IT'S A TRAP! Scandinavian Music Journal

SWNK talks to Swarm

Tue, 29 May 2012 21:37:00 -0700

Some Will Never Know interviews all-star gubbe-rock act Swarm, the new band with members from Disfear and Victims and a new 7" on De:Nihil Records: http://www.swnk.org/interviews/swarm/

De:Nihil to release new 7" from Swarm

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

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

Christian Mistress on tour

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 11:42:25 -0700

I know it's mostly off-topic, but I don't care: my friends Christian Mistress are heading across the Atlantic for their first-ever European tour and you should go see them because, not only are they one of the finest Heavy Metal bands going today, but they are also a stellar live act and excellent human beings. Buy their records and buy them drinks! And to add a bit of IAT relevance, they'll be replacing Victims on tour with Tormented and Black Breath from April 21 onward. Check it:

04/06 - L'Orient (Tre Dagar av Metal och Hårdrock), Linköping (SWE) w/Bombus
04/07 - Metaal Paaskabaal, Tongeren (BEL) w/Paul Di'anno, Hammers of Misfortune
04/09 - TRIX Centrum voor Muziek, Antwerpen (BEL), w/Absu
04/11 - Dystopia, Den Haag (NL) w/Saviours, Danava
04/12 - Roadburn Festival (Stage 1), Tilburg (NL)
04/13 - The Wheelbarrow (Free Show/Friday the 13th Party), Camden (UK)
04/15 - Minsters Bar, Stoke on Trent (UK)
04/16 - Moho Live, Manchester (UK)^
04/18 - Underworld, London (UK)^
04/19 - Doornroosje, Nijmegen (NL)^
04/20 - Asteriks, Leeuwarden (NL)^
04/21 - Fetsaal Kreuzberg, Berlin (GER)*
04/22 - FZW, Dortmund (GER)*
04/24 - Ajz Chemnitz, Chemnitz (GER)*
04/25 - Arena, Vienna, (AUS)*
04/26 - Etnoblog, Trieste (ITA)*
04/27 - Lo-Fi, Milan (ITA)*
04/28 - Jungendhous Wangen, Wangen (GER)*
04/29 - Lakei, Helmond (NL)*

^ w/Red Fang, Black Tusk
* w/Black Breath, Tormented

Tormented, Victims to tour with Black Breath

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:47:29 -0800

Local (to me) metal/punk act Black Breath will be taking Swedes Tormented and Victims on tour in Europe:

03/29 - Baroeg, Rotterdam (NL)
03/30 - Trix Bar, Antwerp (BEL)
03/31 - De Kreun, Kortrijk (BEL)
04/02 - The Underworld, London (UK)
04/03 - Islington Mill, Manchester (UK)
04/04 - Club For Ibach, Cardiff (UK)
04/08 - Caracol, Madrid (ESP)
04/10 - La Dynamo, Toulouse (FRA)
04/11 - Tap-Tap, Schaffhausen (CH)
04/12 - Juha West, Stuttgart (GER)
04/14 - AJZ, Bielefeld (GER)
04/15 - Hafenklang, Hamburg (GER)
04/17 - Debaser, Stockholm (SWE)
04/19 - Truckstop Alaska, Göteborg (SWE)
04/20 - Templet, Lyngby (DK)

Victims reissue debut, confirm US dates

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 19:39:46 -0700

Victims' debut album "Neverendinglasting" from 2001 will be getting a vinyl reissue via Farewell Records in an expanded edition with all of the bonus cuts from the CD which includes the "Harder than it was meant to be" 7" and the tracks from the Acursed split. More info: http://www.punkdistro.de/shop/shopnews.php?news_id=12
The band has also posted dates for their upcoming East Coast tour:

08/13 - St Vitus Bar, NYC, NY w/Ringworm, more
08/14 - This is Hardcore Fest, Philadelphia, PA w/From Ashes Rise, Madball, more
08/14 - The Barbary (Late show/TiHF after party), Philadelphia, PA w/Death First
08/15 - Valentines, Albany, NY
08/16 - Great Scott, Boston, MA
08/17 - tba
08/18 - tba, NJ
08/19 - Charm City Arts Space, Baltimore, MD
08/20 - tba
08/21 - Best Friends Day, Richmond, VA w/Corrosion Of Conformity, Iron Lung, more
08/22 - The Get Down, Asheville, NC
08/23 - Little Hamilton, Nashville, TN w/Symptoms
08/24 - tba, Chicago, IL
08/25 - Now Thats Class, Cleveland, OH
08/26 - tba, Pittsburgh, PA
08/27 - The Lost Horizon, Syracuse, NY w/Another Breath (their last show)
08/28 - Acheron, NYC, NY

Illegal by Choice: A benefit record for hidden refugees

Fri, 20 May 2011 13:03:34 -0700

De:Nihil Records has confirmed that the upcoming "Illegal By Choice" benefit comp that they are doing for Punk Illegal/No One is Illegal (as hinted at here) will feature previously unreleased tracks from Swedish hardcore acts Victims, Kvoteringen, Meanwhile and Asta Kask plus Euro mainlanders Demenzia Kolektiva (AUS) and Alert! Alert! (POL). I'm not sure of the pressing details, but it's already been sent to the plant and should be ready by the next Punk Illegal fest in Munkedal, Sweden on June 24-25. More info: http://denihilrecords.blogspot.com/2011/05/illegal-by-choice-benefit-record-for.html

MP3: Victims - Nowhere in time

Thu, 12 May 2011 15:54:26 -0700

In case you didn't read the song notes, in case it wasn't painfully obvious, yes -- "Nowhere in time" is a direct nod to Iron Maiden. Like the band says themselves, "I think this song pushes Victims boundaries about as far as they can go" in terms mixing trad metal moves with the band's signature d-beat attack, but what a mix it is! The rest of the band's new record "A dissident" is killer too and well worth checking out.

