 18 Jul 2003 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/18910 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/18910 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/18910#comments Solefald reports on their website that they are in Iceland working on their next album. They say they already have most of it written and it's "more classic Black Metal 1993-ish style," but of course "unmistakeably like Solefald." They go further to add that they are trying to get back in touch with their Nordic viking roots via Iceland's famous barren landscapes, volcanoes, hot springs, sea, and viking history. Not to mention the classic sounds of Bathory, Darkthrone, Enslaved and Immortal they brought for inpiration. They even went to a viking festival where there were authentically dressed vikings, swordfights, arts and crafts and more. Read the full report.]]> Wed, 16 Jul 2003 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19133 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19133 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19133#comments Here's some information on the new "Autovision" CD single from CDOASS by way of Dolores Recordings. There will also be a 7" version with a remix of the title track on the b-side as part of the Dolores Singles Club.

Check out the video for "B.L.O.S.S.O.M.", the new track from Komeda right here.

The Barbarella garage/rock'n'roll festival is now set for August 27-28. Bands confirmed so far include Dixie Buzzards, Sons of Cyrus, and Finland's Flaming Sideburns.

Word on the street is that Parasol is currently in negotiations to release the upcoming Moonbabies album "The Orange Billboard" in the US. Details when they're confirmed.

The Haunted have their new website up and running.

Moneybrother has been added to the Roskilde lineup.

Speaking of Roskilde, any of you Swedes thinking of going might consider taking the train where they'll have even more bands playing on the way to the fest. Seriously. So far Como and Little Miss Swede are booked for the occasion. Read more: http://www.tuborg.se/roskilde/taget.html

Isolation Years have been confirmed for the Västrahamnsfesten/Woody West in Malmö on June 13 along with Woodrock in Bern, Switzerland on August 8.

Via Unioncarbideproductions.com comes word that the upcoming Hultsfred-fest single will indeed be released commercially in Sweden, but no dates have been revealed as of yet. View the cover art here. In related news, Björn Olsson made a few contradictory comments to P3 Musikjounalen about his participation in the upcoming reunion gig. Will he or won't see? No one's saying for sure. Go to the UCP site to read the translated transcript.

The first group of bands have been announced for the upcoming Uppsala Summer Hardcore Festival: Between Us, Regulations, Victims, The Jam Session, Bruce Banner, The 21st Impact, Labour, Second Thought, Rabid Grannies, and One Step Ahead. The event takes place June 23-24 at Ungdomens Hus. More info here: http://uahc.diskonto.org/festival/

Webzine Samson & Rourke has posted another slew of demo reviews, this time featuring the likes of Hospital, The Clarks Royale, and Autumn Swing. (in Swedish)

Abba has gone gold yet again in America, this time with the "20th Century Masters - The Best Of ABBA" collection.

Service Records reports that Franke will have a new single "Drunknandets Färg" from their album "Optimismens Hån" out sometime by the end of summer. They also say that The Embassy is currently working on a video as weather permits and Studio is uh, in the studio working on a new album. They also hint that they have signed some new acts, but no details have been revealed yet. I'll let you know.

DigitalMetal.com reviews "Trigger", the new EP from In Flames.

It's kinda silly, but here's a contest for the best photoshopped picture featuring someone from Immortal, found via Musique Machine.

Download the mp3 for the song "Dominate" from Project Hate's forthcoming album "Hate, Dominate, Congregate, Eliminate", due out in August from Threeman Recordings.

Via Blabbermouth, comes this amazing commercial for Coop Prix, a Norweigan food store. Why is it relevant? Well, that's Masterplan and ex-Yngwie frontman Jorn Lande.

Internet-only label Monotonik's latest release is "Oll Tolk'n' no Ding atcheev'd" from Ernesto Aeroflot aka Teemu Kiiskilä of Raahe, Finland. Their description:

Mr. Aeroflot is a mysterious fellow who's released on net.label Commie and a host of smaller labels under names/groups such as TranceYlvania, Sky Wide Jazz, Oodi & Elegia, High Grade Multi Purpose Intelligent Terminal (!), and more. This 10-track album showcases his unpredictable but riveting style excellently, as '80s bleep sounds and stuttering electro mix up with distorted unrest, sweeping electronica, and a wholly surprising bonus cut to create something truly different.

Read more and download from here: http://www.mono211.com/content/releases/mtkmp111.html

Thy Primordial has parted ways with vocalist Isidor due to "lack of interest and inspiration" and has already been replaced by Nicke Holstensson of Nominon. The band says "his voice are of course a bit different compared with Isidor's but fits the new material really well!" They are scheduled to go into Abyss Studios later this month to commence work on their sixth album "Pestilence Upon Mankind". Look for it late 2003 from Blackend Records.]]> Mon, 09 Jun 2003 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19164 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19164 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19164#comments The Caesars aka Caesars Palace have gotten themselves a write-up in the May issue of Kerrang:

Swedish people rock. And not just because of their shiny hair and nice teeth, but because they seem to possess an understated sense of style, intelligence and passion for all things rock. Mixing the pill-popping, proto-punk sounds of The Who with the grandiose LSD-tinged pop of Phil Spector, Caesars have been the centre of the Swedish renaissance since their formation in the mid-90s, watching some of their comrades-in-ties accidentally spearhead the garage-rock revival along the way.
"Anything which becomes 'cool' soon attracts crap bands and becomes passé, but that's okay because then things go back underground," ponders singer/guitarist Jocke Ahlund. "What would be bad is if people thought we'd formed a garage band two weeks ago when some of our songs on our new album are seven years old. And, um, we're not a garage band."
He's right, of course. Dipping into blissful West Coast psychedelia, Caesars' new album is light years beyond the scene that prompted Ahlund to form the band with childhood friend Cesar Vidal, inspired by a diet of Billy Childish and Sonic Youth. As is the way with many in the Swedish scene, Caesars (who go by the name Caesars Palace back home) aren't shy in helping out their like-minded brethren - The Hives cite them as major influences, Ahlund directed Refused's seminal "New noise" video and they've just toured the US with their buds The Soundtrack Of Our Lives.Twenty-five Swedes rolling into a new American town every day and taking over was funny," chuckles the singer. "It's hard not to party on tour. As Swedes we make sure we don't go anywhere without a little ass-pocket of vodka..."

They also got a favorable review in NME. Read it on the band's website. I tell ya - with the right promotion we'll definitely be hearing a lot more about these guys in the near future.

The Venue have updated their website with part II of the "Dude, where's my lighter" tour diary from their recent trip to the US.

Randy have been added to the lineup of the Download festival which takes place May 31 to June 1 in the UK at Donington Park. More info: www.downloadfestival.co.uk

Dolores Records has actually confirmed a release date of August 25 for a new Broder Daniel single. I'll believe it when I see it.

