REPORTS & REVIEWS

• Ticket 1 ProgPower Europe 2002 (pdf, 530kB)
• Ticket 2 ProgPower Europe 2002 (pdf, 352 kB)
• Interview with René by a local newspaper (in Dutch, pdf, 1741kB)
• Interview with René by Gaesteliste ezine (in German, pdf, 130kB)
• Review by Vampster ezine (in German, pdf, 422kB)
• Review by Lords Of Metal ezine (in Dutch, pdf, 119kB)
• Review by IO Pages magazine (in Dutch, pdf, 1221kB)
• Review by Gaesteliste ezine (in German, pdf, 73kB)
• Review by Background Magzine (in English, pdf, 1755kB)
• Letter by Dutch visitor Wim Vaes, part 1 (in Dutch, pdf, 748kB)
• Letter by Dutch visitor Wim Vaes, part 2 (in Dutch, pdf, 786kB)
• News article in a local newspaper (in Dutch, pdf, 1080kB)
• News article in a local newspaper (in Dutch, pdf, 957kB)
• Poster and advert ProgPower Europe 2002 (pdf, 829kB)

PHOTOS

ProgPower Europe 2002
By PPEurope  |  View on Facebook

Englis: “We are very sorry to have to announce that we have decided to cancel our show at ProgPower 2013. Due to business and private commitments of several of our members, there will not be enough time to prepare well enough to give a solid performance. We have meanwhile started working on mew material for our next album. We expect to start recording by the end of 2014. “

Bands that would like to replace GATE6 please send an email to rene@progpower.eu. Keep in mind that the budget will be low because you will replace a Dutch band that didn’t need accommodation.

REPORTS & REVIEWS

• Review by Aardschok magazine (in Dutch, pdf, 3032kB)
• Review by Vampster webzine (in German, pdf, 983kB)
• Review by RockHard France magazine, part 1 (in French, pdf, 2603kB)
• Review by RockHard France magazine, part 2 (in French, pdf, 2826kB)
• Review by RockHard France magazine, part 3 (in French, pdf, 2738kB)
• Review by RockHard France magazine, part 4 (in French, pdf, 1701kB)
• Review by Mindview magazine (in Dutch, pdf, 3062kB)
• Review by Progressia magazine, part 1 (in French, pdf, 2131kB)
• Review by Progressia magazine, part 2 (in French, pdf, 2158kB)
• Review by Progressia magazine, part 3 (in French, pdf, 2039kB)
• Review by Gaesteliste webzine (in German, pdf, 294kB)
• Review by IO Pages magazine (in Dutch, pdf, 997kB)
• News article local newspaper (in Dutch, pdf, 822kB)
• Poster ProgPower Europe 2001 (pdf, 2710kB)
• News article local newspaper (in Dutch, pdf, 659kB)
• Advert ProgPower Europe 2001 (pdf, 2352kB)
• Ticket ProgPower Europe 2001 (pdf, 76kB)

PHOTOS

ProgPower Europe 2001
By PPEurope  |  View on Facebook

INTRO

REPORTS & REVIEWS

• ProgPower Europe 1999 diary by Wolverine (in Swedish, pdf, 3.855kB)
• Letter from Noud Willemse, a Dutch visitor (in Dutch, pdf, 1.175kB)
• Letter from Tomoko, a Japanese music lover (in English, pdf, 344kB)
• Report by René Janssen (organizer) (in English, pdf, 1.155kB)
• Report by Martijn Balsters (organizer) (in English, pdf, 764kB)
• Report by Christian Rademaker (visitor in 1999) (in English, pdf, 402kB)
• Report by Mattias Norén from Sweden (our graphic designer in 1999) (in English, pdf, 748kB)
• Review by Geert Fieuw, visitor from Belgium (in English, pdf, 1.176kB)
• Report by Jörg Enke, visitor from Germany (in English, pdf, 884kB)
• Review by Aardschok magazine, part 1 (in Dutch, pdf, 1.736kB)
• Review by Aardschok magazine, part 2 (in Dutch, pdf, 1.957kB)
• Review by Dutch Progressive Rock Page (in English, pdf, 96kB)

PHOTOS

PROGPOWER EUROPE 1999
By PPEurope  |  View on Facebook

FLYER

• What is your name?
  Paul and Deb Halford

• Which country are you from?
  England UK

• What do you do in your daily life?
  Paul is an Engineer and CadCam Programmer and Deb is a part time Accounts/Admin Assistant for a Field Marketing company.

