SANITY BURNS AIM FOR BLOODSTOCK!
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THURSDAY ROCK NIGHT - It's BACK!!!!
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Theatre of Tragedy bid farewell!
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Only 6 Band Quest slots left - apply now!

This week the following bands battle it out for a chance to win a place in the semi-finals of this years Band Quest! With chances to win places at Festivals, cash prizes, and more, as well as a chance to be on one of this years compilation CD's!

So come along and place your votes (alongside the 3 judges)!

THIS WEEKS BAND QUEST HEATS:

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22/03/10 - Event 29, Essex Metal Heat 6
Acts playing: THE FURIOUS HORDE, IONISE, LEGION
Venue: Edge Bar, Romford, Essex

Link to Facebook event

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23/03/10 - Event 30, Kent Alt Heat 6
Acts playing: THE GRAFTERS, SONGS FOR ASTRONAUTS, BLAME JANE
Venue: Bull n Vic, Dartford, Kent

Link to Facebook event

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24/03/10 - Event 31, London Alt Heat 6
Acts playing: GRIMHILDE, CRITIX, SHAUN GRIMSLEY
Venue: Dirty South, Lee, London

Link to Facebook event

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25/03/10 - Event 32, London Metal Heat 7
Acts playing: SONS OF TORMENT, DIE KUR, PROMETHEUS
Venue: New Cross Inn, New Cross, London

Link to Facebook event

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26/03/10 - Event 33, Kent Metal Heat 8
Acts playing: SANITY BURNS, SUNRISE FALLING, LYCAN'S BLOOD
Venue: Red Lion, Gravesend, Kent

Link to Facebook event

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28/03/10 - Event TBC, London Alt Heat TBC
Acts playing: TBC
Venue: New Cross Inn, New Cross, London

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Entry for all heats is just £3.00. Advanced tickets are available from the bands as well as WeGotTickets website (click on the buy ticket image to the left).

Buy a ticket in advance and arrive before 9.30pm and be in with the chance of winning a £10.00 bar voucher.

Please check the website for more details: www.bandquestuk.com.

For those with no access to Facebook all the above events and more can be seen in the eventmatrix gig guide.

With most of our live nights coming from the Band Quest side of things over the next 3-4 months don't expect this section to be that big. This doesn't mean we will only be running Band Quest events, as the event below shows....

THIS WEEKS NON BAND QUEST EVENTS:

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15/03/10 - Romford Roxx
Romford Roxx continues next week on the 29th March.
Venue: Edge Bar, Romford, Essex

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26/03/10 - Live At The Lion
Acts playing: TBC
Venue: Red Lion, Gravesend, Kent

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SELECTED EVENTS BY OTHER PROMOTORS:

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26/03/10 - Unholy Club
Acts playing: DJ 69, KING LIZARD + more
Venue: Scala, Kings Cross, London

Link to Facebook event page

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01/04/10 - METABOLIC - EASTER PARTY: Launching The New Massive Monthly Rock Night
Acts playing: DJs TBC
After weeks of considerations and consultations and ensuring this is something everyone wanted, Rock Night’s are BACK! Inspired by the Deon Weston Memorial night a collective of people will ensure this Monthly night is Massive and remembers its roots and Man behind the Memorial aka Spider!
Venue: Ivory Lounge, Bexleyheath

Link to Facebook event page

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23/05/10 - Bulletfest 3 (London Metal Fest)
Acts playing: MAN OF KIN, 9BLIND, KARYBDIS, MAXDMYZ, AFTER DEATH, GLASS ARTERY, HOSTILE THEORY, PHYREXIA
Venue: Scala, Kings Cross, London