Victims, behind the music

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 16:02:54 -0700

Read all about the origins of the songs on Victims' new album "A dissident" via guitarist Gareth Smith's blog: http://punkrockandcoffee.blogspot.com/2011/04/working-titles.html
There's also a new, in-depth interview with the band here: http://blowthescene.com/interviews/victims-interview.html

Victims on tour

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 15:12:58 -0700

Upcoming European dates for Victims:

05/12 - Occii, Amsterdam (NL)
05/13 - AJZ Bahndamm, Wermelskirchen (GER)
05/14 - G18, Bremen (GER)
06/16 - Crowbar, Groningen (NL)
06/17 - Hafenklang, Hamburg (GER)
06/18 - Zoro, Leipzig (GER)
07/21 - Black Fleck, Potsdam (GER)
07/22 - tba (GER)
07/23 - Fluff Fest, Rokycany (CZ)
08/12 - Ieperfest, Ieper (BEL)

US dates to be announced soon.

A dissident preview

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 18:06:53 -0800

Preview a couple tunes from the upcoming Victims album "A dissident", due out April 12 via Deathwish/Tankcrimes/La Familia: http://www.deathwishinc.com/listennow/launch/74/

Victims album gets title, release date

Wed, 12 Jan 2011 16:13:11 -0800

The next Victims album will be called "A dissident" and it should be fully mixed by next week with an official release date of April 12.

Victims studio blogging

Mon, 29 Nov 2010 16:16:23 -0800

Victims are currently in the studio working on a new record and guitarist/English expat Gareth is blogging along the way: http://punkrockandcoffee.blogspot.com/2010/11/day-one.html

Sirius playlist week #30

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 11:46:56 -0700

Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU, all metal/punk to coincide with the new podcast:

01. TALK 1
02. Waklevören - Attakk
03. Eskatol - Fane av løgner
04. Årabrot - End of the world / Revelations
05. Lögnhalsmottagningen - Positivt tankande
06. TALK 2
07. Grave - Liberation
08. Obliteration - Exterminate
09. Liket Lever - Levande begravd
10. Knugen Faller - Jag vill inte vara med
11. TALK 3
12. Haust - Anti-reproductive
13. Underachiever - Cut a smile
14. Pointless Youth - Damaged head
15. Wolfbrigade - In adrenaline
16. Darkthrone - I am the graves of the 80s
17. TALK 4
18. Nekromantheon - We're rotting
19. Slugathor - The smoke
20. Tyrant - I'll burn that bridge (before you can cross it)
21. TALK 5
22. Bitch Boys - Automobile
23. Mögel - Jag är så rädd
24. Okkultokrati - On mouth of hells
25. Victims - Another way to die
26. Nitad - Stockholmsnatt
27. TALK 6

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.

Victims tourblog

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 17:56:09 -0700

Victims are keeping a tourblog: http://punkrockandcoffee.blogspot.com/2010/07/gdynia.html

Various Artists Skitliv! Fucked up passed out no memories left... D-takt & Råpunk

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:29:46 -0800

Sarcastic punk zine iconoclasts "Skitliv!" pay tribute to themselves with a double-disc collection of cuts from (almost) every artist they ever interviewed and that adds up to ten issues and 48 tracks of uncompromising Swedish d-beat/käng/råpunk. Most of the big names are represented, from old-timers such as Anti Cimex, Moderat Likvidation and Mob 47 to Wolfbrigade, Disfear, Skitsystem and Victims, as well as up-and-comers like Tortyr, Kvoteringen, Giftgasattack and truckloads more. Of course the quality here runs the gamut, be it related to songwriting or recording, but it kind of doesn't matter in end because it all starts to blend together after 20 minutes or so. On the other hand, as a genre-dabbler, it's a great resource to have because the song selection is so all-encompassing and overwhelming; I'm sure I'll be going back to revisit in smaller doses to pick out new favorites. For everyone else, especially if your only knowledge of Swedish punk is limited to the mediocre "Svenska Punkklassiker" discs, the uncompromising, unrelenting hardcore noise attack of "Skitliv!" is a great overview of a much-heralded underground scene well worth investigating, even it does veer towards overkill.

MP3: Galaxy Safari - Save me

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 13:30:00 -0800

Galaxy Safari aren't a "cool" band, but that doesn't mean they aren't good. They play workingman hard rock, an area far removed from all hype, but fuck it, I like burly riffs paired with pop hooks so I like them just fine. So yeah, if you dig stonerrock, but can't hang with stoner clichés, you'll dig this. If you like it when Foo Fighters are at their heaviest, you'll like this too. The band they remind of most though, is Speedball, an obscure act from Detroit that I think I read about on Aversionline or some other zine way back when. Speedball's "Drive like hell" EP kicks ass in a very similar way and it's been a longtime standby for me in my collection and also, now that I've looked them up, I'm surprised to find out they're still together, so yeah- further investigation is most definitely needed! But anyway, getting back to Galaxy Safari: there's no clever press ploy here, no flash, no gimmicks. Just four dudes playing heavy rock'n'roll, though I suppose it doesn't hurt to mention that the band features members from Victims and Daybreak even if the connection barely impacts the music.