In other Dolores news, the label has signed the band Cdoass and will release a single for the song "Autovision" very soon. It's a rerecording of a song they've already released and the CD will include the tracks from their latest 7" too ("Airplanes" b/w "The Box"). And finally, Dolores will also put out a 12" version of the single through their singles club which will have a special remix of the title track as the flipside. Oh, and in case you're curious, the band is described as post-punk ala Gang of Four, Television and Talking heads.

And in even more Dolores news, the label has also revealed their latest single for the club will be "123 Bom Bom" from Love Is All featuring Josefin of the band Girlfrendo. More info including mp3s are available here.

Finnish psyche-rockers Circle will touring central Europe in June. Check it:

06/06 - Scheune, Dresden (DE)
06/07 - Fundus, Weingarten (DE)
06/08 - Reitschule, Bern (CH)
06/09 - Sue Ellen Bar, Zürich (CH)
06/11 - Raum 102, München (DE)
06/12 - Cafe Cairo, Würzburg (DE)
06/13 - Stubnitz, Rostock (DE)
06/14 - Silke, Hannover (DE)
06/15 - Magnet, Berlin (DE)
06/16 - Molotow, Hamburg (DE)

Interested in what the Moonbabies are up? Check out this studio report page. Included are pics from the studio along with the potential cover art design and more.

Kaospilot has finally secured a release date for their self-titled debut full-length on June 9 through Level-Plane Records.

Advance Patrol's new single "Min Musik" comes out in June. The b-side will be for the track "Området E På Plats" which features guest appearances from Lilleman and Helt Fjuttade. While you're at it, check out AP on tour in the near future:

05/07 - Stockholm
05/09 - Linköping
05/14 - Köpenhamn
05/31 - Stockholm
06/12 - Hultsfred
06/26 - Roskilde
07/05 - Tivolirocken in Kristianstad

Isolation Years, The Leeches, Nebos, Endivia, and The Heartattacks have all been added to the lineup of the Blow Up a Panda fest which takes place July 26-27 in Stockholm.

Abbath from Immortal guests on a couple tracks on the new Dimmu Borgir record. One of the songs on which he appears is called "Humanity Perverse" and it will also feature the Prague Orchestra String Section. Look for it in stores this September from Nuclear Blast.

Zyklon (ex-Emperor) has revealed the track listing to their upcoming album "Aeon", due out in September on Candlelight Records:

01. Psyklon Aeon
02. Core Solution
03. Two Thousand Years
04. No Names Above the Names
05. The Prophetic Method
06. Specimen Eruption
07. Electric Current
08. An Eclectic Manner

Zyklon and fellow Norweigans Myrkskog play the Cameron Underworld in London on June 6.

Here's the top 20 Swedish albums of the week, as reported by Aftonbladet:

01. v/a - Fame Factory volym 5
02. Glenmark Eriksson Strömstedt - Den andra skivan
03. The Cardigans - Long gone before daylight
04. Timbuktu - The botten is nådd!
05. Robert Wells - Rhapsody in rock the complete collection
06. Lisa Nilsson - Samlade sånger 1992-2003
07. Cornelis Vreeswijk - Cornelis Vreeswijks bästa
08. Jill Johnson - Discography
09. Lars Winnerbäck och Hovet - Söndermarken
10. Antique - Blue love
11. Siw Malmkvist - Siws bästa
12. Simson Dupont - Simson Dupont
13. Kent - Vapen & ammunition
14. Elin Sigvardsson - Saturday light naive
15. Lasse Tennander - Därifrånochhit sånger 1974-2003
16. Mauro Scocco - Beat hotel
17. v/a - Fame Factory volym 4
18. The Refreshments - On the rocks
19. The Sounds - Living in America
20. Roxette - The pop hits

It has been revealed that Cecilia Nordlund makes a guest appearance on the upcoming Her Majesty record which comes out on May 26. As mentioned yesterday, people who preorder the new album will receive an exclusive free pin with their purchase.

Moneybrother, Nasum, and The Hellacopters have been added to the Hultsfred fest lineup.

Nightwish has pushed back the release date of their upcoming "End of Innocence" DVD to July 7. No reason was given for the delay.]]> Thu, 08 May 2003 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19170 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19170 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19170#comments Another treat from the folks at Chalksounds today - this time we've got a live video from that Carpet People record release show. The song is called "Girl Without a Skin" and you can view it here.

In related news, Carpet People are also heading out on their very first tour in four years! The dates:

05/16 - Umeå, Kamenski w/Perishers
05/17 - Sandviken, Kungen w/EP's trailer park
05/18 - Stockholm, Kafe 44 w/Chloe
05/30 - Popaganda Festivalen

Happy Tom of Turbonegro posted a pretty funny indictment of the Norweigan press over at www.scandinavianleather.com today.

JR Ewing has posted some video footage of them playing the Ieper Festival in 2002.

David & the Citizens just put a new photo gallery up on their website.

Spiritual Beggars recently did a session for the BBC's Radio One 'Friday Rock Show' and recorded the tracks "Beneath The Skin", "Young Man, Old Soul", "Mantra" and "Not Fragile" (Bachman Turner Overdrive cover) for a possible future release. Read more.

Sweden's The Leslies has announced an upcoming split EP with Paper Moon of Canada. It's actually one of many new releases planned by Endearing Records for their 'International Pop Exchange' series that will pair two bands from different countries for each split.

Erlend Øye, Randy, Meshuggah, Looptroop, Cult of Luna and Immortal have all been confirmed for this year's Quart fest on July 5.

The Soundtrack of Our Lives have announced a couple new gigs around Sweden this summer:

06/06 - Gothenburg, Ostindienfararen
07/31-08/03 - Storsjöyran, Östersund
08/08 - Hamnfesten, Luleå
08/26 - Slussens pensionat, Gothenburg

Aftonbladet has posted Mando Diao's new video for the song "Sheepdog". You can also view some web-TV interviews with The Rasmus over at there, too. (in Swedish)

P3 reports that Per Gessles will be releasing his new solo album "Mazarin" this summer on June 16. The first single will be "Här kommer alla känslorna (på en och samma gång)".

Monastir is heading out on the road beginning in May:

05/01 - Göteborg
05/02 - Hässleholm
05/03 - Lidköping
05/17 - Gävle
06/06 - Uppsala
07/17 - Trästock, Skellefteå
07/18 - Rockawaybeach, Norberg
08/1-2 - Augustibuller, Lindesberg

This week's NME had this to say about Wired for Mono's show at Brixton Windmill:

...Wired For Mono are dirty drone rock boys in disguise and "A Harbour An Anchor" is the loudest thing NME has heard in a dog's age. The sheer volume is comparable to the avant-garde Noo York art attack of early Sonic Youth, while "Colin's Dream" is a disorientating Byrds-type psychedelic-raga freak-out. As brilliant debut single "Travel In Turns" gets twisted from an alt.country groover into a pilled-up Rolling Stones space drone, the vigilant audience takes careful steps backwards: it’s an apocalyptic soundclash between the Charlatans-type canyon-rock and the audio-roar of a 747 taking off. Amazing stuff."

