DARBEX BAND QUEST 2008 – LAST WEEKS RESULTS
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ICED EARTH ADDED TO BLOODSTOCK BILL
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PROGPOWER UK 2008 CANCELLED

RESULTS FOR SUNDAY 17 FEBRUARY – Alternative

1ST – JEREMY AYRE

2ND – MR HOLLOWAY

3RD – I WISH I WAS AN ASTRONAUT

RESULTS FOR MONDAY 18 FEBRUARY – Metal to the Masses

1ST – ZOCALO

2ND – DOWNFALL

3RD – CONQUEST

RESULTS FOR TUESDAY 19 FEBRUARY – Alternative

1ST – SEEKER

2ND – BENDER CRACK CORN

3RD – F69

Sarah from the 103.7 TGR Sound TakeOver Show speaks to the winners of the heats at the Drayman and the Bull and Vic. Tune in to hear exclusive interviews and tracks from bands playing the Darbex Band Quest on 103.7FM and at www.tgrsound.co.uk.

So we have finally come to the first set of semi–finals starting with this Sunday.

Hard rockers LIVE POLITICS aim to see off the considerable threat of zombie loving BILLY REBEL. After a highly energetic set last week JEREMY AYRE will have a say in proceedings. DJ LIFEGUARD BUNNY keeps things exciting between bands.

Darbex Band Quest – Alternative at The Drayman in Bexleyheath every Monday. £2.00 for loyalty card holders – £3.00 for everyone else.

PLEASE NOTE: The Drayman is over 18s for Darbex Band Quest – Alternative.

What track would you really like to hear played by the DJs at the Drayman on Sunday? – Email us a request now!

With bands eyeing the chance to play the almighty Bloodstock festival in August the Monday installments of the Darbex Band Quest should be very exciting indeed.

There is a reason why these three bands have made it to the first semi–final. They are simply all top bands. VIOLATION COMPLEX bring their thinking mans metal up against ZOCALO who cruised through their heat last week. But we also have WITHOUT REMORSE who virtually annilated all before them in the opening week. This promises to be one hell of a night. DJ 69 is back behind the decks.

Darbex Band Quest – Metal to the Masses at The Drayman in Bexleyheath every Monday. £2.00 for loyalty card holders – £3.00 for everyone else.

PLEASE NOTE: The Drayman is over 18s for Darbex Band Quest – Metal to the Masses.

What track would you really like to hear played by the DJs at the Drayman on Monday? – Email us a request now!

The Darbex Band Quest comes to Dartford. Hard rockers THE FREQUENCY take on last weeks winners SEEKER with YOUR BROKEN EGO waiting in the wings. DJ 69 mixes things up between bands.

Darbex Band Quest – Alternative at the Bull and Vic every Tuesday.

£2.00 for loyalty card holders – £3.00 for everyone else.

WIN £20 bar tab at Bull n Vic each Tuesday if you are Loyalty Card Holder.

What track would you really like to hear played by the DJs at the Bull n Vic? – Email us a request now!

Go Mental! at the Zero Bar this week sees resident DJ DJ KING STEVE, DJ THE KEV and DJ KEVORKIAN churn out the big tunes, requests and new stuff!! Remember the music and drink goes on until MIDNIGHT!

FREE entry for loyalty card holders – £1.00 for everyone else.

What track would you really like to hear played by the DJs at the Zero Bar? – Email us a request now!

MASSIVE EASTER PARTY APPROACHING ON THURSDAY 20TH MARCH – SEE BELOW FOR INFORMATION!

It is set to be the biggest party yet! The Go Mental Easter Party at the Zero Bar sees resident DJ DJ KING STEVE and guests churn out the big tunes, requests and new stuff on two floors!!

Free drink (while stocks last)

£3.00 for advanced tickets – £4.00 for those with flyers – £5.00 for everyone else.

What track would you really like to hear played by the DJs at the Zero Bar Easter Party? – Email us a request now!

This is the hardest decision we have ever had to make, but it is with great regret that we have had to cancel ProgPower UK III.

We have made no secret of the financial difficulties that have dogged our first two years, which is why we made a significant number of changes for year three. However, ticket sales have been extremely poor and, as a result, there is no way we can stage the festival without losing a substantial amount of money – again.

This decision has not been taken lightly and we are fully aware of both the disappointment and inconvenience it will cause. However, we simply cannot afford to keep pumping money into ProgPower UK and we can assure you that we are as disappointed about this as you no doubt are.