Link to Facebook event page

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13/08/10 to 15/08/10 - Bloodstock Open Air
Acts playing: BAND QUEST BLOODSTOCK METAL TO MASSES WINNERS FOR KENT + ESSEX, HEAVEN AND HELL, SNAKEBITE, TWISTED SISTER, CHILDREN OF BODOM, FEAR FACTORY, BLOODBATH, DEVIN TOWNSEND, CANNIBAL CORPSE, BEHEMOTH, OBITUARY, KORPIKLANNI, DORO, GOJIRA, SONATA ARCTICA, EDGUY, GWAR, GORGOROTH, LEAVES EYES, SUFFOCATION, ROSS THE BOSS + many many more!
Venue: Catton Hall, Derby

Link to Eventmatrix event page

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Band: I WISH I WAS AN ASTRONAUT
Need: DRUMMER
Details: Should be able to get to Dartford/Erith area on Sundays for practice. Influences isn't a big deal but we would say our main influences are Brand New, Alexisonfire, At The Drive-In, Refused, early Feeder. Age 18+, Driving is a bonus but no big deal. We wan't the drummer to be more than just a beat in the background.
Contact: lcarver73@gmail.com
Link: www.myspace.com/iwiwaa

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Band: FARADAY CAGE
Need: BASSIST
Details: Influences include Radiohead, DJ Shadow, Aphex Twin, Nick Drake to Jeff Buckley. We are 15 going on 16 we would prefer our bassist to be 14-16 (maybe 17). We also want someone who is devoted to practice quite frequently. We are from Welling and Abbey Wood and would prefer our bassist to be from around those areas.
Contact: faradaycageband@hotmail.com
Link: Faraday Cage Rock Matrix profile

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Band: STORM THE GATES
Need: DRUMMER
Details: We are about to form a new band from the remaining members of Storm The Gates. The name will change.
Contact: stormthegates2008@googlemail.com
Link: www.myspace.com/stormthegatesuk

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Band: TEMPEST LOVE
Need: GUITARIST
Contact: tempest-love@live.com
Link: www.myspace.com/tempestloveuk

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Band: COMETH OF SOLACE
Need: DRUMMER
Contact: andylittlebritain@msn.com or ring 07941865704
Link: Cometh of Solace Rock Matrix profile

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Band: PRINCE KATOCO
Need: DRUMMER
Contact: cmp5000@hotmail.co.uk or ring Chris on 07506 550 303 or spoek@tiscali.co.uk or ring Joe on 07738 820 290
Link: www.myspace.com/princekatoco

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Musician available: TOM FITZGERALD
Plays: MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST / SONGWRITER
Details: Based in Dartford with own equipment and studio, looking for others. Influences: A Perfect Circle, Soundgarden, Tool, Muse, Radiohead etc.
Contact: ring 01322 284 009

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Musician available: DARREN HOLMES
Plays: SINGER
Contact: dareneholmes@hotmail.co.uk

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Thanks to the increase in the popularity of the Helsinki vampires since the release of the Devil's album in 2004 the UK has been treated to a steady flow of visits.

Main support on the night was from Lacrimas Profundere (7.5/10) who's mix of Him and 69 Eyes style gothic rock may at first seemed a little too close to the headliners style. It really didn’t get going until the mid point of their set when the entire venue was dragged into a moment of enlightenment. They seemed to move up through the gears, transfixing the crowd with their brand of dark rock and ensuring their name was on the lips of many after the night was over.

Nobody could accuse The 69 Eyes (8) of being an overnight success, although the recent attention accosted to them from the rock media may lead some newcomers to think differently. Twenty-one years of slogging away on the road and nine studio albums would conclude that this band is in its veteran period, but nothing could be further from the truth. In fact the way in which they approach their live performances and album releases would put younger bands to shame, and tonight is no different. With their long history of music mainly shelved in order to make room for more tracks from last years album 'Back in Blood' tonight was all about the 69 Eyes of 2010.