Victims to tour Europe with Municipal Waste

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 19:34:16 -0700

Victims will be supporting Municipal Waste on tour across Europe in early 2010:

01/19 - Magnet Club, Berlin (GER)
01/20 - Juha West, Stuttgart (GER)
01/21 - Feierwerk, Munich (GER)
01/22 - Sottotetto Club, Bologna (ITA)
01/23 - New Age Club, Treviso (ITA)
01/25 - tba, Hamburg (GER)
01/27 - Debaser, Stockholm (SWE)
01/28 - Betong, Oslo (NOR)
01/29 - Garage, Bergen (NOR)
01/30 - Academy, Birmingham (UK)
02/01 - King Tuts, Glasgow (SCO)
02/02 - Cockpit, Leeds (UK)
02/04 - Scala, London (UK)
02/05 - Sneek, Bolwerk (NL)
02/06 - Milkweg, Amsterdam (NL)

New Victims 7", UK tourdates

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 21:35:14 -0700

Victims will have a new 2-song 7" on Deathwish Inc. released in time for their upcoming US tour with Black Breath and Trap Them. They'll also be playing a batch of UK shows in May:

05/01 - Grosvenor, London
05/02 - Chesters, Bristol
05/03 - 1in12 Club, Bradford
05/04 - Old Angel, Nottingham

Victims confirm US dates

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 15:12:15 -0700

Here are the dates for that Victims East Coast tour with Black Breath and Trap Them:

05/22 - Sonar (Maryland Death Fest), Baltimore, MD
05/25 - Lit Lounge, New York, NY
05/26 - Webster Underground, Hartford, CT
05/27 - Great Scott, Boston, MA
05/28 - Westcott Center, Syracuse, NY
05/29 - Forward Hall, Erie, PA
05/30 - Howards Club H, Bowling Green, OH
05/31 - Borg Ward, Milwaukee, WI
06/01 - Triple Rock, Minneapolis, MN
06/02 - Subterrenean, Chicago, IL
06/03 - Warsaw Arena, Cincinnati, OH
06/04 - TBA, Birmingham, AL
06/05 - Hi Tone, Memphis, TN
06/06 - Drunken Unicorn, Atlanta, GA
06/07 - Park, Charleston, SC
06/08 - Brewery, Raleigh, NC
06/09 - Hideaway, Johnson City, TN
06/10 - Talking Head, Baltimore, MD
06/11 - Charleston, Brooklyn, NY
06/12 - The Barbary, Philadelphia, PA

I don't normally hype US acts here, but Black Breath are kiiiiller. Don't snooze on this one!

Aversionline loves Victims

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 12:25:33 -0800

Aversionline on the US release of Victims' latest record "Killer": http://www.aversionline.com/blahg/2009/02/19/victims-killer-cd/

Sirius playlist week #7

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 19:48:59 -0800

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

01. Saralunden - Les mains d'un autre
02. TALK 1
03. Agent Side Grinder - The screams
04. Victims - Victims in blood #5
05. The Garlands - Freedom
06. Livaventura - Keep on driving
07. TALK 2
08. Anna Ternheim - Better be
09. NEI - City of gold
10. Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words - Lost & losing
11. TALK 3
12. A Camp - Golden teeth and silver medals
13. Leif Jordansson - Mellan drömmar och bränder
14. Mechanical Bird - Harbour me
15. Samtidigt Som - Vid min sida
16. TALK 4
17. Wolfbrigade - Deny tomorrow
18. Dismember - Beyond good and evil
19. Marvins Revolt - Deliberate deeds
20. Timo Räisänen - Sweet Marie
21. TALK 5
22. Voices Break the Silence - This awful friend

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.

Victims in the UK

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 16:41:30 -0800

Swedish d-beat champs Victims will be coming to the UK in May:

05/01 - London
05/02 - Bristol
05/03 - Bradford
05/04 - Nottingham

Victims add more guitar

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 18:06:31 -0800

Victims have enlisted ex-Raging Speedhorn guitarist Gareth Smith and are now back to being a 4-piece. The new lineup already recorded a new song called "On our knees" for a split 7" with US act Kylesa that will be released by the German label La Familia. In other news, keep an eye out for a US East Coast tour in May/June with Another Breath, Trap Them and Black Breath. If that's the same Black Breath as the one up here in Seattle, it's sure to be a killer show. Actually, it'll be killer because it's Victims, but that full lineup is bonus.