• When did you visit PP Europe for the first time?
  2008

• What was the main reason to visit PP Europe for the first time?
  We used to go to the UK Progpower festival but this was cancelled in 2008 so we decided to try further afield.

• How many times have you visited PP Europe so far?
  5 times

• What was your first impression of PP Europe at your first visit?
  We loved it! The venue, the castle, the people………everything! We didn’t really get to meet too many people in the first year as we spent most of our time with two fellow Brits (Finn and Dave), Ricardo from Spain and Bernt and his girlfriend from Germany.

• What is your overal impression of PP Europe?
  This is a very well run festival with so many different nationalities visiting year after year. It really is one huge family and apart from year one where we didn’t really know that many people from 2009 onwards the friendships that we have made have remained throught the years and the family just keeps growing and growing. The organisers are pretty friendly too!!

• Why should people visit PP Europe?
  You will see bands here that you will probably never see anywhere else in your life! The lineup is always varied and interesting, even though it may not all be your cup of tea, there will always be something that you like and you will be astounded by the little gems that you will discover along the way! You will meet lots of new people from all over the world and from many varied walks of life, such an interesting place to be! It is a must that you stay at the castle if you want to wake up in lovely surroundings with a lovely long breakfast and surrounded by wonderful people and not to mention many of the bands stay there too so if you’re into meeting your idols then this is the place for you! Plus, if you fancy a beer in the garden then from the minute you walk into the courtyard, there will be someone offering you one! Also, if you stay at the castle you will enjoy the walk to the venue, come rain or shine there will be someone to pass the time of day with and you will have lots of fun along the way!

  As previously stated, this is a very well run festival and the organisers run it like a precision tool, very rarely do bands come on late and everything runs like clockwork! Hats off to Rene, Martijn and Christian for making it a great place to be every year.

• Tell us in 1 sentence what PP Europe means to you?
  A festival like no other and just like coming home.

• The last words are yours….
  See you in October 2013 for the 15th anniversary!

In 2011 they have release the excellent album ‘Communication Lost’. The band was booked for the Progmotion festival last year in The Netherlands, but unfortunately they had to cancel their performance due to sickness of lead singer Stefan Zell. Now they will be back on stage in The Netherlands with an extra long setlist of 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Don’t miss it and we think we have a great headliner that will also please everyone who likes Wolverine. To be announced on April 30.

• What is your name?
  Jarno Vesterinen

• Which country are you from?
  Finland

• What do you do in your daily life?
  Well it doesn’t need Captain Spectacular to see through my facade, I am a nerd. I spend lot of my time with computers and reading and I am a software developer by occupation. I also spend time listening music, drinking with my friends and playing disc golf.

• When did you visit PP Europe for the first time?
  It was in year 2006.

• What was the main reason to visit PP Europe for the first time?
  We were fans of Scar Symmetry and Riverside and going abroad to a festival seemed like a cool idea.

• How many times have you visited PP Europe so far?
  Our gang of four has been there every year between 2006-2012. So that makes seven times. We have already started planning for the next year.

• What was your first impression of PP Europe at your first visit?
  Everything was very unusual in a good way. Staying at the castle (yes it is really a castle with a moat and everything) with other festival guests is as much fun as it sounds like. When we stumbled to the downstairs of the venue to see the first band warming up before Dreamscape, it was much more relaxed, close and personal as we expected. In other festivals you are used to struggle for a good spot with bruised elbows and then try to endure there to the end of the show but in ProgPower seeing the bands feel effortless. You can move around quite freely or take a break. All the people there are working as community to give everyone the best possible chance to enjoy the show.

  All band were good and the variance between performers is great. After seeing couple of really positive surprises, you felt compelled to see what would come next and it was not disappointing. After finishing their sets many of the bands stayed for a while to have couple of beer, talk to the guests and to see the other bands. Scar Symmetry had literally parked their bus right beside the venue and they were in no hurry to go anywhere. In year 2006 the last band was Riverside and it was just amazing experience. I was tired, my legs aching from three days of standing but I didn’t bother me. I was just mesmerized by the mellow music played with ultimate precision.