They are playing May 1 at Helldorado in Nyköping with Caesars Palace. Check out a poster for the show here.]]> Wed, 30 Apr 2003 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19171 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19171 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19171#comments A grand total of 100 (!!!) new bands were confirmed for Roskilde Fest today. Some of the acts mentioned include The Cardigans, Christian Kjellvander, Immortal, The Hellacopters, TSOOL, Satirnine, Gåte, Turbonegro, The Sounds, Cato Salsa Experience and The Raveonettes and a plethora of Scandinavian hip-hop artists: Advance Patrol (SWE), Denmarks Finest (DK), Equicez (NOR), Loose Cannons (SWE), Mad Con (NOR), Organism 12 (SWE), Son Of Light (NOR), Static & Nat Ill (DK) and Suspekt (DK). Read more.

Did you miss Hardcore Superstar last night at Chalmers in Göteborg? Well, you can watch a video of the song "Honey Tongue" from that performance.

Lullacry has postponed the release of their new single "Alright Tonight" to May. No reason was given for the delay.

Norway's Gluecifer has announced a couple dates for this summer:

05/31 - Jæren, NOR
06/06 - Working Class Hero Festival, Drammen NOR
08/16 - Raumarock festival Åndalsnes NOR

The band also reiterated their plans to come back to the US, hopefully this coming fall. Their exact words from the website: "For our very patient fans in the US... we are R E A L L Y looking forward to coming back & playin' for y'all!!!!!"

New Line Records has finally launced a website which of course has info and downloads for label darlings The Sounds.

Misconduct has been confirmed for the Kaktus Festival which will take place at an airfield in Arboga on July 18-19. Other artists playing include The Venue, Peter, Björn and John, The Virtues and Charta 77.

Stockholm Records artists Thee Ultra Bimboos are doing a few dates around Scandinavia in May:

05/02 - Västerås, Rockstad Västerås (Culturen)
05/03 - Malmö, KB
05/04 - Oslo, So What
05/05 - Göteborg, Pusterviksbaren
05/07 - Hultsfred, Metropol
05/08 - Stockholm, Nalen

Motorpsycho is planning a Japanese tour for December, but there's no details yet. Their side-project The International Tussler Society will also be doing some shows around Norway in August such as the Øya festival in Oslo on August 7-9. There may be some dates in Europe, too. Stay tuned.

Silence Records has put up a streaming sample of "Happy Endings" from First Floor Power.

In other Silence-related news, Träd, Gräs & Stenar are heading over to England to two dates in England and Brighton on May 21 and 22 respectively. The full list of their upcoming dates:

05/21 - London, 291 Gallery w/No-Neck Blues Band
05/22 - Brighton w/No-Neck Blues Band
05/28 - Västerås, Taj Mahal
05/29 - Oslo, So What
07/19 - Möja (Stockholm archipelago)

Watch the video for "New Direction" from David & the Citizens.

Turbonegro has announced the addition of a new gig at the Garage in London on May 12. Here's what their upcoming European tour itinerary now looks like:

04/30 - Göteborg, Lisebergshallen
05/01 - Stockholm, Munchen Bryggeriet
05/02 - Malmö, KB
05/03 - Hamburg, Grosse Freiheit, DE w/Division of Laura Lee
05/04 - Hamburg, Grosse Freiheit, DE w/DoLL
05/06 - Amsterdam, Melkweg, NL w/DoLL
05/07 - London, Garage, UK w/DoLL
05/08 - Glasgow, King Tuts Wah Wah Hut, UK w/DoLL
05/09 - Manchester, Hope & Grape, UK w/DoLL
05/10 - Birmingham, Acedemy 2, UK w/DoLL
05/11 - Dublin, Whealans, IRL w/DoLL
05/12 - London, Garage, UK w/DoLL
05/13 - Paris, La Tranbendo, F w/DoLL
05/15 - Bergara, Sala Jam, E w/DoLL
05/16 - Madrid, Aqualung, E w/DoLL
05/17 - Barcelona, Apolo, E w/DoLL
05/19 - Milano, Transilvania, IT w/DoLL
05/20 - Zurich, Rote Fabriek, CH w/DoLL
05/21 - Stuttgart, Longhorn, DE w/DoLL
05/22 - Munchen, Elserhalle, DE w/DoLL
05/23 - Köln, E-werk, DE w/DoLL
05/24 - Bielefeld, PC 69, DE w/DoLL
05/25 - Berlin, Columbia halle, DE w/DoLL
05/27 - Stavanger, Siddishallen
05/28 - Bergen, Haukelandshallen
05/29 - Trondheim, Trondheim Spektrum/Nidarøhallen
05/31 - Oslo, Oslo Spektrum

Due to an undisclosed family emergency, Millencolin has been forced to cancel the remaining dates on the second leg of their US tour to return back home to Sweden.

MTVE.com has the new video for "You're the Storm" from The Cardigans.

If you didn't already see it listed, Robyn is doing some touring this summer:

06/28 - Gamleby, Folkets Park
07/05 - Sundsvall, Sundsvalls Gatufest
07/23 - Tylösand, Hot Tylösand
07/24 - Hudiksvall, Stadsfesten
07/25 - Gävle, Rocknatta
07/26 - Piteå, Piteå Dansar och Ler
08/02 - Östersund, Storsjöyran
08/10 - Göteborg, Liseberg
08/15 - Stockholm, Gröna Lund

Here's a MIC Norway profile on Sondre Lerche with links to a number of interviews such as the CNN one linked here yesterday. Among other things, it says that Lerche is featured on the cover of this month's Index Magazine and he is also currently in Bergen, Norway working on his new album with producer Jørgen Træen (aka Sir Duperman). Look for him on tour in the US in May with Nada Surf and Ed Hartcourt.

Also by way of MIC Norway come this article on the Music Export Norway showcase as South by Southwest in Austin last March. Featured bands included the aforementioned Sondre Lerche, Madrugada, Ralph Myerz & the Jack Herren Band, Cadillac, Span and We.

This is pretty amazing: Junior Senior - "Move Your Feet". Definitely not the sort of thing I'm normally into, but that video is just too awesome.

Did you know the last Saturday in May is 'Swedish Music Day'? Me neither.

The following acts have been confirmed for the Siesta fest in Hässleholm on May 30-31: The Ark, Marit Bergman, Dynamo Chapel, David & The Citizens, Christian Kjellvander, $1000 Playboys, Her Majesty, Whyte Seeds, Last Days Of April, Lotta Wenglén Band, Joddla med Siv, Pete Thompson, Loserville plus a number of yet-to-be-named demo bands.

