HERE ARE THE ROCK MATRIX MAIN HEADLINES THIS WEEK
(click on headlines to read full story)
MONDAY 01 to SUNDAY 07 MARCH
BAND QUEST 2010 EVENTS
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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01/03/10 - Event 16, Essex Metal Heat 4
Acts playing: SNAKE EYES, LEGION, REZINWOLF
Venue: Edge Bar, Romford, Essex
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03/03/10 - Event 18, London Alt Heat 3
Acts playing: THE MARTIS PROJECT, BLAME JANE, THEY CAME FROM JAPAN
Venue: Dirty South, Lee, London
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04/03/10 - Event 19, Kent Metal Heat 5
Acts playing: ROY STONE, CIRCLE OF RAGE, AVENGE THEE
Venue: Beercart Arms, Canterbury, Kent
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04/03/10 - Event 20, Kent Alt Heat 4
Acts playing: COLT.44, RED 13, STACEY AND THE FREELOADERS
Venue: Red Lion, Gravesend, Kent
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07/03/10 - Event 20, London Metal Heat 4
Acts playing: KILL THE MACHINE, AMONGST THE ASHES, PROMETHEUS
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.
MONDAY 01 to SUNDAY 07 MARCH and BEYOND
NON BAND QUEST EVENTS
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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01/03/10 - Romford Roxx
Acts playing: KRYSTAL VAYNE, THE LIBRARY SUITS, DEAD TRACKS
Venue: Edge Bar, Romford, Essex
Link to Facebook event (this is upstairs from the Band Quest gig)
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02/03/10 - Trashy Tuesday
Acts playing: SUBVERSI0N, SENTINEL, BREAK NECK
Venue: Bull n Vic, Dartford, Kent
Link to Facebook event (this is downstairs from the Band Quest gig)
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05/03/10 - Live At The Lion
Acts playing: I BROKE THE DAM, PEACHES AND DIESEL, STREET LIGHT CALLING
Venue: Red Lion, Gravesend, Kent
Link to Facebook event (this is downstairs from the Band Quest gig)
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SELECTED EVENTS BY OTHER PROMOTORS:
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26/03/10 - Unholy Club
Acts playing: DJ 69 + more
Venue: Scala, Kings Cross, London
Link to Eventmatrix 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
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NEEDED
Want to be in a band?
Click on image above to go to the Rock Matrix home page
Band: COLT.44
Need: DRUMMER
Details: We will shortly be holding auditions for a new drummer at banana road studios in Erith. We are a signed band from Bexley, London. We've been about since 2007 and we play grunge/rock music similar to Staind, Puddle of Mudd, Nickelback, Seether. Our album 'One Horse Town' has had several reviews in Kerrang, Big Cheese and other international music magazines, as well as acclaim from bruce dickinson and puddle of mudd. No timewasters.
Contact: www.myspace.com/colt442
Link: Colt.44 Rock Matrix profile
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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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GIG REVIEW
Band Quest Kent Metal Heat 2 @ Red Lion - 19/02/10
Tonight saw three very professional bands competing against each other in another heat of Band Quest 2010.
Tempestora (8/10) opened the night with some gnashing, metallica-style thrash metal. For a three-piece they had a solid wall of sound and the solos blared through, gritty and fast. The vocals had a Tom Araya style rasp and the drums beat out some heavy stomping beats to head bang to. Sadly, they did not have a big following, but the audience clearly appreciated their quality, cheering them on between songs. Their only downfall as a band may have been that they really did sound like Metallica and though their songs were tight and well written, they seemed to lack individuality. Don't get me wrong, if you like thrash metal, these guys wont disappoint, but I feel there is a missing ingredient to their sound.
Next on were up and coming prog-metallers Subversi0n (9). With seven string guitars, synths and catchy choruses, the six-piece shred with blistering speed through their complex set. Charlie hops between his synth duties and backing vocals in a full suit, looking like a commuter gone wrong, Kai's chorus vocals shine through and all the band head bang in unison like some obsessive Meshuggah cult. The crowd were more eager for this band, louder cheers and moshing down the front. This would have been a truly awesome night, if only their sound had been set up better. The deep seven string guitars melded with the bass, leaving some of the guitar indistinguishable and a solo virtually unheard. Subversi0n have a difficult sound to calibrate, but it is a sound they have managed to carve anew in the world of metal, at a very early stage in their career.
