News editors: Mikael Kahrle & Johan Carlsson

The festival weekend is here

Busy days for Skinny Puppy.

• Two important European festivals take place this weekend.
First, we have the 13th Arvika Festival in Sweden which kicks off on Thursday. The weather forecast looks pretty good and so does the program with Kraftwerk, Skinny Puppy, Fixmer/McCarthy, Echo & the Bunnymen, FSOL presents Amorphous Androgynous, My Dying Bride, Weeping Willows and many more. From Release, expect me, Lotta, Johan, Kalle and Peter, our photographer. Read the spotlight now, and afterwards a report, of course.
On Friday, it's time for the Zillo Festival with (again) Skinny Puppy, DAF, Das Ich, Laibach, Suicide Commando and a few others. Karin from Release will go there and then to the Skinny Puppy plus Portion Control gig in London afterwards. /Mikael Kahrle

20 new NIN songs considered for 2005 album

• The Nine Inch Nails web site Access quotes an inspired Trent Reznor as he talks about the new album. 20 tracks are considered for the yet untitled record which will be produced by Reznor himself. Drummer Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters) has been brought in on 15 tracks and Reznor is impressed with what he has accomplished in the studio. Others involved in the process are Alan Moulder, Atticus Ross, Leo Herrera, James Brown (not that James Brown) and Rick Rubin. The album mix will take place in October and the release early next year, Reznor thinks.
Prior to that, this autumn, we can expect the "Closure" DVD with extras and "The Downward Spiral" in a deluxe double CD re-release edition with 5.1 sound. /Mikael Kahrle

Rammstein release video, tour plans – and license plate

Guten Appetit. The single will be served shortly.

• Today, we launched our brand new Rammstein interview including four never before seen pictures. This interview is a Release exclusive and not published elsewhere. Don't miss it.
The first video from the new Rammstein album "Reise Reise", "Mein Teil", premiered on Viva and MTV in Germany today. From yesterday and on, it can be experienced in the fan area of the official web site (membership is €36/year). Read more about the video at Rammsteinfan.de.
The new release dates for the single is July 26 (GAS) and August 30 (the rest of the world). Totally different release dates in different territories of course stimulates internet downloading (and import).
The CD:s (two: digipak and jewelcase) track list looks as follows: 1) "Mein Teil" 2) "Mein Teil" You Are What You Eat Edit by Pet Shop Boys 3) "Mein Teil" Return to the New York Buffet remix by Arthur Baker 4) "Mein Teil" There Are No Guitars on This Mix by Pet Shop Boys + enhanced part. A 12" comes with the Baker and one of the PSB remixes.
In further news, Rammstein have just announced the dates for a German arena/hall tour in November-December.

Last but not least, in our hunt for strange band merchandising we have come to "Reise Reise" - the license plate holder. We note that we get to see an album license plate before the album cover image. /Mikael Kahrle

Arabs rock in new "No W" Ministry video
• Sanctuary Records has posted the new Ministry video "No W" in support of their latest CD "Houses of the Molé", which was released two weeks ago. The video premiered on USA's MTV and is a comment on Al Jourgensen's dislike for US president George "Dubya" Bush as the title refers to. Images show Jourgensen dressed in white arab-like robe with the band in the desert accompanied by a chorus of "arabs" on the background hilltop. See it for yourself: hi, med or lo quality.
Catch our latest interview spotlight with Ministry here. /Alex Veronac

Hot new products from Das Ich

The Das Ich merchandise catalogue is full of new and old products, like the Das Ich multi-CD folder, the Das Ich make-up bag - and this, the Das Ich tanga.

• Germany's Wagnerian disciples Das Ich released their new album "Lava: Asche" on June 29. There is also a second edition of the album entitled "Lava: Glut"and a DVD, "Lava: Addendum", which contains impressions from the Das Ich 2003 US tour as well as live tracks performed for their largest audience at M'era Luna festival in 2002. In a strictly limited edition you get all three "Lavas".
Das Ich have been touring Europe since April in support of the new CD and told Release that they are looking forward to performing at Zillo Festival.
On a side-note, Bruno Kramm tells us that while they were a young band touring in the late 1980's, they had little knowledge of industrial act Skinny Puppy. It's by coincidence that they both have similar ideals in terms of animal rights and socio-politics. /Peter Marks, Alex Veronac

Jon Spencer lines up celebs
• Heavy on the celeb guests as always, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion are currently recording a new album with the aid of DJ Shadow, David Holmes, Dan the Automator, Alan Moulder, ex-Tricky singer Martina Topley-Bird and Chuck D of Public Enemy - among others. The album is to be called "Monster" and is scheduled for a September 27 release (Mute/EMI).
With guests as these, this will hopefully be a return to more adventurous sonic territories than on the surprisingly retro-sounding last Blues Explosion album "Plastic Fang" from 2002. /Kristoffer Noheden

New Morrissey single with three B-sides in three formats
• The second single from Morrissey's album "You Are the Quarry", "First of the Gang to Die", will come in three formats (mini CD, 7" vinyl and DVD single with the video and photo galleries) and with no less than three B-sides ("My Life Is a Succession of People Saying Goodbye", "Teenage Dad on His Estate" and "Mexico"). July 12 will see the world-wide release, followed by the US release the day after. /Mikael Kahrle

Sold-out but rainy Roskilde opens today
• David Bowie has cancelled his Roskilde Festival gig and is replaced by somewhat different artist Slipknot. 73 000 of the 75 000 tickets were sold two days ago and today the festival was sold-out. Roskilde starts today with rain and a rather weak line-up (according to Release) including just a few interesting acts such as Karl Bartos, Bergman Rock, Fatboy Slim, LFO, Morrissey, Muse, Pixies, Syntax and Wire. /Mikael Kahrle

Covenant to SSC Encounter

Covenant back at SSC. From left to right: Eskil Simonsson (Covenant), Fredrik Rundqvist (SSC label manager/A&R and Playground deputy MD), Joakim Montelius (Covenant), Kristofer Elofsson (SSC promotion manager/A&R, Playground label manager), Alexander Hofman (SSC production manager, Playground, S.P.O.C.K) and Clas Nachmanson (Covenant).

• Record label SubSpace Communication's mini festival The SubSpace Encounter will reappear on August 20 as a part of the free Malmö Festival, Sweden. Eight bands will perform live, among them Covenant, Alice in Videoland, Pluxus, Universal Poplab and Run Level Zero. Not all are SSC bands.
In Scandinavia, Covenant have returned to SSC and their close distribution partner Playground for their sixth album. Studio work will commence this autumn. SSC released two Covenant albums before they moved to Sony/KA2 for the last album. KA2 is no more. Covenant are signed to SPV outside Scandinavia. /Mikael Kahrle

Images in Vogue announce live date

Image of Images in Vogue live 2002, Toronto.
Photo by: Alex Veronac (Release)

• Images in Vogue has announced they will reunite for a special concert to celebrate the release of their latest CD "Collection 2:Chronology". The gig will mark their first return to hometown Vancouver as a live act in 19 years! Following their last concert there in June 1985, the band had moved to Toronto for their "In the House" tour before their ultimate demise later that decade.
Confirmed veteran members for the August 20 gig are: Dale Martindale, Glen Nelson, Joe Vizvary, Gary B Smith, Ed Shaw and an "unconfirmed but possible" founding member Don Gordon (of Numb, Halo_Gen). Filling in on drums is Sean Stubbs, also ex-member of Numb. Another band of that wave era, Spoons, will support as they did at the last Images in Vogue gig in late 2002. /Alex Veronac