Pitchfork reviews ABBA (no, really!)
Pitchfork reviews the deluxe reissue of abba's final album "The visitors", giving it a coveted "best new reissue" tag: https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/16577-the-visitors-deluxe-edition/
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Disgrace
Vol. 2
Svart Records
This dirty ol' bastard has been lying around for nearly 20 years and has only seen the light of day because the band members scoured today's underground for old cassette copies good enough for an official release. What we have, therefore, is a true retro album; a step back in time with a new 1993 album. A very definite progression can be heard between this and the previous Disgrace album of the time, debut "Grey misery", although elements from that can be heard as well. The foundation for "Vol. 2" lies in the realm of early Black Sabbath and Danzig, both of whom were firm favorites of Disgrace back in the early '90s. There's obviously a bit of a stoner vibe on this, then, making it sound something like Sabbath with heavier vocals -- a goal that the band had in mind when writing the album. The production could obviously be better, but given the source material they've done a damn fine job. Besides, the harsh nature of the recording adds a distinctive character to it; you almost feel like you're back in 1993. I hate the term, but this could well have been the first death 'n roll album out there.
- John Norby
Entombed live 1990 (video)
Entombed live in Stockholm circa 1990, what's not to like? Oh yeah, and they cover Black Sabbath too.
New 7" from Skogen Brinner on Gaphals
New Swedish hardrock just released on 7" via . In case the font face didn't tip you off, Skogen Brinner is described as "Black Sabbath mixed with Pugh Rogerfeldt" and they ain't lying.
Zweizz & Joey Hopkins
s/t
Jester Records
It's clear from the offset that this album is something unique. After all, when you have so many tracks in which beauty and madness share a simultaneous space, there's no denying that there's a creative genius at work here. As it happens, we have two creative geniuses in collaboration on this album: Norway's Svein Egil Hatlevik (here under the guise of Zweizz) and the sadly departed US-chaos merchant Joey Hopkins (of Midget Factory fame). The two met online a few years ago and promptly put their maniacal heads together to come up with eleven tracks of unclassifiable weirdness that have culminated in this self-titled opus. There's so much going on here that it's impossible to take in on one listen, from the Commodore 64-industrial barrage of "dWill 2 dPower" to the off-kilter abba-esque musings of "How we ate the flesh", this is an album that commands respect. Track of the album is "The goat", which kicks off with a cybersheep chorus followed by something that sounds like a bizarre reimagining of the "Alien" soundtrack. The album also benefits from a wealth of guest appearances from Carl-Michael Eide (Virus, Aura Noir), Kristoffer Rygg (Ulver), Torgny Knutson Amdam (Amulet) and Ingrid Aarvik Berge (Norma Sass), to name a few. To the untrained ear most of this might sound like random incoherence. In actual fact, it's one of the best lessons in controlled chaos that you're ever likely to find. This is a whole new level. This is lounge music for lunatics.
- John Norby
ABBA City Walk Stockholm
& Stockholm City Museum have teamed up to produce a guidebook for an abba-themed walking tour of Stockholm for all the superfan tourists who want to retrace the steps once taken by Björn, Benny, Agnetha and Anni-Frid: abba-city-walk-ukde-stockholm.php" target="_blank">https://www.premiumpublishing.com/en/art/abba-city-walk-ukde-stockholm.php
MP3: Principe Valiente - In my arms
I am proud to present to you the premiere of the video for Principe Valiente's brand new single "In my arms", but that's not all -- I've also managed to get the band to answer a few questions as well. Read on!
So how'd you guys hook up with [video director] Henning Cronheim? I know he's worked on the Millennium trilogy, but is there any other work of his I should be aware of, aside from the previous video he did with you?
He actually found us through our myspace. We were just in the process of recording the album and he loved the songs we had done already at that time, "The night" was one of them. He mostly works with commercial films, but he has also been involved in other movies here in Sweden like "Änglavakt" and "Snabba Cash".
What's the concept for this new clip? Did you pick out the song and idea ahead of time or is it something you and Henning collaborated on?
This video is about a married couple who are trying to find each other again after a long time, on their silver wedding anniversary. They try with love and affection but also with imagination and fantasies, but still care for each other. The idea fits quite good with the song, which is both contestant and a bit frustrated, but still full of hope .
Of course, it can also be interpreted in different ways as well. Like the video for "The night".
We picked the song ourselves and the concept was Henning's idea, but we collaborated very well with the details and we are very satisfied with the result. Henning, his photographer Adrian Levander and the whole film team were very professional and great to work with.
How do you feel about the "goth" descriptor being applied to your music? Do you feel a kinship with the goth scene? How do you feel about other gothic-style bands like Zola Jesus and Cold Cave getting major hype in the indie world?