But the ones who really performed tonight were Splintered Soul (9), a melodic-metal band taking powerful female vocals and dueling solos to another level. Their sound is polished and their melodies intriguing, as though the band had secretly gone through Nightwish’s wardrobe and found a land of ultimate untapped riffery inside. The singer's voice soars over everything, yet when an instrumental section cuts in se doesn't lookout of place, but rather revels in the music, swinging her fists in time to complicated riffs and giving a good rally to the crowd between songs. The audience are thoroughly enjoying themselves now and so is Splintered Soul. While it may be said that with all their musical talent and technical prowess not much room would be left for jumping about and showing off, such a tight band should look up from their instruments now and then and play to the punters. That said the lead vocalist does a good job of engaging everyone's attention on behalf of her fellow souls. Overall this was a superb mixture of metal for the Lion tonight.
Review by Adam Evans
GIG REVIEW
Fear Factory + Sylosis @ Electric Ballroom - 19/02/10
Sylosis (7.5/10) have seen their reputation slowly but steadily rise over the past year, helped considerably by their impressive shows at both the Download and Sonisphere festivals. Tonight they entertain a packed Electric Ballroom with a series of blistering riffs, mixing thrash with old school melodic solos. A few calls for the headliners helps generate a little more attention from the crowd, but with tracks like 'After lifeless years' Sylosis need no cheap cheers tonight.
When Fear Factory (8.5) pulled out of festival appearances last year they left thousands disappointed, especially since it was to be their first major actions since the release of the not-so-well received 'Transgression' album in 2005. Despite this their popularity has remained intact, proven by the madly chanting throng awaiting there arrival onstage.
Making their fans wait another year to witness the Burton C. Bell and Dino Cazares reunion in the flesh in order to write, record and release a new album seems to have paid off. Not only does the album hit harder than a bullet shot to the brain but set opener and title track 'Mechanize' sends the crowd insane. In truth Mr Bell could of let out a guttural burp and still sent the members of the audience into seventh Heaven. 'Shock' and 'Edgecrusher' continue the momentum, showing how well the material from 'Obsolete' has aged in its twelve year history. Newest members Byron Stroud and Gene Hoglan dismiss any fears that they wouldn't match up to previous occupants with a powerhouse performance. Dino Cazares is as always one of the main focal points, his riffs as distinctively large as his, shall we say 'build', prompting the usual "you fat bastard" chants from the crowd.
If any track from the latest album proves Fear Factory are as relevant as ever in 2010 it's 'Industrial discipline'. Imagine everything you like about the band condensed into a tight bundle of extremity, powered by one of those melodic Fear Factory choruses that Burton C. Bell vocals make so unique. It is at this point they go up to another level. 'Linchpin' sees the whole venue bouncing in unison before another new track 'Powershifter' returns the mosh pit to its full intensity.
Eighteen years ago 'Martyr' helped introduce the world to this Godflesh loving band from California and tonight it is greeted to a reception reserved for those classic tracks that sound even better with age. The industrial groove-laden riffage is lapped up by a very mixed crowd who range from die-hard metal heads to industrial fans to those people who no longer follow metal but came along as they were fans back in the day.
'Resurrection' complete with its spacious prog-pointing atmospherics will sound even better this summer in the big fields, but tonight it provides the evening with its first thought provoking moments. Following this with another slow track such as 'Final exit' wouldn't usually be the best move but it acts as the calm before a storm of an encore.
Holding back 5 tracks from your best album for the finale may be risky for unseasoned bands but Fear Factory have the back catalogue to survive such grandiose decisions. The prayers of nearly every Factory fan are answered in one final swoop when Burton announces it will now be all 'Demanufacture' material.
'Demanufacture' itself kicks off the encore with its menacing, creeping industrialised intro pushing the crowd over the edge before 'Self bias resistor' continues to pummel anyone left standing. 'Zero signal' carries on the onslaught before the pure ferocity of 'H-K (hunter killer)' leaves everyone gasping for breath. The evening is ended inevitably by 'Replica' which proceeds in taking the roof off.
It may of taken longer than expected but Fear Factory have proved through an excellent new album and performances like this that they are back to their crushing best. The Western world may have seen its production industry tumble into a black hole in recent years but this is one factory not threatened with closure.
Don't miss them at Sonisphere and the headlining spot at Bloodstock.
Review by Alan Hicks
GIG REVIEW
Depeche Mode @ 02 Arena - 20/02/10
A 9 month wait and dreading the journey and the support band. I actually got there in decent time and got an okay spot about 10 rows from the front but was hoping for closer but I can't moan too much as it was an arena. I still hate it as a venue I feel really uncomfortable inside and was thinking whilst waiting for Nitzer Ebb I really don't ever wanna come back to this place. Everyone seemed foreign too no one speaking English around me. It however was funny to hear someone speaking in their native tongue along the lines of "gruderrkk brefterger muddare bjorka [english accent] Depeche Mode [/english accent] pedrok herterka beeda" laughing.