As a result of this, ProgPower UK LLP will cease trading with immediate effect.

Ticket holders who purchased tickets via cheque or Paypal through the ProgPowerUK website will be refunded by the method through which the tickets were purchased. This will be done within twenty–eight days.

If you purchased tickets at Bristol Ticket Shop, please contact them directly for a refund.

Please direct any enquiries to enquiries@progpoweruk.com. All enquiries will be dealt with, but please be patient.

We would like to sincerely thank everyone who has supported us over the past three years, and also thank Rene Janssen and his team giving us the opportunity to make ProgPower UK a reality.

The ProgPower UK Team

Taken from www.progpoweruk.com/

It may be a far cry from the glory days of the Monsters of Rock festival but Download has continued to pack in 80,000 people every year since rock music returned to Donington Park back in 2003.

The line–up is far from complete but here are the bands confirmed so far:

• JUDAS PRIEST
• KISS
• MOTORHEAD
• CHILDREN OF BODOM
• IN FLAMES
• ALTER BRIDGE
• COHEED & CAMBRIA
• HIM
• DISTURBED
• RISE AGAINST
• THE OFFSPRING
• LOSTPROPHETS
• INCUBUS

For more information on the festival visit the Download Festival website.

Bloodstock Open Air returns in 2008 and is set to be the biggest yet. Three days full of pure metal and a little bit more at Catton Hall!

The line–up is far from complete but here are the bands confirmed so far:

• OPETH
• EVILE
• DIMMU BORGIR
• ICED EARTH
• HELLOWEEN
• OVERKILL
• SOILWORK
• AT THE GATES
• PRIMAL FEAR
• TYR
• ELUVEITIE
• COMMUNIC
• MOONSORROW
• SWALLOW THE SUN
• KATAKLYSM
• CLOUDSCAPE

For more information on the festival visit the Bloodstock website.

F69
SEEKER
BENDER CRACK CORN

A chilly night in Dartford saw the final heat before the first semi final in a weeks time.

Bender Crack Corn were first up to reinterpret what has been described as a mixture of popular, classic and obscure rock and pop songs into a genre that can only be described as "skiffcore", a fusion between the classic punk rock of the seventies and eighties, and the skiffle movement of the fifties and sixties. All that can be said is that they were so entertaining that nobody could resist their charms. Interesting original tracks mixed with the odd funny cover or a mutated combination of both, Bender Crack Corn gained a number of new fans today. (7/10)

Seeker were playing at the Bull n Vic for the first time but took to it like experienced campaigners. What they do is far from original but their Alter Bridge-come-Nickelback sound would fit perfectly onto almost any US radio station playlist. Each song has a hook, memorable chorus and the odd guitar solo. Good stuff. (7.5/10)

The headliners F69 complete a stable set which at times sounds as if it will take off but ultimely never does. On one hand certain parts of their tracks grab your interest because of a nice guitar solo or a punk influenced chorus but they are never as catchy as Seeker or have the immediate affect of the Bender Crack Corn material. Despite this the set does not leave you with a brain ache and they are the band I would most like to see in six months time as the mix of influences they have in each and every track could contribute to an interesting future. (6.5)

Review by Alan

ZOCALO
CONQUEST
DOWNFALL

Now everyone talks about derbies, be they football, rugby, ice hockey etc but they can happen within local music scenes as well. We have already had one derby of the Arsenal/Tottenham variety with Cursed as Angels taking on Without Remorse and tonight we had another local ding dong derby that is more of a Charlton/Palace thing with Conquest and Zocalo ready to step into the DarBex octagon to duke it out for a place in the first semi final. First to step out into the Coliseum though is Downfall.

Downfall finally appear and pretty much kick straight into their set, which is pumping and bloody heavy! I like them. They have good hooks both melodically and musically. These lads are very clearly influenced by Disturbed even down to the singers vocals but have some groovy Pantera moments to. This makes them in a sense slot in nicely with this line-up tonight as it will be one groovy night.

This band carry with them a strange aura. In some respects they are rather bog standard but are remarkably watchable. Neither I nor the crowd can take their eyes off them. No one is wandering outside for a fag or a chat. They are glued to the stage. I think one reason for this is the fact that they are animated and this in turn is seeping into the audience like a musical photosynthesis process plus at the same time are clearly getting on with it due them running a little late. All of these qualities pay off with healthy receptions and reactions after each track.