Sirius playlist week #51

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 11:18:19 -0800

Here's the playlist for this week's (all-punk/hardcore) radio show:

01. Darkthrone - Hiking metal punks
02. TALK 1
03. Ebba Grön - Staten & kapitalet
04. Massgrav - Jävla fittor
05. Disfear - Live the storm
06. Samtidigt Som - För jag tror att ingen annan kan känna såhär för dig
07. TALK 2
08. We Live In Trenches - Autonomy clinic
09. MABD - Kom kom
10. Black Sheep - Crazy world
11. C.Aarmé - Ti ca tu a
12. Sods - Television sect
13. TALK 3
14. No Hope for the Kids - Rainy day
15. Frivolvol - Take it from the beginning
16. Hanna Hirsch - Ingen kommer sakna oss
17. Silver - Drenched in comfort
18. TALK 4
19. Randy - Win or lose
20. Victims - Your division
21. Smalltown - Warning
22. Lögnhalsmottagningen - Bodybuilder
23. M:40 - Sista tiden
24. TALK 5
25. Hebosagil - Cosmic

Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XM U. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers. Next week's show (December 28/29) will be all jazz.

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 12:30:40 -0700

Deathwish Inc. will be releasing Victims' latest album "Killer" in the US later this year. It originally came out via Combat Rock Industry in January.

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 20:29:32 -0700

Disfear and Victims will hit up Germany together in late October:

10/30 - Archiv, Potsdam
10/31 - Hafenklang, Hamburg
11/01 - AZ, Mulheim

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 17:39:20 -0700

Victims will do a few German dates in late October:

10/30 - Archiv, Potsdam
10/31 - Hafenklang, Hamburg
11/01 - AZ, Mülheim

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 11:53:38 -0700

Check out a trailer for the new "No One Is Illegal" DVD, due out on June 27: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMRjXy195tA
The film captures live footage and interviews from last year's Punk Illegal Fest in Sweden and features bands such as Avskum, Wolfbrigade, Victims, Uncurbed and more. All proceeds from DVD sales go to the No One Is Illegal asylum network for their help with refugee relief.

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 18:23:20 -0700

Victims have added new dates and details to their upcoming North American jaunt: http://www.victimsinblood.com/tour.htm

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 11:04:06 -0700

Somehow I almost forgot to post this week's radio show playlist:

01. Bloodbath - Blasting the virginborn
02. TALK 1
03. Håkan Hellström - Långa vägar
04. Montys Loco - Farewell Mr. Happy
05. Victims - Bomben har fallit
06. TALK 2
07. Death By Kite - Sweet M
08. Ef - Thrills
09. The Bombhappies - Nothing at all
10. TALK 3
11. Motorpsycho - The alchemyst
12. Marybell Katastrophy - Hidden agenda
13. TALK 4
14. In Flames - Moonshield
15. Maskinen - Alla som inte dansar (100dirty remix)
16. The Social Services - Baltic Sea
17. TALK 5
18. Peter Morén - Social competence
19. Lack - Bombing the moon
20. Dmitry Fydorov - Signal
21. TALK 6
22. Looptroop Rockers - The building
23. Six Guns - Think positive
24. Nybakat! - Limu limu lima
25. TALK 7
26. Saft - Sizzling
27. Electric Retard - Greenvalley High
28. Lukestar - The shade you hide
29. Samtidigt Som - Constant in motion
30. TALK 8
31. Bad Cash Quartet - Monday morning
32. Monkeystrikes - I'm sorry, but I'm very dramatic
33. Commando M Pigg - Shoeshine boy
34. Weeping Willows - Touch me
35. TALK 9
36. Pistol Disco - Beat of the tune

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 13:45:02 -0700

Victims have a new website: http://www.victimsinblood.com/

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 17:48:55 -0700

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

01. The Bear Quartet - Put me back together
02. TALK 1
03. Karin Ström - Silent night
04. Camouflage - Syster sol
05. Ulf Ljusberg - Whatever was
06. TALK 2
07. Juvelen - Don't mess
08. Invocator - Breed of sin
09. The Grand Opening - Secrets revealed
10. TALK 3
11. Motorpsycho - For free
12. Coldworker - Flammable
13. Mixtapes & Cellmates - Photo Jenny
14. TALK 4
15. Egil Olsen - Singer/songwriter
16. Last Days of April - Will the violins be playing?
17. Desert Planet - Riot sector 68
18. TALK 5
19. Printer - Satisfaction
20. Psyke Project - Physical romance
21. Promise and the Monster - Light reflecting papers
22. TALK 6
23. Marybell Katastrophy - Hidden agenda
24. Pan Sonic - Johdin
25. Opération Zéro - Etude no. 1
26. TALK 7
27. Jonas Game - Nothing to lose
28. Mari Boine - Tundra flower
29. Vapnet - Plötsligt händer det inte
30. TALK 8
31. Moto Boy - Ride my wild heart
32. Markus Krunegård - Jag är en vampyr
33. Gravy - Behind my walls
34. TALK 9
35. Looptroop Rockers - The building
36. Victims - Victims in blood #5
37. Anna Leong - Guillotine
38. Zeigeist - Humanitarianism
39. TALK 10
40. Ef - Appendix

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 13:15:41 -0700

Swedish d-beat champs Victims will come over in May to tour with Coliseum and Trash Talk:

05/04 - Club Europa, Brooklyn, NY w/Tombs, Attake
05/05 - Club Hell, Providence, RI w/Tombs, Tides
05/06 - Great Scott, Allston, MA w/Blacktail
05/07 - Club Lambi, Montreal, QC
05/08 - Mavericks, Ottawa, ON w/Metz
05/09 - Sneaky Dee’s, Toronto, ON
05/10 - Call The Office, London, ON w/Midwives
05/11 - Peabody's, Cleveland, OH w/Misery Signals, Evergreen Terrace
05/12 - Magic Stick, Detroit, MI
05/13 - Reggie's, Chicago, IL
05/14 - The Borg Ward, Milwaukee, WI w/High On Crime
05/15 - Triple Rock Social Club, Minneapolis, MN
05/17 - Club 1123, Evansville, IN w/Hollywood Handgrenade
05/18 - The Rudyard Kipling, Louisville, KY

Bummer there's no west coast dates, but maybe they'll make it out for Rain Fest? I can hope.

