N.W.O.B.H.M. Wednesday: Robespierre-Garden of Hell

Shadow Kingdom Records
2018

Robespierre is a N.W.O.B.H.M band that is comprised of David Cooke (guitars, vocals) and Gordon Logan (drums). Initially formed way back in 1983, this heavy metal/doom metal didn't have as much success the first time around as they should have. Fast forward some to 2011 and the compilation "Die You Heathen, Die!" is released on vinyl by Buried by Time and Dust Records. Slowly but surely the buzz starts to rise about this long-lost English metal band with a shit ton of talent and enthusiasm. By the time the compilation is released on CD by Skol Records (and in a killer package FYI!) just about everyone is hip to what Robespierre has to offer. That was in 2013. That summer I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to interview vocalist/guitarist David Cooke (link). Here it is early 2018 and we are just now getting a taste of what modern-day Robespierre has to offer. Let's not mince words then. For any Robespierre fans out there (and yes folks, that does include me!), "Garden of Hell" is solid proof that some things get better with age! Starting off strong with the killer track "Punish Oppressors", "Garden of Hell" is the long-overdue debut album from Robespierre and dammit man(!), it has been worth the wait! There are ten tracks in all on this British metal release and there isn't a dud to be found! This is 100% killer/no-filler N.W.O.B.H.M. that demands multiple spins and more than a few devil horns in the air salutes! Numbers like "Mare of Steel". "Feed the Fire", "The Black Mirror", and "Men of Violence" make this album stick out with grandness. By combining their familiar sound (thunderous heavy metal with grit and style!) with shades of doom metal and traditional/power metal, Robespierre has development a hard & heavy sound that is as gloomy as it dangerous! No matter whether it is "Dagon Rises", "Fear", "Welcome to the Cult" or "I am a Flower (In the Garden of Evil)", Robespierre has demonstrated the positive effects of evolving your sound and style. For a band that traces it's roots back to the early eighties, band members Gordon Logan and David Cooke still sound young and refreshed on this new album. It's obviously that both musicians still have the fire burning deep down inside. That is reflected in the dynamic performances and the way in which this album has been presented. On a scale of 1 to 10, "Garden of Hell" is a sandwiched somewhere in-between a 8.5 and 9. In my eye that makes "Garden of Hell" a new metal classic!

Interview with Robespierre

Lead vocalist/guitarist David Cooke

Recently I had the pleasure of interviewing Robespierre vocalist/guitarist David Cooke. I want to thank him for taking the time to sit down and answer a few questions for Heavy Metal Time Machine. For fans of the N.W.O.B.H.M. scene or even those that just like good heavy metal/thrash metal hybrid bands I strongly encourage you to check out their recently released album "Die You Heathen, Die!" out now on Skol Records. Incidentally you can read my review "Die You Heathen, Die!" by clicking on the link at the bottom of this interview.

Andy-Let's start at the beginning. How did the two of you hook up initially?

David-We were in a band called One On One. We advertised for a drummer and Gordon phoned me up. We actually hit it off before we even met. I gave him the gig at the audition which pissed off a certain band member, but it didn’t bother me one bit. David wants what David wants, LOL!

Andy-Was Robespierre always meant to be a studio-only project or was there ever talk of trying it out live?

Drummer Gordon Logan

David-To be honest I don’t really know what it was meant to be. I had the idea to do it and Gordon was well up for it. We had no real ambitions - I suppose it was something we had to get off our chests. I have always been one of the ‘classic’ songwriters so this was an opportunity to thrash out and have some fun with lyrics. As far as playing live was concerned, we had other projects we had commitments to. Here in 2013 playing live is a real possibility, but the personnel has to be right. I won’t be playing guitar as it’s tough to sing and play this music at the same time. In a perfect world it would be so cool to have a ‘Robespierre’ band out there playing our music with our blessing. Wouldn’t that be incredible? Any band can apply for the post!

David Cooke

Andy-The influences on "Die You Heathen, Die!" are so varied and yet it (the album as a whole) perfectly conveys the sound and spirit of the N.W.O.B.H.M. movement. Was there any discussion about what direction to take the recordings or did it all unfold naturally?

David-All quite natural. Neither of us told the other what to do or how to play. We totally went with the flow. I have always been an aficionado of what I call ‘planned accidents’. The room we recorded in was very small and basic. It was next door to an off license which was very convenient. Yes, a fair portion of it was beer-fueled.