Lars Winnerbäck, Mikael Wiehe and Wilmer X have all been added to the bill of the Piteå Dansar Och Ler fest.

Entombed-side project Project Hate has set "Hate, Dominate, Congregate, Eliminate" as the name of their new album. Look for it later this year from Entombed's own Threeman Recordings label.

Dimmu Borgir has lined up a couple dates in the Netherlands for October:

10/02 – Amsterdam, NETH @ Paradiso
10/03 – Tilburg, NETH @ 013

In other news, the band has reportedly spent the last few weeks at Studio Fredman recording a new album. No word on when to expect it.]]> Tue, 29 Apr 2003 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19172 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19172 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19172#comments In case you missed it, I had a guest review published on Dagensskiva on Saturday.

The Rasmus have now been confirmed for both the June Rock im Park and the June Rock am Ring fests in Germany on the 6th and 8th respectively.

Puffball has a new 7" coming out on Stereodrive! Records, the label of record store Green Hell Records in Münster. "Outlaw" is the a-side title track and "Hornet Rider" is the b-side along with a cover of Merle Haggard's "Momma Tried". And from Southspace webzine, here's a short interview with the band.

Via the band's webiste, here's a review of Logh from NME written by James Jam:

..."Every time..." is a record so fucking dull, so fucking uninspired, that nme finds itself looking for a chainsaw and pricing up cheap flights to Sweden. In the words of the high priest of rock'n'roll fun, Iggy Pop, seek out and destroy.

Logh's response? "James has been bought a planeticket to Sweden. we´re waiting anxiously." Brilliant. In other Logh news, the band reports they are finishing up work on the new video and should have it done next week.

The Norweigan paper VG recently published a long interview with Morten from A-ha. Here's a nice English synopsis plus a link to the article itself.

St. Thomas will be putting out a limited vinyl edition of "Hey Harmony" in mid-May. 300 copies, 180 gram vinyl. He'll have it for sale at the May 10 Rockefeller show in Oslo. He'll also be playing quite a few shows around Europe coming up soon, with more to be announced for June:

April 30 Ålesund - TBC
05/01 - TBA
05/02 - Trondheim Blæst
05/03 - TBA
05/07 - Molde, TBC
05/08 - Sogndal, Meieriet
05/09 - Hønefoss, Alfreds
05/10 - Oslo, Rockefeller
05/14 - Stavanger, Checkpoint Charlie
05/15 - Kristiansand, TBC
05/16 - TBA
05/17 - Skien, Brekkeparken
05/21-23 Sweden, TBA
05/24 - Hamburg, Echochamber im Phonodrom
05/25 - Berlin, Roter Salon
05/26 - Muchen, Club Zwei festival in Atomic
05/28 - TBA (Frankfurt or Koln)
05/29 - Roskilde Gimle Cafe
05/30 - Copenhagen, Loppen
05/31 - Århus, Spot festival
07/18 - Feierwerk Festival, Munich August 8 or 9 Øyafestivalen

Here's some pictures from Randy's show at Groez Rock in Belgium on April 26.

Johan Bergqvist along with Crying Bob Records is putting together a new festival tour called Bobbyfest. The established goal of the tour is to "give you the best independent music there is, for a good price." Sounds good to me. The line-up is Leftlane, The Virtues, Johan Bergqvist, Moody Alan, and Moll Flanders and so far there's just two dates set for May with more set to come in the fall. Details as of now:

05/03 - Mondo, Stockholm
05/17 - Diezel, Halmstad

A day in the life with The Ark: http://www.thearkworld.com/day.htm

It's about friggin' time. Startracks in association with Simba Records has put out a Kristofer Åström & Hidden Truck compilation in America called "Plastered Confessions". Five songs from the previous albums, plus a Steve Earle cover. Better than nothing, I guess. More info here or here.

Green Carnation's upcoming album will be called "A Blessing In Disguise" and it comes out June 16 in the UK, June 17 in the US from Seasons of Mist. In case you were wondering, Green Carnation features various members of In the Woods along with Tchort who did time in Emperor.

Burnitblue.com reviews Jaga Jazzist - "The Stix". It's been out for awhile in the band's home country of Norway, but comes out May 6 in the UK.

DigitalMetal.com reviews Opeth's new album "Damnation".

Sweden's Centinex has announced they will enlist the help of Per Gustafson from Cult of Luna to do the artwork on their new CD "Decadence - Prophecies Of Cosmic Chaos". Timo "The Eyeless" Ketola will handle the layout. Recording begins June 23 at Black Lounge Studios and they expect to have it sometime in October on Candlelight Records.

NRK has finally made Immortal's performance from the Inferno festival available for viewing: http://nrk.no/magasin/upunkt/musikk/inferno_2003/2713354.html

Sweden's buzz-band of the moment Radio Dept. release their debut 7" for "Liebling" b/w "We Would Fall Against The Tide" in the UK today on Rex Records. They'll also be playing their first shows over in London this weekend:

05/02 - The Spitz, 109 Commercial Street, Old Spitalfields Market, E1. w/Apples In Stereo and The Loves
05/03 - The Arts Cafe, 28 Commercial Street, E1., w/Kicker and Sportique

Norway's Sondre Lerche got himself a short feature interview on CNN: 'Sondre Lerche: Sunny sounds from Norway'

Mattias Alkberg of Bear Quartet is working on a solo project called "Begravning" and you can download a sample here.

Here's the winners of this year's Swedish Hip-Hop awards:

Best Album: Looptroop - The Struggle Contuines
Best Song: The Narcissists - Fanatik R.I.P.
Best MC: Timbuktu
Best Producer: Embee
Best Vinyl Release: Highwon - Beats, Rim & Gendish
Best DJ: Confuze
Best Download: Snook - Mognare Än Oss
Best Newcomer/Demo/Self-Released: Frotté - Den Stora Daldansen
Hip-Hop Culture Award: Aerosol/Graffiti: Unik
Hip-Hop Culture Award: B-boy: Hammer Hill B Boys
Crossfade Video Award: Ison and Fille - Fakka Ur
Lifetime Achievement Award: Ken

And speaking of Swedish hip-hop, the latest edition of Sounds Norway (SoNo) is a special on the subject: "everything you need to know about it; and meet a couple of old-timers who think hiphop is the perfect way to air all their grumbles." Check it out.

Some of the new bands confirmed for Avrika fest: Gåte, Kaizers Orchestra, Ralph Myerz & the Jack Herren Band, Shout Out Louds, Paris, JmyHaze Beatbox, Homy, Ricochets, Sparks of Seven, Peter Dolving Band, Thulsa Doom, JR Ewing, Alice in Videoland, Totalt Jävla Mörker and Slagsmålsklubben.

