News editors: Mikael Kahrle & Johan Carlsson

Early launch for Covenant album

Eskil Simonsson live at Arvika.
Photo by: Mikael Kahrle (Release)

• We are used to the opposite. But we can tell you the release date for the Covenant album "Northern Light" is moved closer - to September 30.
We have received a promo album with all the songs. However, they are not full-length, probably to disturb certain Internet activities. But this also disturbs our work, since we cannot judge the songs in full and have no idea what is hidden in the last parts of the songs. We have listened to eleven songs, two to three minutes in length, over the time of one week.
This is an album true to the cold and hard Covenant tradition with few changes in style compared to previous work. However, Covenant are being more and more laidback and minimalistic with atmospheric ingredients à la J M Jarre on top of their monotone sound carpets and clubby beats. And of course, the vocals are taken further here. No rock elements to be found although the producer is Jacob Hellner (Rammstein, Clawfinger).
Songs with hit potential include the powerful "We Stand Alone" (played live at Arvika Festival), old style Covenant EBM-piece "We Want Revolution", the groovy pop song "Bullet", the first single "Call the Ships to Port" and the mass-consumer friendly but beautiful ballad "Invisible & Silent".
"Call the Ships to Port" is first released as two vinyl singles and followed by a CD single release on August 12. Remixers include Thomas B Heckmann, Oliver Klitzing and Kaylab. /Mikael Kahrle

Album and single with Front 242 side project
• The side project of the Front 242 members Patrick Codenys and Daniel B, M.or.F (Male or Female) has now a label deal and the first official release is an EP. A full-length-album are planned for September 2002.
Front 242 are in the studio to produce a new record as well, but at the moment all tracks exist only in demo stage. /Jens Krause

New Rammstein compilation

• Rammstein have released a strictly limited DJ edition CD called "Der musikalische Staub". It is available in two versions with green and red covers respectively (but with the same contents). The CD:s include remixes only, by Sascha Konietzko, Günter Schulz, Jacob Hellner, Eskimos & Egypt, DJ Victor and others. /Jens Krause

Comeback for Steril with new label and album
• The electro crossover band Steril is back with a new album on a new label. The band has signed a new contract with Strange Ways and on September 23 it's time for "Purification". The sound of the new Steril is quite unusual for a German band - a fusion of music like Underworld, Chemical Brothers, Leftfield - and classic EBM. /Jens Krause

Action from Saint Etienne
• August 12 marks the new single from British pop veterans Saint Etienne. The CD single "Action" includes the title song and two other pieces. A CD maxi and 12" will also be manufactured. The album "Finistere" follows in the Autumn. /Mikael Kahrle

Made in Sheffield and available now

In the Nursery at SAMA.

• The documentary film "Made in Sheffield" which features interviews and rare archive footage of bands connected to the Sheffield, England scene between 1977 and 1982 is being peddled by In the Nursery and can be ordered via their site shop. Featured bands include Heaven 17, Cabaret Voltaire and ABC. One wonders if The Future or Clock DVA will be on this tape... /Peter Marks

NovaMute awarded
• The Mute sub label NovaMute won the "best label" award at Musik & Maschine Awards in Berlin last weekend. /Mikael Kahrle

New NON album out next month
• Noise veteran Boyd Rice aka NON will release a new album, "Children of the Black Sun", on Mute on August 26. /Kristoffer Noheden

Camouflage single and album this autumn?

• The latest from the Camouflage camp is that a new single will be released in September, with the long awaited and heavily delayed comeback album "Sensor" due out in October.
On the Camouflage web site you can currently follow the development of "Sensor" continually by reading about the progress of the album. Sound clips and video clips will be added too. /Niklas Forsberg

More Front 242 live in 2002 and Soft Cell cancels again
• Eurorock is just two weeks away and surprisingly Front 242 has been added to headline the last night August 4. Also mentioned in a press release is the fact that they have a new audio-visual material for this gig. Can there be more dates announced other than Tinitus in Stockholm for Front 242 with this new stageshow?
At this same time comes the cancellation of Soft Cell from the Belgian Eurorock festival set in Lommel. The four day Eurorock includes the talents of Suicide Commando , The Neon Judgement, Covenant, Noisex, Hocico and In the Nursery. /Alex Veronac

Delayed Echo Image single finally here

• The new Echo Image single "Endless Day", their first on Hard:Drive, will finally be released late July. The title track will be included in two versions as well as a bonus track. The synthpop band is currently working hard on material for a second album. /Niklas Forsberg

What has Chris Connelly been doing lately?
• Well, if you preferred Chris Connelly screaming incomprehensibly on Ministry’s “TV-song” you may be disappointed. After contributing to Ministry, Revolting Cocks, Damage Manual, Pigface, Murder Inc and Finitribe and others, his solo career as a singer-songwriter seems to have become his main focus. It started way back in 1991 with “Whiplash Boychild”, which was followed by a number of albums in an acoustic, folk-inspired style. He carries on in the same vein on his recently released sixth solo album “Private Education”, almost alone with his guitar and his Bowie-like voice crooning poetic lyrics. /Mattias Huss

Lovefield - the biggest open air techno-festival in northern Germany
• Now, from July 18 to 21, the seventh Lovefield festival takes place near Hamburg. A long list of bands and DJ:s perform on four stages during four days. The record and event organisation Freeform Network is behind it all, including a "Lovefield" compilation. /Jens Krause

Arvika - the ideal festival?

Das Ich returned to Arvika this year - late the last festival night.
Photo by: Mikael Kahrle (Release)

• Last weekend's Arvika Festival was a huge success with a record breaking 14 000 visitors and no incidents whatsoever. The Cure, Primal Scream, Das Ich, Covenant, The Mission, Luke Slater, Orbital, Soft Cell and about 100 more bands performed during the three days. The plans for the 2003 edition (July 10-12) looks bright.
Check out our report with lots of pictures and details. /Mikael Kahrle

...but dark figures for Love Parade
• "Only" half a million people visited the Berlin Love Parade (although it's slightly more than the first year's 150). About 750 000 was expected though.
460 people were carried to hospitals, 3 400 asked for medical assistance and 2 000 were arrested, all according TT/AFP. Perhaps the techno and rave glory days are over, even in Germany. /Mikael Kahrle

Breaking News: Scandal gig with DAF at Love Parade

Embarrassed? DAF played short and late.
Photo by: Jens Krause (Release)

• Last weekend also saw the reunion gig of the legendary DAF. But for many fans it was a scandal.
The band was scheduled to play from 21.00 to 23.00 at the Praxxiz label night in the Berlin Club Casino. DAF appeared two and a half hours late on stage and played just six songs in 30 minutes. All for the entrance fee of €22. Many of fans from Germany, UK, Poland, The Netherlands and other countries were angry. But the gig was powerful and appreciated while it lasted and Gabi Delgado and Robert Görl enjoyed themselves on stage.
DAF played "Roter Mund", "Der Mussolini", "Ich & die Wirklichkeit", "Rote Lippen", "Ich Will", "Verschwende Deine Jugend" - and then "Der Mussolini" again as bonus (!). Not from a lack of back catalogue, one could claim. No new or rearranged songs and the gig was about the same as when Gabi Delgado and Wotan Wilke performed as DAF.DOS a couple of years ago.
The reborn band is working on a new album, destined for a release next year on the German label Superstar Recordings.
DAF have a new undeveloped web site. /Jens Krause