MP3: Anti-Cimex - Scandinavian jawbreaker part I

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 11:51:55 -0800

Pitchfork has elected Disfear's new album "Live the storm" to their esteemed recommended list today, an accolade that's well-deserved, though I still consider Victims to be my favorite current Swedish d-beat act. I haven't heard their new record "Killer" yet (out now on Combat Rock Industry), so I figure this is a good opportunity to listen back to a classic track from Anti-Cimex instead. Now, I know that I really should be stretching way back to the 1980s for something off an early 7" such as 1983's "Raped ass", but I tend to prefer the early 90s stuff as it's a bit cleaner and more controlled. One thing I really enjoy about good d-beat is that it shares a stubborn single-mindedness akin to Krautrock in that they both endlessly cycle riffs until they're drilled deep into your head. Really, what else would you expect from a genre named after a drum beat? It thrives on relentless repetition. The recipe can be mixed up a bit, but that's what it boils down to. Dynamics? Overrated in this context. Keep it short and simple and that's all you need.

Mon, 03 Dec 2007 16:40:39 -0800

There's a brand new Victims tune up on myspace along with European tourdates: http://www.myspace.com/victims

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 16:43:24 -0800

Victims will tour Scandinavia in February as support for Raging Speedhorn (UK) before taking off for a European trek with fellow Swedes Rotten Sound and Germany's The Ocean in March/April. Keep up on dates here: http://www.fireinsidemusic.com/cri/tours.php

Fri, 23 Nov 2007 14:45:30 -0800

Combat Rock Industry has confirmed that Sweden's finest d-beat act Victims will release their new album "Killer" on January 9.

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 11:19:19 -0700

Swedish d-beat punks Victims are blogging the recording of their new album "Killer": http://killer.victimsinblood.com/

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 15:18:52 -0700

Victims have announced that their next album will be called "Killer". Recording begins next week at an old church in Gävle, Sweden and Ryan from US hardcore act Coliseum is working on the artwork. Expect an early 2008 release.

Thu, 24 May 2007 00:00:00 -0700

Combat Rock Industry will be releasing the new live album "Tavastia" from long-running Finnish punk-rockers Lama on July 4. As for the future, look for a split from Manifesto Jukebox and A Death in the Family to be released in September. The label has also signed Swedish act Victims, my favorite current d-beat act, and will be releasing their new album sometime later this year.

Sat, 21 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0700

Last night's playlist for my show on Sirius Blog Radio:

01. Isolation Years - Yellow cross on blue
02. TALK 1
03. Johndoe - Nattskift
04. Montys Loco - Wasteland
05. Once We Were - Cut corners
06. TALK 2
07. [ingenting] - Mycket vasen for ingenting
08. Margaret Berger - Robot song
09. Namur - Marching
10. Lampshade - New legs
11. TALK 3
12. Maia Hirasawa - Gothenburg
13. Mixtapes & Cellmates - Quiet
14. Fattaru - 100:-
15. Juvelen - Hanna
16. TALK 4
17. Säkert! - Allt som är ditt
18. Sonores - 16th of June
19. Detektivbyrån - E18
20. TALK 5
21. At the Gates - The swarm
22. Barra Head - Kill the lights
23. TALK 6
24. The Tough Alliance - Leg 7
25. Torpedo - My evil twin
26. Alog - Catch that totem!
27. TALK 7
28. Valley Days - 10k angels
29. A-ha - Celice
30. Victims - Who the fuck are we?
31. TALK 8
32. The Vicious - Alienated
33. Viola - Unreal life
34. Zweizz - Nowadays the only boring everything is so frustrating
35. Viktor Sjöberg - Winter guitars
36. TALK 9
37. Closer - The talker
38. Aerial - My god, it's full of stars!
39. The Kissaway Trail - La la song
40. Laakso - Italy vs Helsinki
41. The Psyke Project - Panic
42. TALK 10
43. C.Aarmé - We are the world

Next week: expect lots more killer jams including totally a brand new track from Closer and maybe even a spotlight set on post-rock/ambient music. Good times!