'Back in blood' itself opened proceedings complete with its dark rolling riffs, igniting the night like Billy Idol fronting the Sisters of Mercy. 'Never say die' from 'Angels' follows, showcasing the brooding vocals of front man Jyrki 69. The start of 'The good, the bad and the undead' could be a gothic Gary Glitter with its group chant of "Hail, Hail, Rock n Roll" but it is the wonderfully sleazy riff that runs throughout that punches the hardest. The wonderfully dark 'Dance D'amour' and 'Lips of blood' follow before classic 'Gothic girl' shows why it has ruled goth club dance floors for ten years.

It is at this point the set takes a little dip, due to the material played, not the quality. The slickness of the last 2 albums means any continued run of tracks from this period leads to a loss of grittiness in the performance, meaning the likes of 'Perfect skin' and 'Hunger' come and go before 'Feel Berlin' kicks off the latter end of the set in style.

'Dead girls are easy' and the titanic sounding 'Devils' rounds the main set off before the band return with a run through of 'Framed in blood' and 'Brandon lee' which helps sends the crowd wilder than they have been all night. In a week which has seen Lost Boys film star Corey Haim bid farewell to this life the final track 'Lost boys' seems to radiate a cloud of empathy, although this doesn't sour the mood of a crowd ready to depart after a good gigging experience.

It was only at the after show party at The Gaff that it was realised that the band have not only spent twenty-one years finding the right goth n roll recipe, but now do it 69 times better than anyone else. As the likes of DJ Angel span a mix of sleazy hard rock and of course, The 69 Eyes into the early hours there was only thing left to say.

"Hail, Hail, Rock n Roll!"

Review by Alan Hicks

Sunday evenings always have a dark cloud hovering over them, signifying the end of the weekend and the approach of the working week. Luckily 5 quality female fronted bands on one bill in Camden does a good job of lifting the mood.

To give credit to the London crowd the Camden Underworld was pretty packed from the offset meaning openers The Mariana Hollow (8/10) benefited from a cracking atmosphere. Of course this would have meant very little if they had not taken advantage but their brand of dark alternative metal went down a storm. The likes of 'Enemy lines' seems to cover so much ground, with thick guitars making way for intricate progressive passages. The songs expand, catching those before them on a breeze of irresistible melody, sweeping the crowd away in a thirty minute lesson in song writing. If The Mariana Hollow remain unsigned for long the world will implode.

Tonight may be all about the headliners but Pythia (6.5) seemed to bring a quarter of the crowd. At least 4 lines of fans with the band name gleaming from their t-shirts take over the area immediately in front of the stage. Compared to the band before they seem a little generic but the set is delivered with power and it is impossible not to take notice. Front woman Emily Alice dominates the performance, almost baying the audience to get involved, and involved they do as they give the band one of the biggest cheers of the night.

Listening to To-Mera (7) is sometimes like having your joints bent in the wrong direction, but in a nice way of course. The time changes and jumps from rip-roaring riff-age to gentle jazz mutterings can be heart stopping at times, especially when bouts of melody hit you at the most unexpected moments. Fortunately they fare better tonight than at the Purple Turtle late last year when the sound did it's best to ruin every band on the bill. The likes of 'Blood' may have been left out but tracks from the new 'Earthbound' EP keep the crowds attention and suggest the band are building towards a more stable future.

Where Angels Fall (6) do their best to warm the crowd before the headliners but Eirin Bendigtsen's vocals struggle to penetrate the huge guitar sound of Andre Bendigtsen. They may be the most gothic sounding band so far but they are also the loudest.

Tonight though is all about one band and the fact this will be their last ever visit to the UK makes it a special one.

Theatre of Tragedy (8.5) have not made it easy for their fans over the years. Their changing styles have led some to question their love for the band, especially during their more electronic period. Like Paradise Lost though, in recent years a return to a more familiar gothic metal sound has seen the release of 2 quality albums and the recruitment of Nell Sigland, replacing Liv Kristine.

The slow gothic build up of 'Hide and Seek' from last years 'Forever is the World' album opens the set, working perfectly to ease the crowd into their last ever London Theatre of Tragedy show. As you would expect the band delve into the past and unleash 'Bring Forth Ye Shadow' and 'Lorelei'.

