News editors: Mikael Kahrle & Johan Carlsson

Covenant on extensive tour

Brand new cover picture.

• November 6 will mark the kick-off of Covenant's "Northern Light" European tour. So far 17 dates are set and the tour ends in Switzerland on November 24. Covenant will play every night during the tour except for two nights. Most dates are German, but there is also one each in Italy, Austria, Belgium and Switzerland. Covenant will also do seven festival gigs in various countries, where new songs are likely to premiere.
The single "Call the Ships to Port" will show up on August 12 and the album "Northern Light" in October. /Mikael Kahrle

Imperative Reaction's new album is "Ruined"


- Hey, look at my cool belt.
Photo by: Dana De Lalla

• American EBM band Imperative Reaction is now ready to release the album, "Ruined". July 9 is the date to remember, and it's on Metropolis. /Johan Carlsson

71 000 tickets sold to the Roskilde Festival
• The Roskilde Festival 2002 started yesterday and is a success so far. 71 000 tickets were sold before the organisers decided it was enough and stopped more people from getting in. The goal was 65 000 tickets. Box office reports show that 40% of the visitors are Danes, 28% Swedes, 19% Norwegians, 7% Germans, 3% Finns, 2% Dutch and just 1% from other countries.
The visitors can enjoy concerts with among others Pet Shop Boys, Rammstein, New Order and Garbage. /Mikael Kahrle

Sorry, Apoptygma Berzerk, you are not welcome

Apoptygma Berzerk live in New York earlier this year.
Photo by: Dara Kushner (Release)

• The expected Apoptygma Berzerk remix on A-ha's next single "Lifelines" (featuring Anneli Drecker of Bel Canto) will not be included as planned. /Mikael Kahrle

August single for smash newcomers Colony 5
• Swedish duo Colony 5 has made a big splash on the electropop scene with the recent release of their album "Lifeline" (almost the same title as the A-ha album, yes). The next single from the band, however, is not a track taken from this album, but a brand new track called "Follow Your Heart". Alongside it will be other new tracks and a few remixes. Street date is August 6.
The record company Memento Materia has chosen to not serve us with a review copy of the album, so we will not be able to deliver a review as it seems. /Niklas Forsberg

New Architect album nears completion
• Daniel Myer's Architect project is currently putting the finishing touches on album #2 as this is being written. Look for a release via Hymen Records. This will be Architect's first release since 1998's "Galactic Supermarket". Soundclips can be found on www.planetmyer.de.
In other Haujobb-related news, the band is feverishly working on its next record "Vertical Theory" due out on Metropolis. /Peter Marks, Johan Carlsson

Old De/Vision renewed
• July 30 will see the release of the De/Vision album "Remixed". Some of the old hits, eleven to be exact, have been re-recorded, remixed and re-sung by the band in collaboration with producer Jose Alvarez-Brill. Among the included tracks are "Your Hands on My Skin", "Try to Forget" and "Blue Moon". /Niklas Forsberg

DJ RAM remixes De/Vision; future collaboration is on the cards



• DJ RAM has recently done a remix for De/Vision which will appear on the just mentioned "Remixed". This appears to be the start of a semi-permanent working relationship between the two camps as further remixes and new tracks are planned. The prominent DJ has also finished mixes for Clan of Xymox, Fidgital and Jennifer McLaren to name a few. He plans to release his debut album "Virtual Server" in July via A Different Drum records. /Peter Marks

Diary of Dreams inhales some "Freak Perfume"



• The new album by Diary of Dreams is called "Freak Perfume" and out now on Accession Records. America get its part on August 9 via Metropolis. A limited digipak is available in Europe, with three bonus tracks. /Johan Carlsson

A-ha remixed by country men Apoptygma Berzerk
• The next single from the latest A-ha album will be the title track, "Lifelines". It will be released early July in two different versions, a standard one with a few extra tracks and a remix single with several remixers participating. One of them, quite surprisingly, is Apoptygma Berzerk. /Niklas Forsberg

Breaking News: Tinitus festival line-up with Front 242 and Boytronic
• This year's Tinitus festival will take place on November 2 at Münchenbryggeriet in Stockholm. Live on two stages: Front 242, Boytronic, Covenant, Dive, Malaise, Tarmvred, System and The Pain Machinery. /Mikael Kahrle

Download's "III Steps Forward" collection shipped
• Originally labelled as remixes from the CD:s "III" and "Effector" outtakes onwards, Download's newest material shipped earlier this month. The previously planned "Moth" remix EP, "Resilient (remixes)" from 1997 were never released through their former label Nettwerk Productions (Canada). Now, repackaged independently by Cevin Key's team at Subconscious Studios (US) with new material added earlier this year with former member Phil Western it is now available as CD3 of the "Into the Vault" limited edition CD subscription series. The majority of the CD was recorded in 2002 to our surprise with only a few taken from "III" or "Effector". In the true D.I.Y. ethic, the CD cover photos are by Phil Western.
Download has not toured since 1996. Aborted Download touring in 2002 have been superceded by a planned Skinny Puppy tour for 2003. We will certainly see how this progresses as this type of news has often been later retracted. We will certainly see if this project continues depending on the new Skinny Puppy project's future priorities.
The next limited "Into the Vault" CD release - Plateau "Iceolater" - is set to be released on schedule. The previous CD "Puppy Gristle" is now sold out in it's current form. /Alex Veronac

