News editor: Mikael Kahrle

Samples of all Depeche Mode album songs will be made available

• The official Depeche Mode site will offer clips from all the "Exciter" songs. So far, only the single "Dream on" is published. However, when we checked the site twice it was only six seconds long. The complete clip (still short, however), can be downloaded from other sources like Napster. Of course, the DM site will probably fix the problem shortly.
From Wednesday and forward, two song clips per day will be made available. New photos and quotes can be expected as well. Some people might be interested in the "Exciter" press release, up since a few days back.
More, about the "Dream on" extra song and remixes, in the near future. /Mikael Kahrle

Haujobb’s new rockier album "Polarity" out in May
• After a successful tour of the US, Daniel Myer and Dejan Samardzic, better known as Haujobb, can now concentrate on finishing their new album “Polarity”. The album should be released by Metropolis in early May and is supposed to be a return to the sound of “Solutions for a Small Planet”, but with rock elements. No European release details are known as of now.
If you want a preview of "Polarity", go to www.planetmyer.de where you will find samples of both Haujobb and side project tracks. To promote the album, Daniel will DJ at different locations in the US between February 9 and March 3. /Johan Carlsson

Slovenians make "Peter Pan" music

• Slovenian laid-back electropop act Silence work on music for a children theatre version of "Peter Pan" in the capital Ljubljana. The first performance will take place on March 1.
Silence have earlier composed music for dance theatre "Midnight Meat Flight". New live dates in February features brand new and rearranged songs by the band.
The single "Son of Sin", featuring a remix of Deine Lakaien's Ernst Horn, is their latest release. /Sussi Pettersson, Mikael Kahrle

Deine Lakaien singer release melancholic follow-up album
• Deine Lakaien's singer Alexander Veljanov will deliver the follow-up "The Sweet Life", to his first solo album, the flop "Secrets of the Silver Tongue". The first new sign will be the single "Fly Away" on March 12. Expect the album from Motor/Universal in April. Veljanov's music is a beautiful and melancholic mix of pop and darkwave. /Jens Krause

What's going on In the Nursery?
• In the Nursery could be called “In the Studio” these days, because that’s where they are right now. They're recording “Engel”, a multimedia project scheduled for release in October 2001. However, in June they will leave the studio to perform live at Wave Gotik Treffen in Leipzig, Germany. In addition, their track “White Robe” has been licensed for the new Paramount film “Along Came a Spider”, directed by Lee Tamahori. /Johan Carlsson

Stockhausen and Moog awarded
• Electronic/classic composer and music legend Karlheinz Stockhausen will receive the Swedish Polar Prize. A well-deserved special price also goes to good old Robert Moog. Both gentlemen are of course featured in old issues of the printed Release. /Mikael Kahrle

Marilyn Manson backs Godhead

Headache?

• Industrial goth rock act Godhead deliver their new album this week. It's called "2000 Years of Human Error", is produced by Danny Saber (Black Sabbath, U2) and mixed by John X Volaitis (Orgy, Marilyn Manson, Korn).
Marilyn Manson has been executive producer and Godhead was the first band to be signed to his new Posthuman Records. Manson especially worked hard on the Beatles cover "Eleanor Rigby" and the song "Sinking". His vocals can also be heard in the song "Break You Down". David Bowie's guitar player Reeves Gabrels co-produced and played on the track "Tired Old Man".
As things appear above, the album is likely to be a hit regardless of other circumstances.
A review is being made as we speak and "Eleanor Rigby" is in our Playlist. /Mikael Kahrle

Lots of new details on Depeche Mode

Martin Gore playing one of the tones on "Exciter" late last year.

• Depeche Mode shows up in almost every News edition these days, it seems. This time, we have lots of new stuff to tell you.
The new album "Exciter" will be mastered on January 30 and Anton Corbijn will design the artwork. The UK release date is May 14 (Mute) and in USA it's May 15 (Reprise).
Selected track listing: "The Sweetest Condition", "When the Body Speaks", "Breathe" (with Martin Gore on vocals), "Goodnight Lovers", "Freelove", "I Am You" and the first single "Dream on" (BONG30). The Mute release of it is scheduled for April 23 and USA will follow shortly after on a date yet to be decided. "Dream on" is said to built like "Personal Jesus" and "I Feel You" when it comes to beats contrasting against guitars.
David Gahan is excited over the new album.
- It could have been songs from various different years of Depeche Mode. It's almost like a "greatest hits"' of songs that haven't been released yet. /Mikael Kahrle

Rammstein single and album dates

• Now, we have the details on Rammstein's future plans. The new album "Mutter" ("Mother") by the Berlin band is scheduled for April 2. It shows both old and new Rammstein sound ideas.
The first single taken off the album is "Sonne" ("Sun") and the release date is February 12. We can say that "Sonne" is the perfect Rammstein song in technopop mixed with metal style.
Since the album has been moved forward, Rammstein's planned tour to Australia and Japan - and later other territories - is delayed. /Jens Krause