With equipment piled up on stage behind the band they have hardly any room to move, but this doesn't stop vocalist Raymond Rohonyi darting from left to right at every opportunity. Now with short hair he may now look like a Bank Manager but his plain, unemotional vocals are a perfect partner to the pristine female tones of Nell Sigland, the death grunts of yesteryear lurking in the background. Every time she sings a gothic romanticism takes over the night, especially on the slow and brooding 'A Rose for the Dead'. The directness of 'Storm', helps balance out the set and shows how lucky the band were finding a quality replacement to Liv Kristine at a time when half of female fronted bands in Europe were heading towards an operatic direction.

'Cassandra' from the classic album 'Aegis' sounds just as fresh now as it did twelve years ago. Tonight Raymond Rohonyi pushes the chorus as far as it can go, adding extra bite to an already great song. 'A Hamlet for a Slothful Vassal' and 'Fade' bring the main set to an end before the band return with the electronically flavoured 'Machine' which contains so much more crunch in a live environment. The night is ended with 'Der Tanz der Schatten' which helps to show just why this band will be so missed.

A lot of bands would have either split straight away, denying their fans the chance to see them one final time or dragged themselves from venue to venue seeing out their inevitable decline with a set of bad and depressing performances, but With a fine recent album and a performance like this Theatre of Tragedy have gone out in style and they must be congratulated for that.

Tonight, the performance was a triumph, but the real tragedy is that we shall never see it repeated.

Review by Alan Hicks

The band have wasted no time in pushing out this mini-album, stretching their sound a little further from the 4 track demo.

'She cries to lullabies' starts things off with its slow disturbing intro before exploding into a catchy chorus, complete with buzzing guitars. Taking The Birthday Massacres pop-goth approach, Diva Suicide twists the life out of it, adding something a little darker in the process. The electronics are an important part of the album but are kept behind the guitars, enabling this recording to retain a gritty live feel. This can be heard clearly on 'Redemption' which is nicely carried along on an electronic loop helping the guitar drive the song rather than thump all over the riffs. 'Blessed by the sun' contains a guitar solo which would fit nicely on any classic goth album released in the last ten years while 'Angel of extasy' is just waiting for an EBM mix. 'Lies' recalls Curve at their most insane and 'This night' once again showcases the bands pop sensibilities. 'Crystals' ends the album with a bang, containing the heaviest guitars so far but still managing to include a huge dark dose of melody which could become their trademark.

If their demo got Diva Suicide noticed within the shadowy corners of the UK goth scene than this album should stamp their ambitions on a black flag and flap disturbingly in the centre of it.

7.5/10

Review by Alan Hicks

ARMORED SAINT has now released their new album La Raza, the band's first album since Revelation in 2001 and their sixth in total! The album's foundation was laid back in 2008 when Joey Vera and John Bush began writing new material for what would become La Raza and the album was completed in December at Tranzformer Studios in Burbank, CA. The album was produced by bassist Joey Vera, and engineered by Bryan Carlstrom and his assistant John Nuss. Recording was mostly done with analog equipment and the final album mix was delivered on 1 inch tape. This gives La Raza the most organic sound as possible.

Fans can hear the first single, Left Hook From Right Field! Click www.myspace.com/metalbladeeurope to check it out!

La Raza is getting rave reviews worldwide and has topped the monthly soundchecks of the two most popular Heavy Metal magazines in Germany, Rock Hard and Metal Hammer! Thumbs up!

"A quality level that 99% of all metal bands will never reach!" Rock Hard magazine Germany - 9,5 out of 10 - album of the month!

"La Raza offers an incredible amount of freshness and authenticity that is hard to find these days!" Metal Hammer magazine Germany - 6 out of 7 - album of the month!