Sunride has confirmed their upcoming tourdates in support of their new album "Through the Red", out May 19 on People Like You Records:

05/01 - 45 Special, Oulu, Finland
05/03 - Pub Bastun, Mariehamn, Åland w/Endstand
05/08 - Klubi, Tampere, Finland w/Dozer
05/09 - Stella Star, Helsinki, Finland w/Dozer
05/10 - Lutakko, Jyväskylä, Finland w/Dozer
05/14 - Kino, Pori, Finland
05/16 - Bar 15, Seinäjoki, Finland
05/17 - Torvi, Lahti, Finland
05/24 - Mikrokosmos, Magdeburg, Germany
05/25 - Knaack, Berlin, Germany
05/26 - Rosenkeller, Jena, Germany
05/27 - Paradox, Ingolstadt, Germany
05/28 - 013, Tilburg, The Netherland

Cult of Luna reports that they have a new drummer - Thomas from The Perishers. I can't confirm it for sure, but my assumption is that Marco Hildén has accepted a permanent position with Logh and moved on. In case you didn't know, Marco has been filling in for them since their drummer Kristofer left recently mid-tour. As reported earlier, Cult of Luna just recently completed work on a new video and is now putting together plans for a full European tour this fall. Details when I get 'em.

It's not exactly new, but here's some pictures and captions from the Avanto '02 fest with Pan Sonic, Erkki Kurenniemi and more.

Burning Heart won't release the new Lost Patrol album until June 2, but you can download a preview mp3 now: Lost Patrol - "Going Going Gone"]]> Mon, 28 Apr 2003 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19174 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19174 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19174#comments Carnal Forge has announced that they have extended their contract with Centry Media for another two albums. Look for 'em on tour in America with the 2003 Metal Gods featuring Halford, Testament, Immortal, Primal Fear and Behemoth.

MTV Up North has moved to Thursdays with a new, extended format. Here's this week's chart:

01. HIM - Funeral of hearts
02. The Sounds - Rock n´ Roll
03. Mew - Comforting Sounds
04. The Rasmus - In The Shadows
05. A-Teens - Perfect Match
06. Kwan - Shine
07. Kashmir - Surfing The Warm Industry
08. Dub Sweden - Walk Me Home
09. Kari - Exile
10. Surferosa - Neon Commando
11. Paola - Interstellar Love
12. Moon Gringo - Buzz Aldrin
13. Melody Club - Cover Girl
14. Whyte Seeds - Slow motions
15. Pauline - Runnin´ Out Of Gaz
16. Bertine Zetlitz - Girl Like You
17. Jennifer Brown - Weak
18. The Cardigans - For What It´s Worth
19. Equicez - Live From Pass It
20. Thomas Rusiak - Unicorn
Challengers:
01. Empire Dogs - The Dogs
02. Timbuktu - Ett Brev
03. Nik & Jay - Elsker Hende Mere
04. The Knife - You Take My Breath Away
05. Jamie Meyer - Good Girl

Go to the MTVE.com site to watch and vote for your favorite.

Besides appearing on MTV Morning Glory back home in Sweden this weekend, The Sounds also have reviews published in US mags Billboard and Alternative Press. I'll try and track 'em down if I can.

Misconduct's video for their cover of Bob Marley's "Iron Lion Zion" will premiere on CTV's new program 'Nöjesnytt' on April 29. Singer Fredrik Olsson and bassist Andreas Wall will be on the show, too.

Here's the top 20 Swedish albums of the week, as reported by Aftonbladet:

01. The Cardigans - Long gone before daylight
02. Glenmark Eriksson Strömstedt - Den andra skivan
03. Jill Johnson - Discography
04. Lisa Nilsson - Samlade sånger 1992-2003
05. Cornelis Vreeswijk - Cornelis Vreeswijks bästa
06. Lars Winnerbäck och Hovet - Söndermarken
07. v/a - Fame Factory volym 4
08. Mauro Scocco - Beat hotel
09. Elin Sigvardsson - Saturday light naive
10. The Refreshments - On the rocks
11. Roxette - The pop hits
12. Kent - Vapen & ammunition
13. Siw Malmkvist - Siws bästa
14. The Knife - Deep Cuts
15. Fireside - Get shot
16. Buddaboys - Lost people areas
17. Fernandoz - Vem får din kärlek i natt
18. Dilba - Revolution
19. Emil Sigfridsson - Tillbaka till igår
20. The Sounds - Living in America

The Shout Out Louds are hard at work on their upcoming debut full-length which is now scheduled to come out September 29. They also have a new single coming out in May for the track "Hurry Up Let's Go" which will include an unreleased song as a b-side. And that's not all - they're even fitting in some touring:

4/25 - Borlänge, Klubb Desired
4/26 - Lund, Klubb Blender
5/7 - Oslo, So What
5/23 - Umeå Studion, Folkets Hus
5/28 - Örebro, Kåren
5/30 - Uppsala, Stones-festivalen
5/30 - Stockholm, Popaganda
5/31 - Linköping, Rocksensation, Herrgårn
5/31 - Kalmar, Skälby
6/6 - Göteborg, Pustervik w/Marit Bergman

This week's Swedish college radio chart (from Dagensskiva):

01. (NY) Bad Cash Quartet "Dirty Days" 02. (01) Fireside "All You Had" 03. (02) The White Stripes "7 Nation Army" 04. (11) Randy "A Man in a Uniform" 05. (NY) Miss Universum "Fertilize" 06. (07) Florence Valentin "Allt dom bygger upp ska vi meja ner" 07. (NY) The Raveonettes "Beat City" 08. (03) Her Majesty "F.U.N.E.R.A.L." 09. (NY) Queens of the Stone Age "Go with the Flow" 10. (04) The Dandy Warhols "We Used to be Friends"

11. (05) The Knife "You Take My Breath Away" 12. (NY) Zwan "Lyric" 13. (08) Hot Hot Heat "Bandages" 14. (10) Floetry "Floetic" 15. (09) Timbuktu "Ett brev" 16. (13) Turbonegro "F**k the World (F.T.W.)" 17. (18) Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks "Dark Wave" 18. (NY) Audio Bullys "The Things" 19. (NY) Anthony B "God Above Everything" 20. (15) The Coral "Don't Think You're The First"

Leaving the chart:
(06) Jurassic 5 Ft. Mya "Thin Line"
(12) Asian Dub Foundation Ft. Sinead O'Connor "1000 Mirrors"
(14) Sean Paul "Get Busy"
(16) Blur "Out of Time"
(17) Outlandish "Guantanamo"
(19) First Floor Power "Happy Endings"
(20) The Concretes "You Can't Hurry Love"

'Against All Evens' is the name of the upcoming Second Gothenburg Biennale to take place May 24 - August 24 at Gothenburg Konsthallen. The event is being billed as "a resistance against all that which is vapid, indifferent and toothless" and will be curated by artist/musician Carl Michael Von Hauswolff. 27 concerts are scheduled to take place including performances by Tommi Grönlund (Sähkö Rec.) with Petteri Nisunen (FIN), John Duncan, Kim Gordon, Russell Haswell, Florian Hecker, Phill Niblock, Pita, Franz Pomassl and more. More info here.