Tue, 10 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0700

European tourdates for Swedish d-beat act Victims, one of the best bands I saw play last year:

05/01 - Rote Flora, Hamburg (GER)
05/02 - The Little Devil, Tilburg (NL) w/Anaphylactic Shock
05/03 - Sparrow, Klazienaveen (NL)
05/04 - AK47, Düsseldorf (GER)
05/05 - Carlo Levi, Liege (BEL)
05/06 - ExHaus, Trier (GER)
05/07 - JUZ, Mannheim (GER)
05/08 - Kunstverein, Nürnberg (GER)
05/09 - Klub 007, Prague (CZ)
05/10 - Archiv , Potsdam (GER) w/Disfear, Crowskin
05/11 - Beat Club, Dessau (GER) w/Another Breath
05/12 - JH, Rosswein (GER) w/Another Breath, Just Went Black, Empty Vision, Anchors Aweigh
05/13 - Feierwerk,OrangeHouse, München (GER) w/Another Breath
05/14 - Schlachthaus, Dornbirn (AUS) w/Another Breath
05/15 - Arena , Wien (AUS) w/Another Breath, Boy Sets Fire, Satura Lanx
05/16 - Mochvara, Zagreb (CRO) w/Another Breath
05/17 - C.S. Rivolta, Venice (ITA) w/Another Breath
05/18 - Circolo Arci Giuncarico, Grosseto (ITA) w/Another Breath
05/19 - SGA, Arese (Milano) (ITA) w/Another Breath
05/20 - Sonic, Lyon (FRA) w/Another Breath
05/21 - Soap Box, Nancy (FRA) w/Another Breath

Fri, 12 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0800

Wolfbrigade is back! The legendary Swedish crusties have reunited and will be recording a new album in February for release via Agipunk in Europe, Unrest in North America, MCR in Japan and an as-yet-unnamed label in Brazil. The band's first show will be with Victims in Stockholm on March 17 with lots more international touring to follow. Read the official statement: http://www.myspace.com/wolfbrigadeoffical

Mon, 18 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0800

Bassist Andy has left Victims so now the band will continue on as a trio with frontman Johan taking on low-end duties.

Mon, 18 Sep 2006 00:00:00 -0700

Victims will record some new songs for a split 7" with US act Kylesa for release on the labels Hyperrealist in the US, Unsociable in Europe.

Victims Divide and conquer Havoc Records

Wed, 09 Aug 2006 00:00:00 -0700

Sweden's Victims were another Havoc Records band I managed to miss while they were on tour (the first was Regulations - d'oh!) Listening to their latest release gave me a taste of what to expect if I ever see them live. "Divide and conquer" is a testament to early '80s American hardcore bands. What's with the Swedes that makes them play something that sounds like it's over 25 years old, but yet still modern? Anyhoo, 15 tracks of American hardcore/Swedish crust-inspired punk that'll get you amped. Think of Discharge when you listen to this. Singer Johan's vocals and the band are balanced pretty well with one not overpowering the other. Not what I would normally listen to, but it kept me interested.

Fri, 12 May 2006 00:00:00 -0700

Victims in Seattle last night, one word: siiiiick. The rest of the dates on their US tour:

05/12 - Food Hole, Portland, OR
05/13 - Burnt Ramen, Oakland, CA
05/14 - Warehouse, Long Beach, CA
05/15 - Mexican Cultural Center, Santa Ana, CA
05/16 - Phix (1113 Nw Grand), Phoenix, AZ
05/17 - Univ. House, Las Cruces, NM
05/18-20 - Chaos In Tejas Fest, Austin TX

If you're into hardcore/punk and you miss these guys, you are seriously blowing it.

Wed, 10 May 2006 00:00:00 -0700

Aversionline on new releases from Victims and Skitsystem, both on Havoc Records: http://www.aversionline.com/blahg/2006/05/two-third-lps.html
I haven't heard the new Victims yet (I'm planning on picking it up at the Seattle show tomorrow), but their last record "...in blood" is killer, so I have high hopes.

Mon, 10 Apr 2006 00:00:00 -0700

Download two new songs from Victims: Another mission / Darkness blinds you
The band's new album "Divide and conquer" is out now and their US tour starts in just a few weeks.

Tue, 04 Apr 2006 00:00:00 -0700

US tourdates for Victims are now almost 100% confirmed:

04/27 - Warehouse Nxt Door, DC
04/28 - Unitarian Church, Philly, PA
04/29 - Abc No Rio, NYC
04/29 - tba, NYC (Possible late show)
04/30 - Harvard Social Forum, Boston, MA
05/01 - AS220, Providence, RI
05/02 - Valentines, Albany, NY
05/03 - 29 Custer St., Buffalo, NY (6pm)
05/04 - Roboto Project, Pittsburgh, PA
05/05 - Basement Of The Tower, Cleveland, OH
05/06 - No Exit Cafe, Chicago, IL
05/07 - Red Sea, Minneapolis, MN
05/08 - VFW (202 Broadway), Fargo, ND
05/09 - tba, Great Falls, MO
05/11 - Ss Marie Antoinette, Seattle, WA
05/12 - Food Hole, Portland, OR
05/13 - Burnt Ramen, Oakland, CA
05/14 - Warehouse, Long Beach, CA
05/15 - Mexican Cultural Center, Santa Ana, CA
05/16 - Phix (1113 Nw Grand), Phoenix, AZ
05/17 - Univ. House, Las Cruces, NM
05/18-20 - Chaos In Tejas Fest, Austin Tx

Fri, 17 Feb 2006 00:00:00 -0800

In other Havoc-related news, head to their website for prelimary US tour dates for Victims: http://www.havocrex.com/tours/

Tue, 07 Feb 2006 00:00:00 -0800

Victims will bring the Swedish d-beat to the UK in March:

03/24 - The Grosvenor, London/Brixton
03/25 - Common Place, Leeds
03/26 - The Junction, Bristol

The band will be entering Dustward Studios in Stockholm next week to record a new album.