"Divine songwriting and a John Bush at the top of his vocal abilities!" Legacy magazine Germany - 13 out of 15

"An early metal highlight of the year 2010!" Rocks magazine Germany - 5 out of 6

"Armored Saint make TabuLa Raza with the idea of monotonous metal and set the standards on how to play gripping hard music!" Break Out magazine Germany

"Ten cool, unforced songs that will immediately cheer you up and won’t disappoint any fan of the band!" metal.de Germany - 9 out of 10

"La Raza shows an extremely confident band that is fully aware of what they want!" powermetal.de Germany - 9 out of 10

La Raza track listing:

1. Loose Cannon
2. Head On
3. Left Hook from Right Field
4. Get Off the Fence
5. Chilled
6. La Raza
7. Black Feet
8. Little Monkey
9. Blues
10. Bandit Country

Conceived by rock n' roll, born the bastard child of punk; raised on streets filled with trash, worshipped on the altar of rock and welded to the engine by metal...!!! Ladies and gentlemen, we give you the infamous INTREPID FOX... From it's beginnings in the heart of Soho in the sixties, once patronised by the likes of Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood, hellraising actors Richard Harris and Peter O'Toole; the seventies led to the Sex Pistols and Malcolm Mclaren proclaiming it "like an old friend"; Slash could be seen propping up the bar in the eighties whilst the nineties provided a watering-hole for such legends as Lemmy and Zakk Wylde... Re-located to it's new lair in St Giles in 2006, the Fox continues to uphold the alternative spirit, playing host to Iron Maiden, Bullet For My Valentine, Buckcherry, Zodiac Mindwarp and Backyard Babies to name a few, always providing a safe haven for London's rockers and goths, punks and metallers alike. Always entertaining and fun, frequently deranged n' impossibly handsome the wily old Fox continues to rock this town like a motherfker...!!!

Check out the calendar, our resident dj's Fri & Sat in the upstairs bar from 9PM: Dj Lola (Unholy) & Danny Serrano with "METAL DEMENTIA", playing all things hard n' heavy. Max (Generation Graveyard) & Rich Jones (The Loyalties) with "3rd GENERATION NATION", playing dirty gutter punk n' roll. Devilman, Lucyfur & Lucretia with "DENIM & LEATHER", playing tunes n' drinking booze. Adam Lightspeed (Electric Ballroom) & Ben Christo (Sisters Of Mercy) with "HELL YEAH", Jonny Le Shithouse (Generation Graveyard) & Sky (King Lizard) with "DIRTY BOMB", playing hard n' sleazy rock wiv a touch o' metal. Dj Lola & Dany (Breed 77) with "ALCOHAULIN' ASS", playing metal and stoner. Duncan & Giles with "LAST MEN STANDING", playing metal and hard rock. Shel with "SHOCK TREATMENT", playing all things glam.

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK MON-WED 3PM til 11PM THUR 3PM til MIDNIGHT FRI-SAT 3PM til 2AM SUN 5PM til 11PM We are an over 18's venue, ID will be required if you look under 21 We reserve the right to refuse admission (no football colours, chavs or suit n' ties unless it's rock n' roll...!!!)

Taken from the Intrepid Fox myspace page.

Address details for the Intrepid Fox.

Free entry for all.

VIDEOS OF THE WEEK:

EX DEO - The Final War (Battle of Actium) video

DOMMIN - My Heart, Your Hands video

STEEL PANTHER - Fat girl video

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EMAILS:

Gig booking: annika@unifiedsounds.co.uk

Newsletter queries: alan@rockmatrix.co.uk

Reviews: alan@rockmatrix.co.uk

General: adam@unifiedsounds.co.uk

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LINKS:

www.bandquestuk.com

www.eventmatrix.co.uk

www.unifiedsounds.co.uk

Facebook group - Band Quest/Unified Sounds

Facebook group - Rock Matrix

www.myspace.com/rockmatrix

www.myspace.com/rockmatrixpromotions

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