Rolling Stones cover on next Garbage single

• The new Garbage single "Shut Your Mouth" is expected to show up on July 8 (Europe). It will offer a live cover version of Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses", "Happiness Part 2" and a live take on "Only Happy When It Rains" (except for the title track).
The band has plans for a B-sides compilation and will play the Glastonbury Festival on June 28. /Mikael Kahrle

Massive Attack use 30 piece orchestra
• Massive Attack are currently mixing their new album in London. It is scheduled for a September release and a single will of course be released prior to the album, in August as it seems now. The duo is using a 30 piece orchestra in two songs. Massive Attack are working in their usual slow manner and claim a certain Asian sport event isn't helping up the situation. /Mikael Kahrle

Gothic fest in Toronto with 14 DJ:s
• A revival of the gothic scene in Toronto has given rise to ReJUVEnator on June 22 at The Reverb and Holy Joe's venues. A gothic event including all ages day festival events with various exhibits and demonstrations from fashion, writing and crafts. There will also be modern dance and theatrical performances throughout the day. The evening Goth Gala will include local bands Perdition, Universal Love Attack and Eden Ants and no less than 14 DJs rotating throughout the evening. /Alex Veronac

Skinny Puppy reborn in studio
• Uplifting news has come direct from Cevin Key on a revival of his former band. In addition to Mark Walk (Ohgr, Pigface, Ruby), Omar Torres and Statik (Collide), a few other collaborators have been at Subconscious Studios working on the new Skinny Puppy material with Key and Ogre.
Electro-ambient artist Otto von Shirach and guitarists William Morrison and Pat Sprawl have joined the group in the studio with Ken "Hiwatt" Marshall helping with production. Omar Torres helped out on Key's last solo CD "The Ghost of Each Room" and has become a key player at Subconscious. Morrison played with Ohgr live and is behind their two videos and many of Skinny Puppy's videos earlier.
The project seems to be described as Skinny Puppy "in between vivisect toodark process with all new intensity and direction" notes Key. They currently have twelve new tracks in demo form. Future plans include a CD release and planned world tour in 2003. /Alex Veronac

New Front 242 single shortly?

Clips from "24 Heures Du Mans".

• Front 242 are still in the studio working on a new release. A single might show up soon and there are loose plans for an album release in February next year. Previous information suggested September.
Daniel Bressanuti and Patrick Codenys have contributed to the "24 Heures Du Mans" project. Dubbed Speed Tribe, this side project to Front 242 is available on DVD/CD as well as the standard CD package since yesterday (June 17) released through Dance.Com (US).
The 60 minute companion audio CD contains exclusive remixes not contained on the DVD. Speed Tribe's "24 Heures Du Mans" audio serves as the soundtrack to visuals of the famous car race which takes place in Le Mans (France) each year. The racing theme DVD visuals were put together by Mediakill (UK) from last year's race footage including interviews by racing commentator Paul Truswell.
This project started back in 1995 when Daniel B and Patrick Codenys met young video director Rod Chong in Los Angeles. He was working on the Skinny Puppy "Curcible" video who went on to start up the creative firm Mediakill. It was at this time the three agreed to work together on audio visual projects. Mediakill has an array of clients including Meat Beat Manifesto, Atari Teenage Riot, Nine Inch Nails, Front Line Assembly, Marilyn Manson and Junkie XL to their credit as video creators. More info on Chong's Skinny Puppy "The Process" video work can be found here.
The Le Mans box set content is 90 minutes in length with all the latest latest DVD technology which is all region compatible. This is a treat for both music and race fans alike. A first generation Speed Tribe came to us with a track on the compilation CD "Future Noir" (1998) under a different line up. This compilation also contains another Front 242 side project, Male Or Female which included member Rod Chong. /Peter Marks, Alex Veronac

Soft Cell comeback on all fronts

• Five days ago we told you about the tour plans of Soft Cell and Marc Almond. Let's take a look at the extensive release plans.
The much-longed for new studio album by Soft Cell entitled "Cruelty Without Beauty" will be out this coming September with the lead single "Monoculture" preceeding it. This new album (the first since 1983's "This Last Night in Sodom") is described as "classic Soft Cell crossed with some modern elements". Surprisingly, there are rumours that Marc Almond will be slinging a guitar on some of the tracks.
Soft Cell's retrospective disc "The Very Best of Soft Cell" has been out since April 1 and contains many of the songs which made them famous and quite a few that eluded the pop public as well as two new ones and two remixes. A review is finally in progress now, after a late reaction from Universal. There are also plans for a new live album to be released next year. All albums are released via Cooking Vinyl Records and Universal. /Peter Marks

DAF reunites on stage

• The original line-up of DAF will play an exclusive concert at the Berlin Club Casino during the Love Parade on July 12. This follows in the footsteps of the success from the book and CD compilation "Verschwende Deine Jugend". /Jens Krause

Alien Sex Fiend's new album coming soon
• The follow-up to 1997's "Nocturnal Emissions" is entitled "Information Overload" and will be put out later this year. The only confirmed members for this release are Nik Fiend and his wife Mrs Fiend. 13th Moon records will be issuing this album and more than likely there will be a tour to promote this work.
In other ASF news, "Flashbacks", the latest live album by the Fiends is out and available via Almafame Records. /Peter Marks

Swedish debutants Z-Prochek starts off with EP



• The debut material from Swedish EBM band Z Prochek is now ready for a release on June 21 (Synapse Records). This first effort is a seven track EP called "In My Mind" with remixes from Epsilon Minus, Colony 5 and Pride & Fall. The band is made up of two Swedish lads called Johan and Martin, who met just two years ago. /Johan Carlsson