Tue, 27 Dec 2005 00:00:00 -0800

Victims have been writing and rehearsing a bunch of new material recently and report that they now have plans to enter the studio in February to record a new album. After that it looks like the band will do a 4-week US tour around April/May. More details soon.

Tue, 06 Sep 2005 00:00:00 -0700

Also coming up from Havoc in the future will be a new 7" from 365 Dagar Av Synd, the Swedish crusties formally known as Dödsdömd. There will also hopefully be new full-lengths from both Skitsystem and Victims, but nothing is confirmed just yet.

Mon, 28 Feb 2005 00:00:00 -0800

Head over to the Havoc Records site for some new mp3s from Regulations, Martyr-Död and Riistetyt as well as updated US tour dates for the latter along with European dates for Victims and Vitamin X: http://www.havocrex.com/

Tue, 18 Jan 2005 00:00:00 -0800

Aversionline reviews the new Victims album: http://www.aversionline.com/reviews/2036/

Thu, 05 Aug 2004 00:00:00 -0700

Nasum's Jon Lindqvist will be filling in for Entombed/Disfear guitarist Uffe Cederlund at the latter's upcoming appearance during Pointless Fest on August 12-15 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After that, he'll be heading back to the States again to tour with his other band Victims.

Wed, 23 Jun 2004 00:00:00 -0700

Sweden's Victims will release their new album "...Blood" in July. Tracklist:

01. Scars
02. Dagar Utan Ljus
03. The Answer
04. This Is The End
05. Right Back At You
06. Swallow Poison
07. My Eyes
08. Now Or Never
09. Insane
10. No Regrets
11. Circles
12. Min Enda Resa
13. Alive But Dead
14. We Have Burnt Our Bridges
15. They Are The Ones
16. Dead Inside
17. Checking Out
18. Victims In Blood pt. 3

In other news, the band is working on a US tour and has posted the following tentative schedule:

08/13-15 Pointless Fest, Philadelphia
08/16 - Allentown, PA w/Kylesa
08/17 - NYC w/Kylesa
08/18 - Baltimore or DC
08/19 - Richmond or Virginia Beach
08/20 - Providence
08/21 - Boston
08/22 - Buffalo
08/23 - Cleveland
08/24 - Pittsburgh
08/25 - Columbus
08/26 - Detroit w/Kylesa
08/27 - Chicago w/Kylesa
08/28 - Thrash Fest 6, Minneapolis
08/29 - Des Moines w/Skitystem
08/30 - Haunted Kitchen, Lawrence w/Skitystem, bmf
08/31 - Oklahoma City
09/01 - Dallas/Fort worth
09/02 - Austin
09/03 - Off
09/04 - Nashville
09/05 - Cincinnatti
09/06 - Philadelphia

About time Skitsystem made it over here as well.

Wed, 16 Jun 2004 00:00:00 -0700

New pics of Victims and Strip Music up at Musique One Stop: http://www.photohenrik.com/mos/

Fri, 14 May 2004 00:00:00 -0700

Swedish hardcore punks Victims are starting to book a US tour for August 13 through September 6. Details soon.

Mon, 26 Apr 2004 00:00:00 -0700

Head over to the new location of the Victims website to download three tracks from their upcoming album: http://www.victimsinblood.com/

Tue, 02 Mar 2004 00:00:00 -0800

New pics of Victims and Broder Daniel up at Musique One Stop: http://www.photohenrik.com/mos/
As mentioned before, Victims are heading to Soundlab Studios in Örebro on April 2 to begin recording their new album.

Mon, 02 Feb 2004 00:00:00 -0800

The punkrock supergroup Suicide Blitz featuring members from Defiance, Victims, DS-13, SHOS and Wolfbrigade has been added to the Umeå Punkfest lineup.

Tue, 06 Jan 2004 00:00:00 -0800

Swedish punks Victims will be entering Soundlab Studios in April to record a new full-length for US-based Havoc Records, the label of Felix von Havoc (ex-Destroy!, Code 13). The band also plans to play the Linköping HC Fest in February and maybe will even head over to the States for three weeks in August/September.

Mon, 29 Dec 2003 00:00:00 -0800

Puffball has come out of hibernation and posted the following update on their website:

"So what has happened and why this long silence in this forum for the band, on the stage and recordingwise? Ok, the last performance from the Fab Four was in Finspång in early September, we set the stage on fire as usual (haha) and had a good time as usual (this time no joke!) with the Finspång mafia, Disfear, Victims etc. Pretty shortly after that ol' P-O Axegrinder had a bizarre carpet-cutter accident at work and got his left hand in a plaster and unuseable for guitarplaying for 1,5 months, something Forsko used smoothly to his advantage and escaped Sweden to get married with his longtime girlfriend Malin in New York. Crippled guitarplayers and runaway drummers are not ideal for an active rockband so Puffball was on hold for awhile until all weddingpartying and fingerrecovery had been done. This pretty much leads us to right now and for the record, the status on the other two Puffballers are that Tossa used this time to rehearse with his asskicking classic rock band The Russian 5 (and they did a great gig at Taj Mahal, Västerås on Christmas day, shame on you who missed it!) and Linkan has probably used this time to further improve his pc/xbox/ps2 gameplaying skills... Anyway, we should all be back rehearsing and coming up with new highspeed rifforama in early 2004. That's the plan!"