Get a preview of the new Hell n' Diesel single in RealAudio format: "Tears for the Wicked" / "Rebel" / "Speed Devil"
Preorders are already being taken over at the Shuffle Records website.

Live4Metal is reporting that Enslaved was forced to cancel their show at The Garage in London tonight as the promotor seems to have bungled the job. Their statement:

Only about 65 advance tickets were sold and the promoters could not afford to pay the deposit to bring Enslaved over from Norway and have pulled the gig. Live4Metal were happy to be official sponsors of the event, but we have not even had any official notice from them and are as mystified as the support bands, anybody who bought a ticket and no doubt Enslaved themselves. All I can say is that there is a lesson to be learnt here and budding promoters should most definitely learn to walk before they try to run. Being as we are fair, we are willing to listen to the promoters' side of the story... but we are yet to hear from them.

A little bird has informed me that the new C.Aarmé 4-song 7" and The New Mess 3-song gatefold EP are now done and ready for ordering from Deleted Art.]]> Thu, 24 Apr 2003 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19175 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19175 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19175#comments In my continuing quest to open your ears to new music, there's some new mp3s on the right. First is Jaga Jazzist with the title track from their upcoming US debut "Animal Chin". They do a combination of jazz with electronic elements that's actually really, really cool. Normally I wouldn't expect myself to get into something like that, but they're really good. Next is three tracks from The Haunted's performance at Popstad. If you're into metal, you should already know these guys. Ex-At The Gates/Seance, total Slayer-worship. Can't go wrong with that.

Dagensskiva reports that Kamera had a bunch of gear stolen along with Ed Hartcourt's favorite leather jacket from their show at KB in Malm�. Among the missing instruments are a Mexican-made Strat, an Ibanez SG-style guitar and an Ibanez SG-style bass. Read more.

Hell On Wheels have announced that "It's Wrong Being a Boy" will be their new single out on May 8. They'll be shooting a video for the track this evening around the rural suburbs of Stockholm.

Elisa TV has posted V�rttin�'s video for "Tuulen Tunto" (To Feel the Wind) for viewing: RealMedia 1 / RealMedia 2 / Windows
It was filmed on February 28 at Aleksanterin Teatteri by Deco Media for the Finnish TV program 'Levyraati'.

Mattias Alkberg of Bear Quartet is the recipient of the Arnold R�rlings-scholarship. Read more.

Transworld Skateboarding Magazine of all places has reviewed David & the Citizens "For All Happy Endings":

Who�s got "Swedish fever"? It's time to retire your Abba records-guilt free! David & The Citizens are the best thing to come from Sweden since the bikini team. They have a unique, unclassifiable sound that's been compared to Beck, the Rolling Stones, and Belle And Sebastian. Regardless of that, it�ll make you wanna pick up your accordion and start dancing. With catchy song titles like "Now She Sleeps in a Box in the Good Soil of Denmark," how could you go wrong? Definitely a must-buy.
- J.T. Kitzmiller

NRK has posted a plethora of pictures from the Inferno Festival in Norway. Immortal, Red Harvest and Opeth are just three of the bands featured. On-demand video footage coming soon, too.

The Knife will be doing the soundtrack for Christina Olofson's upcoming film "Hannah med H" ('Hannah with an H'). The full CD will include some 30-odd tracks and should be out sometime in fall. The move premieres on December 12.

From Sam Roberts' homepage on opening for TSOOL on a few dates around the US:

Our tour with The Soundtrack of Our Lives has also sadly come to an end. They were the model of Swedish hospitality from beginning to end, and we'd like to thank the band and crew for taking such good care of a bunch of Canuck drunks.
There wasn't a single show where they didn't blow our minds- they might just be the best live band in the world. Another thing we learned about our Scandinavian brethren is that they know how to party, and we have been on a strict regimen of vitamins and lentil soup since our return.
Adios for now you crazy bastards...

For an entirely different take than Pitchfork on Turbonegro's new album, read this review from Dagensskiva. (in Swedish)

Miss Universum's (Doktor Kosmos) debut album "Selfelected" comes out May 16. Uje Brandelius helped with the songwriting and Jens Lindg�rd produced. The first single "Fertilize" comes out April 25.

P3 reports that when the Dalai Lama comes to Sweden on June 3 the following artists will be playing: Thomas Dileva, Lisa Ekdahl, Anders Widmark, Sara Isaksson, and Chime Arkhang. Tomas Ledin will host.

Looptroop, Mikael Wiehe, Bob Hansson, Kajsa Grytt and Stefan Sundstr�m are all scheduled to play a big free concert at Mondo in Stockholm on May 11 in a show of solidarity and support for everyone convicted at the EU summit riots in G�teborg back in 2001.

Some new acts confirmed for Hultsfred: Randy, Ursula Rucker, Stefan Sundstr�m, Strebers, Isolation Years, Paola, Kajsa Grytt, Johan Bergqvist and Advance Patrol.

Some of the names for the upcoming Koneisto fest in Finland seem to have been leaked. Here's what I've heard so far: Miss Kittin, T.Raumschmiere, Erlend Oye, Uusi Fantasia, Ed Rush, Ralph Myerz & Jack Herren Band, Gilles Peterson, London Elektricity, Kuusumun Profeetta, Imatran Voima, Youngsters, Didier Sound Spectrum, Datarock, Kaptein Kaliber, and Seb Fontaine. The electronic music event takes place in Helsinki 7/25-7/27.

Here's an e-card for Oslo's Bertine Zetlizt. It includes a short English bio along with 3 song samples and a video.]]> Wed, 23 Apr 2003 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19230 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19230 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19230#comments May be worth a look: The 2002 Village Voice Pazz & Jop Poll. Top ranked albums from Scandinavian acts include The Hives (21), The Soundtrack of Our Lives (38), Röyksopp (82), Sondre Lerche (94), Sahara Hotnights (154), Division of Laura Lee (158), and even Immortal (225). I probably missed a few, too. The included article 'Party in Hard Times' also makes mention of the recent success of Swedish rock in the US and might be of some interest.

The Soundtrack of Our Lives will be appearing on the Jay Leno Show on Wednesday, February 19.

