Following in the footsteps of metal gods Manowar, Finnish power-metallers Stratovarius signed their new contract with Sanctuary using the blood of an elk. See pics: 1 / 2. The 3-album deal is reportedly the biggest ever for an act from Finland and is rumored to be worth about $3.5 million.
Updated tour dates for David & the Citizens:
11/13 - Gimle, Roskilde (DK)
11/14 - DTU, Lyngby (DK)
11/26 - Mejeriet, Nybro (SWE)
11/27 - Mondo (Access All Areas), Stockholm (SWE)
11/28 - Allhuset, Stockholm (SWE) w/Laakso, Isolation Years
11/29 - Kalas Köpenhamn, Ungdomshuset - Köpenhamn (DK)
12/05 - Shindig! (Effes, Visby (SWE)
12/06 - Roxy, Visby (SWE)
12/20 - Notting Hill Arts Club (RoTA Sesions), London (UK) (free!)
12/20 - The Spitz (Strange Fruit), London (UK)
Denmark's The Kind of Bitter have a new CD called "Regrets" coming out soon on Play/Rec in their home country and on MTT Records in the US. Check out this info page with details on the release as well as a couple mp3s for download. No word on an exact shipping date from either, but MTT does promise to have it available sometime very early next year.
Before starting on a new album, Opeth says they have plans to tour Greece, Turkey and the US in January, February and March. And since the band has been through America quite a few times recently, they promise to have updated their set with "a series of never before played numbers from albums past and present." Titles they've been rehearsing include "The Moor", "Nectar" and "Blackwater Park".
No Tolerance Records has announced the onset of 'Operation Grindstorm', "a new phase of punishing grooves, tortured vocals, hi-speed attack drumming and guitars like carpets of cluster bombs" taking form as the new CD "The Art Of Today" from Relevant Few. As with most grind releases, they promise the fast parts are faster, the heavy parts heavier etc etc which of course adds up to everything being more brutal than ever, but you can decide for yourself by listening to some samples: "Is there no hope?" / "Lustrous Pattern".
The record comes out November 24 and sports cover art from the oft-utilized Travis Smith (Opeth, King Diamond, Katatonia, Anathema).
Swedish rockers Hell n' Diesel and Sparzanza are hitting the road in Germany with that country's own Duster 69 on a tour presented by Daredevil Records. Dates so far:
02/12 - HMClub, Freiberg
02/13 - Rosenkeller, Jena
02/14 - Jugendclub, Mügeln
02/15 - TBA, Hammerstedt
02/16 - tba, Berlin
02/17 - tba
02/18 - tba, Hannover
02/19 - tba, Heidelberg
02/20 - Nepomuk, Altenkunstadt
02/21 - MCDC Low Tune Festival, Worms
02/22 - Nachtleben, Frankfurt
02/23 - Knust, Hamburg
02/24 - MS Stubitz, Rostock
Here's an updated tour schedule for The Rasmus:
11/11 - Copenhagen, Pumpehuset (DK)
11/12 - Aalborg, Skraaen (DK)
11/13 - Aarhus, Train (DK)
11/15 - Berlin, Columbiahalle (GER)
11/16 - Hamburg, Docks (GER)
11/17 - Bielefeldt, Ringlockschuppen (GER)
11/18 - Bremen, Modernes (GER)
11/19 - Leipzig, Werk 2 (GER)
11/21 - Zurich, Limmathaus (CH)
11/23 - Vienna, Planet Music/Gasometer (AUS)
11/24 - Munich, Elserhalle (GER)
11/25 - Stuttgart, LKA (GER)
11/26 - Mannheim, Capitol (GER)
11/27 - Offenbach, Capitol (GER)
11/28 - Cologne, E Werk (GER)
01/23 - Garage, London (UK)
01/24 - Rock City, Nottingham (UK)
01/26 - La Boule Noir, Paris (FR)
01/27 - Botanique, Brussels (BEL)
01/28 - Melkweg, Amsterdam (NL)
01/30 - C-side, Milan (IT)
01/31 - Tempio Rock, Reggio Emilia (IT)
Swedish electronic pop label SubSpace Communications has updated the catalogue on their website with tentative info about their upcoming releases for 2004 including new stuff from Universal Poplab, Tyskarna Från Lund, Vacuum and more.
Lowe, Jörgen "Leo" Josefsson and Rickard Gunnarsson sideproject from Statemachine with their friend Mehdi Bagherzadeh, will release their new single "The Vanishing" on November 24 via Megahype Records. The CD will feature remixes as well as the "melancholic" b-side "Down the Waterline". A record release show will take place the 25th at Mondo in Stockholm.
Sondre Lerche made #21 on Elle Magazine's hottest rockers list. Pretty silly. The only other Norde on the list is Pelle Almqvist from The Hives at #24. Sondre's also got a new webdiary entry from New York where is currently mixing his new album and preparing for a few solo dates.
Even though I think I already posted everything covered in it already, The Ricochets have issued a brand new press release today. (in Norweigan)
Even though it's not officially out yet, the new Moonbabies record "The Orange Billboard" is already charting over at Parasol in pre-order. They also have the US release of The Wannadies' most recent album "Before and After" available for ordering, too.
Totalt Jävla Mörker has solidified their lineup with the promotion of former stand-in bassist Victor "Långhårta" Brandt to full-time status and the moving of former bassist Criss to drums. They also recently added some new mp3s to their website.
Sadly, German label Scenepolice is near bankrupt so the planned co-release they were doing with Blues Moderne of Lack's upcoming 7" has been postponed indefinitely. It'll probably come out somewhere eventually, but nothing's been set yet. Download a clip from the record right here.
Tumult, the label run by some of the dudes over at Aquarius Records, will be reissuing a 2xCD comp from Finnish psyche band Avarus featuring material from the band's previous three CD-Rs and "A-V-P" and "Luonnon Ilmiöitä" 7"s, previously put out by Lal Lal Lal.