After a three-year break, rock group Dzelzs Vilks has released a new album, Sārtā rītausma, featuring nine new songs. The group now begins a tour around Latvia to promote the record.

The release coincides with the group’s 16th anniversary. Dzelzs Vilks includes lead singer Juris Kaukulis, Armands Butkevičs on bass, Mārcis Judzis on drums and Kaspars Tobis on programming.

The group plays in the industrial metal style, but also has branched out into other genres, doing work for the theater and, in 2005, releasing an album of modern folk songs, Kur vakara zvaigzne lec.

Sārtā rītausma was released by Upe Tuviem un Tāliem, which has released several other of Dzelzs Vilks’ six albums.

Latvia’s entry in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest will perform last during the semi-final competition scheduled May 10, according to results of the draw announced March 12 in Helsinki.

Bonaparti.lv—a vocal sextet composed of Andris Ābelīte, Andris Ērglis, Normunds Jakušonoks, Roberto Meloni, Zigfrīds Muktupāvels and Kaspars Tīmanis—will perform 28th, right after Austria. If Bonaparti.lv is among the top 10 based on telephone voting on May 10, then it will advance to the final on May 12, joining nine other semi-final winners plus the top 10 finalists from last year’s contest, as well as France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom.

The question is whether six qualified Latvian singers perfomed “Questa notte,” a song in Italian, have a prayer going up against songs that no doubt will have broader popular appeal. But this is Eurovision, which last year was won by Finland’s reptilian monster rockers LORDI performing “Hard Rock, Hallelujah!”

Last year in Athens, Latvia’s a capella group Cosmos came in 16th overall.

Marija Naumova and Prāta Vētra have brought home the best results. Naumova—who performed second to last—shocked a lot of observers and viewers with her 2002 victory in Tallinn, Estonia, which led to Latvia hosting the contest in 2003. Pop band Prāta Vētra took third place in 2002, performing fourth from last in the contest held in Stockholm.

Perhaps you have heard the late Jimi Hendrix’s rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner,” played on electric guitar. But what about Armands Melnbārdis’ rendition of the American national anthem on electric seven-string violin?

Melnbārdis heads up a Daytona Beach, Fla., ensemble called Vio7. We’re not sure how to categorize the sound, except to say that it’s often loud and includes titles like “Day from Hell” and “Sick Dance.”

Vio7’s Web site includes downloadable MP3s of some of the band’s music, including an English version of the super-sad folk song “Gula meitiņa” (read the lyrics at Dziesmas.lv) that is translated as “Love Forever” and sung by fellow Latvian Dace Kamaly. Also available is a video of Melnbārdis performing “Star Spangled Banner.”

Melnbārdis and Vio7 also can be found on MySpace and draugiem.lv.

Thanks to Jānis Bībelnieks for sending us the link!