Supersilent and Arve Henriksen are touring the UK in May. The dates:

5/22 - Exeter, UK
5/23 - Bath, UK
5/24 - Belfast, Ireland
5/25 - Salisbury, UK
5/26 - Birmingham, UK
5/27 - Liverpool, UK
5/28 - London UK

Hammerfall will be heading to Japan in March with Nocturnal Rites.

The next Melody Club single will be for the song "Covergirl". It comes out on March 24.

The recording of the new album has now taken its first steps towards the end. This time, to make it all even better, they have added new angles and approach to it all which will make the last album look pale compared to this one! DZO are creating a monster and they do not know if it will guide them or kill them. To be continued...

That's Dimension Zero describing the recording progress on the new album "This is Hell".

Turbonegro has finalized the track listing for their new album "Scandinavian Leather":

01. Intro: The Blizzard Of Flames
02. Wipe It Till It Bleeds
03. Gimme Some
04. Turbonegro Must Be Destroyed
05. Sell Your Body (To The Night)
06. Remain Untamed
07. Train Of Flesh
08. Fuck The World
09. Locked Down
10. I Want It All
11. D.I.B. (Drenched In Blood)
12. Le Saboteur
13. Ride With Us

Look for it on April 28 from Burning Heart Records.

There will be another five bands added to those Swedish showcase shows that I posted about yesterday. I'll let you know who they are as soon as I can.

Drummer Jensa Paulsson has left Grave, citing work and family issues. He will be replaced by Cristofer Barkensjö of Kassmos who the band says "is an excellent drummer and has been a friend of ours for a long time... we are very happy to welcome him in the band."

This week's MTV Up North Nordic video chart:

01. The Rasmus - In The Shadows
02. Acorn - One Day
03. Jon - Right Here Next To You
04. User - You Belong
05. The Spitts - That´s my girl
06. Last Days Of April - All Will Break
07. Christian - Min Fremtid
08. The Lungz - It´s Alright
09. Caesars Palace - Candy Kane

Challengers:
01. Trucker - I Feel So Sick
02. Paperboys - Find My Way
03. The Raveonettes - Attack Of The Ghostriders
04. The Cardigans - For What It´s Worth
05. Beats & Styles - Smilin´

Go to the MTVE.com site to watch and vote for your faves.]]> Tue, 11 Feb 2003 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19257 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19257 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19257#comments The archive is being updated. Done. I'm also still waiting for a mailorder shipment of new CDs before I update the playlist. Patience, my friends. I may however have some live mp3s from The Ark coming soon. We shall see...

A new Fireside mp3 for the track "Throw It Away" will be available next Monday from Startracks! The album isn't coming out till April.

Finland's HIM recently spent some time shooting the video for "Funeral of Hearts" with director Stefan Lindfors. Check out some pics from the shoot here.

Dungen will be on P3 Live January 20. You can listen online over at the P3 website.

Poet Bob Hansson has a spoken word album called "Kör Solen Kör" coming out January 27. Guests on the record include Ola Salo (The Ark) and Thåström. The first single will be "En Helt Vanlig Dag" featuring Ola.

Caesars Palace is finally gonna make it over to England, this time with Echoboy. If you remember, their December tour with (International) Noise Conspiracy was cancelled. Anyhow, The Caesars (as they're known outside Sweden) have an EP single for the song "Jerk It Out" coming out February 24, the follow-up to "(I´m Gonna) Kick You Out" which is already out. The album "Love For The Streets" comes out May 19 over there. As I've said before - watch out for this band. I expect big things. And I'm not the only one either - read this profile from Britain's Q Magazine. Here's the dates:

January 13 The Barfly, Camden
January 15 The Old Firestation, Bournemouth
January 18 The Junction, Cambridge
January 22 The Boston Arms, London
January 22 Arts Centre, Colchester
January 23 Casbah, Sheffield
January 24 Sumo, Leicester
January 26 The Barfly, Liverpool
January 27 King Tuts, Glasgow
January 28 The Cockpit, Leeds

Also on Q's 2003 bands to watch list is The Hellacopters. Read what they have to say here.

Eggstone will be the backing band and production talent on the new solo album from Weeping Willows frontman Magnus Carlsson. It will be his second attempt at going at it alone following his debut "Allt är Bara Du Du Du" from 2001.

Curious about Swedish jazz? Read this interesting article/interview concerning the recent activities of the Norrbotten Big Band.

The Cardigans will premiere a new song entitled "For What It's Worth" at the upcoming Rockbjörnen Awards on January 27. The show will be broadcasted on Swedish television and will also feature 'comeback' performances from Thomas Rusiak and Dilba along with contemporaries In Flames, Håkan Hellström, The Sounds, Mando Diao and Melody Club.

In Flames will be touring the US beginning in late March. Dates soon.

Be sure to check out 'Rock Over Sweden' today on Rocket 95.3 FM Stockholm. Listen here live or go here for more info. The program starts at 5pm local time. Or maybe not - the show is every other Monday, but it seems like today's scheduled broadcast ain't gonna happen. Next week?

Now scheduled to play the January 18 date of the Inferno Fest in Oslo is a one-off performace by a cover band made up of members from Dimmu Borgir, Red Harvest, The Kovenant, Blood Red Throne, Mayhem, and Susperia. They will reportedly run through various songs from much-respected metal artists such as Death, Black Sabbath, Slayer, and Anthrax and the whole thing is to be recorded for a possible future release on Edgerunner Records. Other bands scheduled to play the fest include Immortal, Children of Bodom and Taake.]]> Mon, 13 Jan 2003 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19262 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19262 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19262#comments Dismember bassist Richard Cabeza recently got married in Las Vegas to a woman he met while on tour with Dark Funeral. The name of the lucky bride and the time of the wedding are unknown, but you can view the proceedings for yourself in its full, Vegas-style glory.

Jean-Pierre De Sade has decided to leave Notre Dame right in the middle of recording their new album. Some of his tracks will remain, but the rest of the guitars will be covered by ND's multitalented mainman Snowy Shaw. Of course, this also means the band now has an opening. If you feel like you've got what it takes, send your pic, bio and demo to:

S.O.S management
gamla tuvevägen 16
417 05 gothenburg
Sweden

The Soundtrack of Our Lives are nominated for a U.S. Grammy! The album "Behind the Music" got the nod in the 'Best Alternative Music Album' category. See the rest of the list here.

Here's some of the nominees for the Spellemannsprisen, the Norweigan version of the Grammies. Read the full list here. Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on February 22.

Rock
AI Phoenix - "Lean That Way Forever"
Gluecifer - "Basement Apes"
JR Ewing - "Ride Paranoia"
Madrugada - "Grit"
Vidar Vang - "Rodeo"

Metal
Immortal - "Sons Of Northern Darkness"
Red Harvest - "Sick Transit Gloria Mundi"
Satyricon - "Volcano"

Pop
Dadafon - "Visitor"
Ephemera - "Balloons And Champagne"
Minor Majority - "If I Told You, You Were Beautiful"
Popium - "Permanently High"
The Margarets - "What Kept You?"