I must say though that there was little crowd contact throughout but as I stated above they arrived late, but at least we got the announcement of each song title which cannot be said for the equally impressive Lamina whom I reviewed last Sunday. Plus I feel there needs to be more shredding guitar solos within their tracks. It was only the last to song where we saw any real skill coming forward and this was from the lead singer/guitarist. This though are scraping the barrel as they were that impressive.

All in all though this is one awesome band with a solid set of songs and a good stage presence. For me the song 'Testify' really stood out but I found myself thinking that the track 'Decide' was rather apt not only for this round but the DarBex quest in general. These lads could, I feel be a dark horse in tonights proceedings. (8/10)

NWOBHM time now so grab your Maiden and Priest shirts, slip into your spandex or uber-tight faded blue jeans, grab a beer and go rock out 'coz Conquest are up next. Having played with these guys on their first gig (that turned out to be Equinox's last) over Christmas I know what is coming. All these guys are almost local legends within the Bexley/Dartford metal scene so let's see how they fair!

They do not disappoint! These dudes are pure gold! Every member is on fantastic form! There is some serious improvement since their first gig and they have only done 2 shows. Galloping through their set like Iron Maiden or Iced Earth on a mixture of Speed and helium each song almost a microcosm of that NWOBHM era of the 80's. Big solos, epic choruses, scintillating riffs. This may be a very, very short review as my need to head bang is so incredibly strong!

I am once again struggling to find any bad points to say, bar they still need to sort out their sound as that was not very good tonight. I don't know if it is down to them or the sound crew tonight but that is the only thing that I think needs sorting. So lads, either sort out your sound or find your own sound as a band.

These guys just ooze presence and collectively (especially in the form of Kev, Roy and Les) have about 10 or more years of experience. They know how to entertain and put on a show. NWOBHM is back and it starts here in Bexleyheath at the Drayman in the shape of Conquest! (10/10)

So round 1 is over with Conquest at the moment coming out on top. Round 2 now sees Zocalo take the stage so groove shoes on everybody 'coz here we go! Once again having seen these guys countless times I now what is coming but this is a different situation: a place on the Bloodstock unsigned stage is to play for. Will this hamper the performance or boost them to reach for the stratosphere?

Zocalo are on fire and have quality written all over them. Like Conquest before them they have everything spot on: Songs, solos, vocals and an added bonus of fantastic sound. They are not a Spanish Armada or the rebel armada from Star Wars episode VI but a groove armada!

Zocalo's set is an old one but it is in essence a classic set and in a competition like this having an old set with numbers people already know may be the best weapon of attack. In fact I have to ask a similar question regarding Zocalo as I did with Lamina last week: Yes they are heavy but surely they would be better suited and in fact could easily be in one of the non-metal categories because they simply churn out that Led Zeppelin sort of grove from every pour of skin (in similar fashion to Mad Dog).

They, like Conquest ooze presence and experience and have a similar quality to Downfall before them where they seem to have the essence of a strange aura that makes them so watchable. In fact there are three themes that all the bands tonight carry: 1) They are all watchable - every band just grabbed the audience tonight and just don't let you go until they stop playing. 2) They all carry an element of grove with them tonight either in one song or one riff or in every part of their set. 3) I have struggled to find any bad points within their performances tonight.

Zocalo also fall into that third point raised above. I once again cannot find a single blemish in the performance. It is tight and honed to such a degree even the most intelligent, most respectable (we are talking Stephen Hawkins/ Albert Einstein level of intelligence and respect here) mathematician, quantum physicist, chemist in their respected field would struggle or go bonkers trying to find it. Every beat, every riff, every solo, every melodic note and phrase exact by a millibeat. This is a well oiled machine on show tonight. A musical version of Michelangelo's 'David' or Caravaggio's 'Goliath' in all its classical, renaissance and architectural glory! (10/10)

So as the crowd disperse, fully gorged and bloated upon the feast of some of the most finest rock and metal this scene has to offer, dished up for them to savour and enjoy in a similar fashion to that of a wine connoisseur the results of what turned to be a surprising night are read out: Zocalo march on into the next round but what was more of a shock (even though I had tipped them earlier in the night, so thus was a shock to me) was that my dark horse Downfall had gained second spot.

