Non music-related: Iraq Body Count, "an independent and comprehensive public database of civilian deaths in Iraq resulting directly from military actions by the USA and its allies in 2003."

Teemu Raimoranta, better known as Somnium died sundaymorning. He played guitar in Finntroll and Impaled Nazarene. Word on the street is suicide, but no official news yet.

Shizzolate that shiznit wit Da Shizzolator! Fo' shizzle, bizzle...

Non music-related: The "Dubya War Glossary".

A Mighty Wind is a 'folkumentary' about The Folksmen. The movie is directed by Christopher Guest, better known as Nigel Tufnel, leadguitarist of Spinal Tap.

Jan Axel Hellhammer Blomberg, drummer in Winds, Arcturus and Mayhem reportedly quit The Kovenant.

John Zorn's notorious jazzcore project Naked City reunites in June! Sofar we know about June 17th at the Holland Festival (in, you guessed it, Holland), planned as a larger Zorn-special and the 18th at the Warsaw Summer Jazz Days in Poland. Whether Mike Patton, Yamantaka EYE or Zorn himself will provide vocals is unsure.

Radiohead

Radiohead's 6th studio album is scheduled for a June 9 release, with the first single to be released on May 16th. It has currently two different working titles (2+2=5 and Are You Listening.) Full story here.

Tricky's new album is recorded and will hit the shelves on May 16th. Two years after Blowback, the album will be called Vulnerable and is recorded with the Italian singer Costanza Francavilla.

Bjork has announced that she has completed her 5th studio album with the working title Lake Experience. According to her website, she recorded 1 song per day and the album will be finished in the coming weeks.

bork

Guitarist Jens F. Ryland left Borknagar recently. His decision is based on various personal reasons. There is no conflict nor bad blood in relations to the break with the band and it will have no effect on the recording of the next album. Borknagar will start recording the album at Toproom Studios in mid- march. Expect a late year release.

Word on the street is that Øyvind Hægeland of Norwegian progmetal outfitSpiral Architect will be the new singer in Arcturus.

After releasing A Livingroom Hush earlier this year, Ninja Tune will release Jaga Jazzist's sophomore masterpiece The Stix in April.

Recording, mixing and mastering is complete for the next Bumblefoot CD, "Forgotten Anthology", a collection of 18 songs from 1995 - 2002 that didn't make it onto their intended CD releases. The songs either weren't fully written, fully recorded, or they didn't fit the direction of the album at the time. Scheduled for release in mid-March 2003.

Aphex

Aphex Twin's breathtaking 26 Remixes For Cash DR designed double CD album is out on March 24th. Aphex is confirmed for a few Euro dates with Masami Akita & Russell Haswell aka Satanstornade. More info? Check Warp Records.

Opeth.com announces that the band's new album, Damnation, will probably be pushed back to a May release, as the band's hectic tour schedule will interfere with the intended March/April release date.

After a five years break, Lollapolooza is back. This summer it will be headlined by Jane's Addiction and will include Audioslave,Incubus and Queens of the Stone Age.

BWBK reports that Garm has quit Arcturus and that Ulver's new album will be called Utopian Enterprises. Click here for the full article.

Katatonia's 6th album will be entitled Viva Emptiness and is scheduled for a March 24th release. A 3-track CD single, Ghost Of The Sun will also precede the album. A comprehensive European tour starts in Finland on 2nd April.

The famous producer Phil Spector, notorious for his 'Wall Of Sound' which applied on artists as diverse as The Ronettes and The Ramones, has been arrested on account of murder. Monday morning a woman was shot in the producer's home. More info can be found here.