Electronica
Biosphere - "Shenzhou"
Kim Hiorthøy - "Melke"
Salvatore - "Tempo"

Open Class
Mari Boine - "Eight Seasons"
Sidsel Endresen and Bugge Wesseltoft - "Out Here, In There"
Jaga Jazzist - "The Stix"
Nils Petter Molvær - "nP3"
Ulver - "Lyckantropen Themes"

Song:
"Forever Not Yours" - a-ha
"Mysteriet Deg" - Bjørn Eidsvåg
"My Lullaby" - Maria Mena
"Barcelona" - Paperboys
"Remind Me" - Röyksopp

Black metal-turned goth-electronica act Kovenant has their new album "S.E.T.I" (The Search For Extraterestial Intelligence) coming out in Europe March 31 on Nuclear Blast Records.

Northside Records reports that Mari Boine and Frifot will both have new records coming out soon in the new year.]]> Tue, 07 Jan 2003 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19283 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19283 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19283#comments Oh man, Mikkey Dee from Motörhead pulls no punches! Read what he has to say about Hammerfall:

Look at a band like Hammerfall and shit. They're going through the roof. When kids come up to me and say "Iron Maiden, they're almost as good as Hammerfall," there's something wrong, you know? I saw two kids with Iron Maiden-shirts, in Stockholm when me and Lemmy were there doing press, and I was sitting in the lobby waiting to get to the airport and I saw two eleven-year-olds with Iron Maiden t-shirts and I said, "Yeah, that's a great band you've got there" and they said, "Yeah, they're almost as good as Hammerfall, they sound exactly the same."

Then you realize there's something wrong here, you know. It's not a shit band, but it's incredible that they can hit the way they did. Anders is a great friend, and I hope to see Jens tonight. Someone told me that the Stratovarius guys are here. And the bass player, Magnus, he was the first bass player in Geisha. I fired his ass. He's an old friend since 25 years ago. So I'm glad for Magnus, and I'm glad for Anders. And Stefan is a good guy, the bald guitar player, he's good, but Joacim and Oscar, they can suck my cock. Because they really think they're god's gift to the planet, and I used to say don't shit on the ladder because you're going to climb on it on the way back. They pissed me off too much, let's say two years ago, by being rock stars. I've done this now for 22 years, around the world, and I'm no fucking rock star, I'm a normal guy, and I have a million friends around the world. They did a couple of fucking club shows and they were being the biggest rock stars you've ever seen in Gothenburg. It pissed me off because they were treating me almost the same way, and I said you should kiss my ass instead of throwing me out of the dressing room, you know? So I was pissed off. And Anders and Magnus, they had a long talk with Joacim and Oscar and said "Mikkey is really fucking pissed." So Oscar called me and he apologized and says he was so scared every time I showed up anywhere, and I said, "Oh, I'm not going to beat you up but you're still a fucking asshole." So they're like that when they see me. But I don't agree with that; I have a problem to see these fucking guys when they play one year then they're bigger than Mick Jagger. And the way they became big is by ripping off Helloween, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, even King Diamond stuff. I hear a complete rip off of some harmonies that are complete King Diamond stuff... And Helloween. And Accept. So, I mean, good luck to them, because I'm glad Magnus finally has a band, because he lived in an apartment of 27 square metres, for almost 20 years. He never had any money, he always played bass, he always stuck to his hard rock, and then he got a chance. I remember him calling me and saying, "Mikkey, I'm playing with a band called Hammerfall soon and we're going to do a tour," and I go, "Fucking great for you, Magnus." And then when Anders came into the band, he's a great drummer, that other guy was a fucking joke. So I'm happy for them. But I just can't agree on this rock star image, especially Oscar.

Read the rest of the interview with Metal Rules here. He actually talks a bit about the Scandinavian hard rock scene and dishes some dirt on W.A.S.P. and King Diamond, too.

The nominees for Norway's Alarm Awards have been announced. A sampling of the categories:

Pop: Jim Stärk, Monopot, Loch Ness Mouse, Hello Goodbye, and Thomas Dybdahl
Rock: We, JR Ewing, Gluecifer, Madrugada, and Gåte
Metal: Satyricon, Immortal, Red Harvest, Khold, and Arcturus
Live: Turbonegro, Jaga Jazzist, Gatas Parlament, JR Ewing, and Ralph Meyers & the Jack Herren Band

The Moonbabies report that they are now 3/4 of the way through recording their new album. It's scheduled for a March release on Chalksound in Europe and A Bouncing Space Recordings in the US. Here's a bit of what they had to say about it:

The new album sounds (at this point) like a hybrid between the more melodic parts of "June and Novas" and something totally colorful, new and unexplored. I definitely think we'll break some new ground with it. We started with a lot of songs and are on our way to narrowing down to twelve, or thirteen tracks. Funnily enough right now, we are working on an album of songs with no names. Unimaginary working titles like "apples" and "fear" are what we call the songs until they get finished lyrics and a real name, and it has been really hard to come up with the right titles for the this album. The best one's so far I think are "Bang goes another day" and "Fieldtrip U.S.A"... those I am proud of.

The band also finished their first ever video for the song "Over My Head". Filmed by the Swedish production company Colony and shot in Malmö, you can view it right here. (Requires Quicktime)

TSOOL is now confirmed to be entering the studio in January to work on their next record. Of course, you should have already suspected as such, but now we've got an official statement. As for their upcoming appearance on Late Night with David Letterman, frontman Ebbott had this to say:

"Being on the show will hopefully make a breakthrough easier, but you never know what effect these things have. But it's great fun!"

A Saturday Night Live appearance is apparently in the works, too. Pretty exciting!

Check out some new tunes in Real Audio from the folks at Promopop: By Heart - Catchy Music / The Leeches - World's End

Win some exclusive Motorpsycho stuff from NRK Stereo. (In Norweigan)

Recording of the new Entombed record is already beginning to wrap up. Expect a March release on Music for Nations.

Even more Entombed related news:

The band's Threeman Recording label is actually starting to get down to business. Entombed-side projects Murder Squad and The Project Hate MCMXCIX will be the first releases. There's also plans to do vinyl versions of the albums "Uprising" and "Morning Star".

Project Hate has parted ways with vocalist Mia Ståhl. That means they're looking for replacement female singer. Check their website for more details.

Washoe has apparently changed their name to Alpha Safari.

Uffe's old band Haystack has plans to do a one-off reunion gig in the near future. No date yet, but here's the band's lineup: Uffe - Guitar, vocals; Johan (Backyard Babies) - Bass; Jonas (The Maggots) - drums]]> Fri, 06 Dec 2002 00:00:00 -0800 news