• What is your overal impression of PP Europe?
  ProgPower Europe is not just a music festival, it is bit more than that. It is also a community, a celebration of music and creativity. I know it might just seem like people drinking, listening bands and having fun for the untrained eye.

• Why should people visit PP Europe?
  I think the music is a good place to start. If you are fan of progressive metal or some of the bands playing there, this is certainly the way to see them. I think bands are also aware that they are “preaching to the choir” and can have very creative playlists. Venue is good, Baarlo is lovely small town to visit and staying at the castle is awesome. You will also meet lots of like-minded people that will become your extended family for your visits during the following years.

• Tell us in 1 sentence what PP Europe means to you?
  It is a unique festival that has a relaxed atmosphere with interesting music and people.

• The last words are yours….
  One year we had to stay in the new building At the Castle that was still being built. There was only one minor issue, in the shower hot and cold was reversed. We figured this out on the last morning. Before that we only used cold water and girlish screams to cleanse ourselves (as Finnish men are accustomed of doing).

Check out Hacride’s bandpage to see some youtube clips!

• What is your name?
  René Janssen

• Which part of the Netherlands are you from?
  I live in Baarlo, the city of ProgPower Europe!

• What do you do in your daily life?
  Since October 2012 I’ve been a freelance consultant: www.renejanssen consultancy.nl. I advise and support organisations in every possible way on how to improve their digital communication. I specialise in local government. This includes improving websites, integrating software systems and setting up a management structure to keep web information up to date. I am glad I finally made the decision to become my own boss, so now I only have to listen to myself (ok, and sometimes to my wife, haha).Besides my work I enjoy playing with my oldest daughter Kim. She’s 6 years old now. And of course we spend a lot of time taking care of our youngest daughter Imke, 4 years old now, who has CDKL5-epilepsy. And when there is time I enjoy hanging out with friends and family or visiting some gigs or festival, and enjoy a good glass of beer! So all in all I have no time to get bored.

• When did you first get involved with PP Europe?
  As you probably all know I am one of the 3 individuals who are responsible for all this, I started the festival back in 1999 together with Erik van Geel (who moved to the USA and left the organisation after 2 years) and Martijn Balsters, who is still involved.

• What is your role in the PP organisation?
  I am the main organiser and try to get everything ready for October!

• What have been memorable performances from you in the past?
  There are many many great performances I can remember, but I will give you my personal top 3 (in no particular order):
  • Heaven’s Cry in 2002. Still think this band is one of the most underrated bands in the scene.
  • Hacride in 2009. Definitely the most impressive show I have seen at ProgPower. They blew everyone away who stayed in the audience. No expectations before, hugely impressed after the show.
  • hmmmmmmmm, ok, Symphony X in 2011. Not my favourite band, but for me the most professional show we have had. From the moment they arrived early in the morning everything was scheduled. A great experience also for our crew and therefore they make my top 3.

• Why should people visit PP Europe?
  There are many reasons, I only can say if you like this kind of music, ProgPower Europe is the place to be. We have proved that we can book amazing unknown bands and put together a line-up that will appeal to anyone visiting. Bands get enough playing time, there is plenty of time to chat with each other, headliners play long sets, and we have cheap beer, haha. So it’s value for the money in an atmosphere that you cannot describe, but you really can feel it!

• Tell us in 1 sentence what PP Europe means to you?
  Seeing all the happy faces at the festival and knowing how much this weekend means to all of us, gives me a feeling that I cannot describe. It’s something like: this is what we are doing it for every year!

• The last words are yours….
  What should I say……I don’t know. I can write a book about how much love I get back for all the work we do to keep the festival going. It is just unbelievable how this festival has become such a wonderful event, especially over the last 7 years or so. And I have thought about quitting the event a couple of times, but when you all go home right after the festival and I find that my mailbox and our facebook page is full of these great words and amazing photos, I know better. I am afraid this is something we will continue forever and I can tell you how proud I am we started this whole concept back in 1999. I have been trying to get my daughter Kim into this music (and there is some good hope because she liked Heaven’s Cry when she was 2 years old, haha) so she can take it over. Which means that in 2048 we celebrate our 50th anniversary!And I would like to take the opportunity to thank our CREW and all the volunteers who make ProgPower possible every year, thank you all, without you guys and girls we never would be able to continue.See you in October!