Mon, 20 Oct 2003 00:00:00 -0700

Webzine Aversionline is now updated for October with a feature on Arvika Sweden's ATTACK!fanzine along with their usual onslaught of reviews, including Apocryphal Voice, Blind Dog, Bolt, Victims, Hlidolf, Omnium Gatherum, Razor Crusade, Security Threat, Sewer Election, Switchblade, Total Devastation and tons more. As always, I don't necessarily agree with a lot of their taste, but anyone even remotely interested in hardcore and metal should definitely check it out.

Fri, 26 Sep 2003 00:00:00 -0700

Nasum has announced that Jon "Elle" Lindkvist has joined the band as their new bassplayer, replacing Jesper who left to concentrate on his other band Burst. Not only does Jon have the same initials as Jesper, but he also auditioned in the same Neurosis t-shirt. Creepy, eh? Jon also currently plays with Sayyadina as well as having done time with numerous well-known Swedish punk bands such as Victims, Accursed, and Outlast. Former live-only guitarist Urban Skytt has also joined on as a full-time member.

Mon, 22 Sep 2003 00:00:00 -0700

Check out some recent live pics from Victims, Disfear and Satirnine on this site.

Tue, 15 Jul 2003 00:00:00 -0700

Webzine Aversionline has finally put up their July issue with a demographic feature on Swedish hardcore band Rentokiller and, as always, tons and tons of reviews. Featured bands include Damn Right, Insula, The Musique Concrete Ensemble, Victims, Inti, Darkthrone, Madder Mortem, Morning After and Opeth.

Sat, 21 Jun 2003 00:00:00 -0700

Magnet's new album "On Your Side" comes out June 30 in Norway and July 7 in UK. They'll be heading over to the latter to support Bebel Gilberto on the following dates:

07/19 - Manchester Bridgewater Hall
07/22 - London Shepherds Bush Empire
07/30 - Bristol Academy

The band also has a feature in the June issue of The Fly magazine along with a four-star review of the new album. They also received quite a nice write-up in Q who describe them as "blissed out electronic pop that sounds like Simon & Garfunkel restructuring Radiohead's most fragile moments." Head over to their website for more details.

Madrugada has added two new festivals to their summer tour plans:

06/29 - Nel Nome Del Rock, Palestrina ,Italy
08/30 - Bizarre Festival, Flughafen Niederrhein, Germany

Check this link out to view and listen to performances and interviews from Spain's Sonar Festival including Bjorn Torske, Jaga Jazzist and much much more.

Here's the schedule for the Uppsala Summer Hardcore Fest. Doors open at 17:00 both days.

06/23
22:30 - Tear it Up (New Jersey, US)
21:45 - Between Us (Stockholm)
21:00 - Regulations (Umeå)
20:15 - Last Hope (Linköping)
19:30 - The 21st Impact (Uppsala)
18:45 - Labour (Cästerås)
18:00 - Rabid Grannies (meå)
06/24
22:30 - What Happens Next? ("Canada", acutally from the SF Bay Area, CA)
21:45 - Second Thought (Stockholm)
21:00 - Victims (Nyköping)
20:15 - The Jam Session (Mjölby)
19:30 - Bruce Banner (Stockholm)
18:45 - One Step Ahead (Nyköping)

Sleeping arrangements at the fest can be booked for 20sek along with your ticket purchase. For more info go here: http://uahc.diskonto.org/festival

Mon, 09 Jun 2003 00:00:00 -0700

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.

Thu, 27 Mar 2003 00:00:00 -0800

I've got a busy workday ahead of me, so updates may tend to be a bit slow. Bear with me. And lots of new links coming soon, too.

UPDATE: I'm finally done for the day and the links page has a ton of new sites on it. Enjoy!

Here's some pics from day one of the Umeå Open. Thanks Magnus!

The Cardigans have been confirmed for the Glastonbury festival which takes place on June 27. More info here.

Interested in the new Nasum album? The band has put up a full preview page with the album cover, tracklist and some samples. Check it out.

Thirdimension has added two of their videos to their site. Go to the 'Pleasure' section to check 'em out. The band admits they're kinda old and maybe not "not among our top ten-list of videos", but they say "the latter one ["Yes Equals No"] is quite cool." Works for me.

Get a preview of the new Moonbabies song "Fieldtrip USA". Like I said yesterday, Chalksounds is putting out some great pop records soon and the upcoming album "The Orange Billboard" is no exception. Good stuff.

On April 1, Burning Heart records will unleash the new Turbonegro site www.scandinavianleather.com where they say you'll find "mp3's, tourdates, bio, photos, video, competitions, e-cards and games." As much as I dig some of their old stuff and respect the band, I find the new album to be a bit too polished and boring. Eh, on the other hand, it's still better than most of the dreck out there I suppose. Those of who just discovering the band, buy one of the recent reissues - that's where it's at.

The nominees for the Swedish Hip Hop Awards have been announced. Check it.

Norwegian/Senegalese kora master Solo Cissokho won the BBC World Music Award for his album "Tretakt Takissaba" which was recorded together with Swedish fiddler Ellika Frisell. Cissokho has worked for many years on his goal of fusing "African griot-tradition with traditional Norwegian folk music," as stated by MIC Norway. For those that are unaware (as I was), the kora (or cora) is a Senegalese string instrument. Read more about it here.