Review by Warren Holmes

Southern sludge grind–metallers SOILENT GREEN will release their new album, "Inevitable Collapse in the Presence of Conviction", on April 21 (Europe), 2008 via Metal Blade Records. The CD was helmed by Erik Rutan (Hate Eternal, ex–Morbid Angel) at Mana Recording in St. Petersburg, Florida.

"Inevitable Collapse in the Presence of Conviction" track listing:

01. Mental Acupuncture
02. Blessed In The Arms Of Servitude
03. In The Same Breath
04. Antioxidant
05. Lovesick
06. Rock Paper Scissors
07. Superstition Aimed At One's Skull
08. For Lack Of Perfect Words
09. When All Roads Lead To Rome
10. All This Good Intention Wasted In The Wake Of Apathy
11. A Pale Horse And The Story Of The End

"It's definitely the most level-headed record we've done in a long time," comments guitarist Brian Patton, whose more-lethal-than-ever guitar skills add a new dimension to the SOILENT landscape. "All the chaos we've had in the past few years has kind of calmed down a bit."

Based loosely around the band's history of struggle and general feelings of hopelessness and dejection and punctuated by John Van Fleet's striking cover design, "Inevitable Collapse" is a 42 minute soundtrack to reality; Ben Falgoust's varying vocal tones and cutting verbalization bringing its concept to the forefront with crippling urgency.

"It's the basic idea of no hope. It's in reference to the history of SOILENT GREEN and also just life in general," Falgoust notes of the record's unofficial theme. "Everybody is always picturing things with a happy ending, but life's not always like that. Every individual out there gets to a point where they feel like they've struggled to a point and never got anything out of it. It happens every day. That's the point of this record. Sometimes, even when you put your all into something and work hard, things don't always work out in the end. That's just the way life falls sometimes."

"It's a pretty heavy name," adds Patton. "I came up with it. I've been dealing with a lot of issues in life. We've had a lot of deaths in our little circle. Glenn (Rambo, original vocalist) passed away in the hurricane, our old bass player ended up getting shot and you know, we've had a lot of issues with just family. It hasn't been all peaches and cream out in this area. So it's just a depression type theme; when you're given hope and it's taken from you. It's pretty heavy. Ben's got a lot going on in his brain so. And I must say," he adds with a laugh, "he makes it really hard for crowds to yell out titles of songs."

Touted as "one of the ten most important hard and heavy bands" by Rolling Stone magazine, SOILENT GREEN has been releasing consistently brutal and groove-laden albums since their first full-length, "Pussysoul", in 1994.

SOILENT GREEN are true road warriors and have played a countless number of shows and toured with bands like PANTERA, CLUTCH, MORBID ANGEL, EYEHATEGOD, BRUTAL TRUTH, ANAL C***, NAPALM DEATH, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, GWAR, and ISIS, just to name a few.

4 alternative bands needed – we need more bands to 'confirm' their intent to play.

We are doing this:

- 1x A Battle of the bands with a twist featuring show case events!
- 2x 20 track cds called 'scratch the surface' one heavy one light!
- 3x Magazine called Altascope, featuring all acts taking part and more!

We have now got 99 bands interested with 82 confirmed, so we are now taking on a reserve list and back up list in case any bands that have committed drop out or decide not to take part for what ever reason.

Therefore we ask 3 things of thee!

1. If you want to have a chance in taking part complete this application form
2. If you want to help make this a massive success come to any of the 3 launch events this Sunday 3rd/Monday 4th/Tuesday 5th – events are here: www.eventmatrix.co.uk/events/
3. Or just wish us well, this really could elevate bands form our local scene to something much more promising. Help by adding graphics to your site etc or reposting bulletins. Thanks for anything in advance.

We are deep in talks with festivals and promoters about getting our bands playing for them. We have £7000 of prizes already committed and 1 in 3 bands will win something.

There will be:

- 100 bands playing by the end of this comp
- 2 x 20 track cds launched to support the quest
- 3 Magazines called Altascope covering ALL local music activity
- Around 400 playing musicians and 100 professional people involved in making this work
- 45 events with over 6000 people attending
- 20,000 flyers hand to hand
- 500 posters
- 33 prizes worth over £7500
- Media, Radio, Record label support and coverage
- And a bucket loads of bloody great nights in good venues!

All further enquiries and questions will be answered only through darbex@rockmatrix.co.uk

PS. We would love to know if you are in a new band or have left a band we thought you may be in.

For FULL DETAILS see the full details blog.

CLICK HERE to buy any 2 in stock cd's to get one in stock free

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