"Read my lips"

• Oghr's (Nivek Ogre (pic) and producer Mark Walk) "Welt" album is going to be released in America on March 20 by Spitfire Records. In addition to the standard edition, it will also be released in a limited edition of 4 000 copies. There will be no difference in the track listing, instead it will have a fold-out sleeve and extra pictures. For Scandinavia, Playground Music lists February 19, but that is likely to change. The Swedish music business magazine MI even claims the album was released on January 22.
If you want to hear two complete songs and experience a Flash clip, go to www.spitfirerecords.com. CDNOW has short clips of all album songs. /Johan Carlsson, Mikael Kahrle

Nick Cave single due in March
• Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' forthcoming album, "No More Shall We Part", will be preceded by the single "As I Sat Sadly by Her Side" on March 19. /Kristoffer Noheden

Belgian legends Neon Judgement back on track

• The legendary Belgian alternative duo The Neon Judgement has a special place for some people, who were into EBM and darkwave in the eighties. Not all of them know that the band has released the newer albums "At Devil's Fork" (1995) and "Dazsoo" (1998).
- Both records were released without strong promotion or support. Although we invested a lot of energy in this work, member Dirk DaDavo (pic) tells Release.
By the end of 1998, Dirk and his friend T B Frank decided to leave their record company KK Records. After that, they haven't released anything (yet). But they have played live.
- During 2000 we noticed a demand for us playing our eighties songs live. Some of the songs weren't performed for about twelve years, but they still worked very well after all this time. Rehearsals went well and that stimulated us, Dirk thinks.
The Neon Judgement played in Spain and in front of an enormous crowd at Eurorock in Belgium, which of course gave the old band a thrill.
- 20 000 people thought we were right, Dirk summarises.
The Neon Judgement will now perform in their home country once again in February/March, in Sweden in April and Germany later on. They are even considering a live album. A new web site is on its way. And hopefully some new music.
More on Dirk DaDavo and his solo projects in a forthcoming News edition. /Mikael Kahrle

Depeche Mode album title revealed
• The Depeche Mode album title competition is over and a winner is picked. The title will be "Exciter" and as you probably know by now, the release month is May. /Mikael Kahrle

Album preview: "2001: a S.P.O.C.K Odyssey"

• "2001: a S.P.O.C.K Odyssey" is one of many soon-to-be-released records that arrived to us this week. This fifth S.P.O.C.K album is (still) to be released on February 5, after serious delays.
First listening rounds shows that the pop trio has taken the modern, quite commercial sound from the last album a step further and they are now pretty far from where they started 13 years ago. This can also be heard on the representative brand new single "Where Rockets Fly". The second single will be "Queen of Space" (March 5).
It's a well-produced, professional-sounding and homogenous album with a strong resemblance with other new, updated synthpop. For example, the song "Reactivated" is similar to Heaven 17's new sound on "Bigger Than America". The S.P.O.C.K team has obviously been working hard on the vocals.
"Mr Jones", about a 17-eyed clone, the fifth of 200, features once again Johan "Yo-Haan" Malmgren on vocals. Astrogirl is back again in "Astrogirl's Secret". The 12-song full-length ends in "End of the Universe"
"2001: a S.P.O.C.K Odyssey" was recorded in Malmö, Sweden during January through October, 2000. The cover is the second to be drawn by Spanish cartoonist Daniel Torres. The booklet shows some blurry (referred to as "artistic") pictures taken by Johan Berglund, awarded "photographer of the year" and for "picture of the year" in Sweden 1999. S.P.O.C.K's new uniforms are designed by "Hard Helga".
Expect a review in the near future. /Mikael Kahrle

Female electronica pop from Norway
• Bertine Zetlitz won two Norwegian Grammies for her debut "Morbid Late Night Show". As all Scandinavians females doing pop with a modern electronic background, she has been compared to Björk. On February 5, EMI puts out her new album "Beautiful So Far", recorded in the Swedish Tambourine Studios. The second single "Cruel" is on its way. Zetlitz is one of few Norwegian pop artists with a potential to hit abroad. /Mikael Kahrle

Four picture vinyls of important electro albums
• Hot Stuff continues to slowly release picture-LP:s of important electro albums. Each release is made in 200 copies with a new layout. The Swedish company has just released Covenant's "Sequencer" and Mesh' "In This Place Forever". Previously released: S.P.O.C.K: "Assignment: Earth" and Elegant Machinery: "Yesterday Man". /Mikael Kahrle

What about the future of Skinny Puppy?

Photo by: Alex Veronac
Nivek Ogre live at Doomsday.