We are fine with those associations, but I think we have much more influences to connect with too.
We really are into some gothic acts from the 80's like The Sisters of Mercy, Siouxsie & The Banshees and early Cocteau Twins, but we are very fond of other styles too, like the shoegazer scene in the beginning of the 90's with My Bloody Valentine and Ride and even earlier with The Jesus & Mary Chain, so we think we have a good mixture.
Anyway, I think it's great that good underground bands are getting more listeners, I actually didn’t hear Zola Jesus until now and I really liked some of it...
Ok, so you have this new single... what's next?
Well, our next step is to promote the new album as much as we can, and do some more shows here in Sweden before we go to Germany for a small tour in the middle of June. There's also plans for London and Moscow, but not scheduled yet. We hope for some summer festivals too.
It seems like the album has been very well received, but we still do the booking ourselves, so actually we are looking for a booking agency as well.
Demonaz gone solo
Immortal's Demonaz is going "solo" and will be releasing his debut album "March of the Norse" under his own nom de guerre on April 1 via , solo being in quotes because the album also features Immortal co-founder abbath. Samples and more details via Blabbermouth: https://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=154216
Ghost
Opus eponymous
Rise Above
First off, with a cover like this, who could not want to check this band out? A less-than-subtle wink toward the "Salem's Lot" movie poster that works wonderfully in the context of the band, it's this initial reference point that finds me eager to hear what Ghost sound like. As far as the music goes -- what an unexpected (and welcome) style! Ghost sound more like 1970s New York than 2010s Stockholm. Describing this in terms of labels is probably best done by calling it classic black or black prog, as Ghost offer a sound that's synonymous with that of classic rock genres from days gone by. They've often been compared to Blue Öyster Cult and they do, indeed, convey that style throughout "Opus eponymous". But there's more of an edge to Ghost's sound, a heavier output that's more in tune with Sabbath or Led Zep. Where the black fits into all this is in the subject matter, with a distinctly satanic outlook prevailing throughout the recording. Production-wise, this could have benefitted from a bit more punch, as the recording is a tad flat, particularly on the guitars. But the highs most certainly outweigh the lows on here, and Ghost have undoubtedly released one of the most original albums within the realm of metal in a long time.
- John Norby
Tesco Vee on Abba
Florida weekly mag Folio needed pull-quotes for an abba article, so they turned to mega-fan Tesco Vee: abba-expert-sounds-off/" target="_blank">https://blog.bazillionpoints.com/2011/02/03/punks-leading-abba-expert-sounds-off/
MP3: Mangrove - Never again
I haven't mentioned in awhile, mostly due to negligence, but also because their releases for the latter half of 2010 mostly left me underwhelmed. I expect them to provide me with a regular dose of the best classic hard rock Sweden has to offer, they gave me a mixed bag of stuff that failed to grab me. There are exceptions though, there always are: Mangrove's 2nd album "A distant dream of tomorrow" is a solid rocker, just like their last one. They aren't showing much progression between albums, but I don't mind at all -- I can always hang with recycled Black Sabbath riffage when done right, especially when they nail the catchy/pop aspect of that band so many other worshippers fail to realize. Great dual-overdub solo section at the end too, even better that it leads into a killer final version of the main hook.
ABBA, the app
abba now has an official singalong app: abba-app-is-singalong-friendly" target="_blank">https://www.9to5mac.com/40754/official-abba-app-is-singalong-friendly
MP3: Hooded Menace - From their coffined slumber
The weather clouded up and we got some rain and hail, so it's back to the feel-bad jams that befit our never-ending bummer winter/the spring that never was. Hooded Menace are a Finnish band with a great name who sound like they spent way too much time listening to Black Sabbath on the wrong speed and then got a guitarist to come in with the most sickening, discordant harmonies possible. It's slow, queasy and yes, totally awesome. Until the sun comes back, I'm mired in this sludge.
Hooded Menace - From their coffined slumber
MP3: Moses - Warning
Moses was a three-piece heavy rock from Denmark way back in the glory days of the late 60s/early 70s. I know I post a lot of similar stuff from new bands aping this style, so it's nice to get a slice of the real deal every once in awhile. And now, since Moses' sole (I believe) album "Changes" was recently reissued by , I have even more of an excuse to do so. No big surprises to be had musically speaking, these dudes are your typical fuzzed-out blues jammers, leaning a bit more towards Blue Cheer or Cream than Black Sabbath or Led Zep. I don't say "typical" to put them down though, I only say that so you don't go in expecting to be blown away by some was-lost face-melter. Naah, it's just a solid album that deserves better than being lost to history and, as someone who buys a heckuva lot of reissues, I can appreciate that. Play loud!
Moses - Warning