Nitzer Ebb were shite. 3 camp blokes from Essex playing high energy music wanting to be German. The singer growled like Christian Bale's batman. It was absolute torture. Reaction was mixed it ranged from the girl next to me clapping frantically and the couple behind shaking their heads in disgust throughout.
Depeche mode have yet to let me down yet live or on recording. I seriously don't think they ever made a bad song and their latest album is up there with their best work. They started off with a few tracks from this including Wrong which already sounds like a classic Depeche Mode song (although maybe it wouldn't have done 9 months ago!) The Visuals were spectacular and Dave Gahan you would not have thought this was a 47 year old man who has had many a drug addiction and even cancer, he looked, sounded and moved about in such amazing style. Martin L Gore did his solo bit which turned out to be the highlight of the show. It's strange to think at one stage I never actually realised he sang any songs and thought it was Dave's vocals on the ones he did. He has an excellent powerful voice. First of the songs he did was Freelove! I was in sheer Heaven. This is one of my favourite Depeche Mode songs and never thought I'd get to hear it again after seeing it previously on the Exciter tour. They never did it on the other UK dates. This was followed by Home which Martin prompted the crowd to chant the wooooaah wooh bit at the end which went on even when the song finished. The rest of the band came back onstage and played music which went along with what the crowd were singing. It was excellent. The set was pretty varied. I would have liked more songs from the new album but with a back catalogue like theirs it would've been hard to do that without leaving out some old classics. There were many of those tonight: Walking in my shoes, Policy Of Truth, I Feel you (which tore the place apart), Enjoy the silence (one of the greatest songs ever written) and Never Let Me Down Again where Dave finally took his top off. Okay, I don't usually like men without tops but this man has a body someone in their 20s would envy! This ended the main set. I'd forgotten what a godforsaken place I was in as this band took me somewhere else. Martin L Gore took to lead vocals again to do Question Of Lust another which hadn't been done at the other London shows. I was quite lucky to have my favourites done on the night I chose. The full band were back for Stripped with Martin on keyboards for this. Then they gave everything for the final 2 songs Behind The Wheel and Personal Jesus which started off really slow before ripping into a really powerful finale to the night. I was well and truly blown away!
Left the venue quite quickly and managed to get on a bus straight home which was amazing since the Jubilee line was down and I was expecting to be home well after midnight, infact I made it home in less than an hour from the band ending and that's with stopping off to buy a bombay bad boy!
Review by John Marshall
METAL BLADE NEWS
German Thrash Commando FATAL EMBRACE inks deal with Metal Blade Records!
German Thrash Commando FATAL EMBRACE have inked a deal with Metal Blade Records for the worldwide release of their upcoming new album The Empires Of Inhumanity!
Formed in 1993, FATAL EMBRACE is not a band you would accuse of jumping on a bandwagen because Thrash Metal seems hip again. In fact, these young men started out in the early nineties (remember that was the time when Thrash was dead) as a hard hitting metal band to praise the glorious days of the 80s when bands like Slayer, Exodus, Metallica, Venom, Sodom and Kreator ruled the musical extremes. FATAL EMBRACE never compromised and over the years they released three albums on different labels. The Ultimate Aggression (1999), Legions Of Armageddon (2002) and Dark Pounding Steel (2006). All of them pumped up with adrenaline, energy and power.
After playing an insane amount of gigs and a few smaller tours here and there, FATAL EMBRACE return with a new label and album in 2010. The Empires Of Inhumanity is a classic FATAL EMBRACE album showing the band at their best. Move over if you are into Poser shit. Stay here if you are into straight forward Thrash Metal and wanna hear an album again full of malicious intensity, raw power and shitloads of instant hits!
Comments FATAL EMBRACE singer Heiländer on the signing to Metal Blade: "When I had my hands on Slayer's Hell Awaits more than two decades ago I would never have expected to be on the same label one day. The Metal Blade logo is on dozens of albums in my vinyl collection and it's a great honour and challenge for us to be on this legendary label. We will work to the max and look forward to a great collaboration. Fatal Embrace will always stay Fatal Embrace: loud, extreme, brutal, fan friendly, timeless, without keyboards and 100000000% pure METAL!"
FATAL EMBRACE:
Heiländer - vocals
Moloch - guitar
Spezi - guitar
Ronald - bass
Pulverizatör - drums
VIDEOS/LINKS/EMAILS
Useful links and emails
VIDEOS OF THE WEEK:
NEVERLAND - Ophidia video teaser
ORDEN OGAN - The making of Easton Hope Part 4
DOPE STARS INC - It's Today video teaser
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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:
Facebook group - Band Quest/Unified Sounds
www.myspace.com/rockmatrixpromotions
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