• We asked Nettwerk about when we can expect Skinny Puppy's "Back and Forth Volume Five". This is based upon recordings from August's Doomsday Festival reunion gig and will be probably made available in CD, VHS and DVD formats. Catherine McLaren, Nettwerk's international vice president:
- We don't have an official release date yet. Skinny Puppy are still waiting to mix this record with Greg Reely. At present Greg has been more than busy with the new Delerium material and a new Nettwerk signing, Jenifer McLaren (not my relative!), who is completing her album. As soon as this is done, the mixing will begin.
The releases will by licensed to SPV in Europe. Furthermore, Nettwerk has made sure most of the back catalogue is available.
There is still no word about a possible continuation of Skinny Puppy or if they will play at Wave Gotik Treffen in Germany. They might have problems figuring out how they could beat their Doomsday gig. /Mikael Kahrle

Album preview: Project Pitchfork's "Daimonion"

Photo by: Dirk Schelpmeier
A brand new pic of Project Pitchfork.

• Another new CD spinning at the Release office is a seven-track sampler of the forthcoming Project Pitchfork 14-track album "Daimonion" (EastWest Germany, February 26). It's the follow-up to "Eon:Eon" and produced by Peter Spilles and Jürgen Jansen.
Some of you might have heard the first single called "Existence", currently number two in the German Alternative Charts DAC. It's a fast piece with hard guitars and beats. The single offers two versions and two album tracks.
The song "Daimonion - You Hear Me in My Dreams" features bagpipes in a clean and laidback sound. "Timekiller" makes you think about Apoptygma Berzerk, with its poppy techno-meets-EBM sound. It's probably a possible future single choice.
All songs are quite typical for Pitchfork, especially when it comes to the lyrics and (poor) monotonous vocals. We are as always talking about atmospheric EBM with pieces from rock, darkwave, pop and techno.
The theme of the album is (once again) philosophy and karma. Front man Peter Spilles wants his band to be the perfect fusion between philosophy and technology. /Mikael Kahrle

Blind Passengers on tour
• After the release of their new album "Neosaphiens", German electro veterans Blind Passengers intend to go on tour. Expect 17 dates in Germany and one in Switzerland between March 10 and May 12. /Jens Krause

New single with bob hund on January 31
• January 31 marks the release of the first single in a long time, from Sweden's weirdo-indies bob hund. The single contains the songs "Skall du hänga med? Nä!!" and "Romeo", a cover by Wiper "with lyrics in bob hund-ish". bob hund and their English clone Bergman Rock is recording and rehearsing, but no details about the future has been set. /Mikael Kahrle

NIN live release details

• Nine Inch Nails' much talked about live release "Fragility" is now set to be out in March. It will be released both as a VHS and DVD, as well as on CD. /Kristoffer Noheden

Barry Adamson: new album in the spring
• Barry Adamson has just completed his new solo album, which is scheduled for a release this spring on Mute. /Kristoffer Noheden

Details on ex-Fields-men project
• A few days ago we told you about the Last Rites project, made up by ex-Fields of the Nephilim members. It's the Wright brothers who have signed up with Dreamcatcher Records for a possible album release in April or May. /Johan Astemark, Mikael Kahrle

Genre-trashing techno artist 2nd Gen release debut album
• Wayid Yaseen, a k a 2nd Gen, will release his debut album "Irony Is" on February 26. It will be preceded by the single "And/or" on February 12. A violent blend of hip hop techno and industrial noise, that features remixes by Techno Animal, Buckfunk 3000 and Kid Cold. /Kristoffer Noheden

Mesh live album released separately as expected

• Mesh first live album, "On This Tour Forever", has only been available in last year's live box (Memento Materia). On January 29, it's released on its own. As reported earlier, Mesh is busy with other projects now. /Mikael Kahrle

Young Gods reconquer their old position
• Once famous alternative stars Young Gods have put together a one month tour, which starts in their home country Switzerland on February 22. So far, dates in Switzerland, France, Belgium, Slovenia, The Netherlands, The Czech Republic, Spain and Portugal has been confirmed. Their new album "Second Nature" will be officially released in Germany in March. It has been available via import for some time though. /Mikael Kahrle

Many debutants on Memento Materia

• Female fronted atmospheric alternative act Neverwood from Finland is here with the debut album "Trapped Inside" on Memento Materia. It has been out for some time. So far, Neverwood have also released the single "Sky" and the new single "Ghost City" is here any day.
Memento Materia might need a really successful debutant, after the somewhat cool reception of Spanish electro solo project Iberian Spleen. Also, Swedish electronica duo Sadovaja say they had hoped for a better start, although things could have been far worse. Their second single "Trademark" is here any day now. Expect a radio edit, "Neverwood mix", "New Beat Dance Mix", the new piece "16 till I Die" and a Mark Clifford take on "Come for Once". /Mikael Kahrle

Nitzer Ebb release new 12" of old track
• Body and techno pioneers Nitzer Ebb will release a 12" on NovaMute featuring a previously unreleased mix of "Shame" from 1989 by American techno icon Derrick May. The 12" is likely to be out in the spring.
In the meantime member Bon Harris is busy with his project Maven. We will get back on this shortly. /Kristoffer Noheden, Mikael Kahrle

New album by Finnish noise masters
• Finland's noise stars Pan Sonic hope to deliver a new record on February 22 called "AALTOPIIRI". /Mikael Kahrle