• What is your name?
  Martijn Balsters

• Which part of the Netherlands are you from?
  I’m from Tilburg, a city in the south of the Netherlands, most widely known as the town that hosted the very first ProgPower festival in history at the 013 venue.

• What do you do in your daily life?
  I currently work as a post-doc researcher at Tilburg University. I recently finished my PhD-thesis and hope to defend it successfully in June. Being a psychologist, my areas of investigation are depression, emotion research, and doctor-patient interactions (by using automated techniques). I also have teaching responsibilities, such as supervising students with their bachelor or master-thesis and teach some courses.Besides this, there’s my big passion called music. I’m a guitar player and have been (or still am) active with acts such as Forever Times, The Dust Connection, Up The Irons and Maiden United. And of course, I’m constantly listening to old and new music (varying from classical, pop, jazz, dance to death metal and everything in between), and try to visit as many concerts as I can.

  More things that I enjoy: football (I’m quite a fanatic supporter of my local football club Willem II), movies, reading books, travelling, and most of all the company of good friends. With and without alcohol..

• When did you first get involved with PP Europe?
  I started the event, together with René and Erik van Geel, somewhere in 1998. I already knew René for a while, as he was maintaining the news page on the Dutch Progressive Rock Page (DPRP) back then. He also used to help out with the promotion of my old band Forever Times. Although the internet was in its “Jurassic age” at the time, it was already quite easy to find other fanatics like myself, who loved the same music.At that time, it was really hard to get any gigs as a band that carried the label ‘progressive’. There were some small progressive rock festivals, but virtually nothing was happening on the metal side of the spectrum

  So one day, René sent me an email asking if I would be interested in organising a festival, primarily focussed on progressive metal to fill the existing gap. I immediately said yes, as it seemed a great opportunity to finally do something about the situation instead of complaining about it . Although we never organised such an event before, we took things very seriously from the start. We approached the well-known 013 venue in my hometown Tilburg, and (to our surprise), they were interested right away. After the first single-day edition, we moved to René’s hometown Baarlo. Although it seemed an illogical decision to some people at that moment, it was the best thing we could ever do in retrospect. In the years that followed, we were able to expand the festival to a three-day event, thanks to Sjiwa, the bands and our loyal visitors. The rest is history.

• What is your role in the PP organisation?
  I’m one of the three main organisers, responsible for booking the line up. While enjoying Christian’s cooking skills, we dig our way through hundreds of cd’s every year and constantly search the internet for new talent. I’ll never grow tired of that. I’m also the contact person between the bands and the venue. I make sure all technical and logistical details are being taken care of, so everything will go according to schedule. On a little less serious note, I remember Christian describing me as “The Festival’s Conscience” once. Although I’m not a politician, I apparently seem to be a mediator sometimes during our debates.. reminding people of the original philosophy of the festival every now and then .

• What have been memorable performances from you in the past?
  Gigs that come to mind: Riverside’s first performance out of Poland (totally blowing away everyone), Opeth in 2000 (before they got ‘big’), Heaven’s Cry’s gigs, Pain of Salvation (1999), Myrath (2010). And of course, playing myself with Forever Times and The Dust Connection. But my absolute highlight was Devin Townsend’s performance in 2004. He’s one of my alltime favorite artists. Being able to fly him and his band over for an exclusive gig was a dream come true.

• Why should people visit PP Europe?
  The music and the people! You get to see 15 (mostly exclusive) gigs of high quality music. You will meet like-minded people from all over the world while sleeping and (after-after) partying at a beautiful castle. I know I’m biased, but it never ceases to amaze me how great the atmosphere is: newcomers are immediately welcomed by the regulars, bands partying along with their fans.

• Tell us in 1 sentence what PP Europe means to you?
  Something I’m really proud of, always look forward to, and still feel privileged to be part of.

• The last words are yours….
  See you all in October! Although I’m quite busy during the festival, I always try to hang out with everyone as much as possible and make some new friends along the way. It’s you, the bands, volunteers and visitors that make this festival so unique!