 Andy-Was the musical chemistry between you too that obvious once you were in the studio?

David-We have always had a musical chemistry between us whatever the project. Gordon has always had absolute faith in me and that has continually inspired me to go with my gut instincts. The basic structure of the songs was mine in terms of chords and lyrics, but it was Gordon who knocked them into shape and recognizable as songs. I would say the whole direction and atmosphere was conjured up by Gordon’s imaginative drumming and overall ideas. I just bounced off what he did. It was easy. The great thing I remember was how much fun it was. It wasn’t meant to sound like Yes or Gentle Giant. Mistakes were left in. We were all after capturing the moment. I can recall listening back to the recordings and being very pleased at the sound and atmosphere of it. I am terribly self-critical though. I couldn’t imagine anyone else liking it. It was something we did purely for US. Gordon was the one giving the tape to the DJ at the Moonstone. I would have just thrown it in the drawer.The music has been compared to this band and that band. I can sort of see where the comparisons are coming from, but I think we were quite ‘unique’ – and that can be a good or a bad thing.

 Andy-What were your day jobs back then?

David-Gordon worked in a department store and I worked in a local council office. We hated our jobs. It was clear we never fitted in and struggled to even pretend to. I was always on a ‘disciplinary’ for telling my ‘bosses’ to **** off. It was then I learnt that especially in local councils, the higher you go, the stupider they become. Some used to laugh at me for filling my time making music. They more or less mocked my life. Far better to sit watching soaps with a few cans of beer by your side eh?

Andy-How about now? Where has life taken the pair of you?

David-Gordon is a property developer and still lives in Merseyside. I am a tattoo artist living in North Devon. We are both proud family men and reasonably content with our lot. The only problem is that we live a long way away from each other. We still record together and have done demos of about 24 songs which we are whittling down to 12 for a new album.

Andy-A new album would be a thing of wonder for fans for sure! Can you tells us though
how the deal came about with Skol Records?

David-Bart got in touch and said he wanted to put out the album previously released on vinyl by BBTAD and we said OK. The deal was no more that that really. We love what he has done. The booklet is stunning.

Andy-I couldn't agree more! The overall package is just killer. I wonder David, if it could be worked out somehow would you ever consider playing live?

David-Short answer: yes! It’s highly unlikely that I could replicate those insane yelps though.

Andy-Those are some pretty impressive yelps! The material on the Skol Records release is nothing short of kick ass! Were there any favorite numbers for you?

David-Not really. I am still very critical of whatever I do. I am never one to sit there and think ‘I could have done better there’. It is what it is. A moment captured in time. If people like it, great. If they don’t, that’s great too. If you twisted my arm – ‘Backs To The Wall’. The whole song is in danger of collapsing at any moment, but we made it through to the end of the song in one piece.

Andy-What's next for the band David?

David-A new album perhaps. Maybe some festivals next year. We will consider all offers.

Andy-That would be great! Anything you'd like to add before we part company?

David-Thank you for your interest and enthusiasm. I know the music is quite odd when compared to mainstream, so it’s quite a buzz when people ‘get’ it. What I truly like are the reasons people get off on it. I know from my own experiences that ‘mystique’ plays a bit part in it all. Now people can put names and faces to Robespierre, something has been lost – but at least the music is now available in a good reproduction. Having said that, 10th generation cassette copies have their magic too.


http://metalmark.blogspot.com/2013/06/robespierre-die-you-heathen-die.html

Robespierre-Die You Heathen, Die!

Skol Records
2013


No matter how much you think you know the NWOBHM scene there is always some new band to be discovered. Such is the case with Robespierre who, in June and December of 1983, recorded 2 demos that, although popular in and around Liverpool back in the day (especially in the local pubs according to the accompanying booklet!), never made the impact that they should have or rightly deserved. To be fair they did make the rounds amongst tape traders (or at least the one demo from June of 1983 did). Constructed early on as more of a studio project/experiment, albeit one with loads of talent to spare, this underground  gem of a "band" featured David Cooke (guitars and vocals) and Gordon Logan (drums and backing vocals). At the time David Cooke was inspired by the emerging NWOBHM scene that was unfolding all around him as well as the more extreme bands coming out of the USA during that time period. Meanwhile Gordon Logan brought a love of punk rock to the project that would end up paying dividends in the long-run. Up front it must be noted that this collection of demos, as assembled by Skol Records, sounds incredible. Having never heard the original source material, or at least for the June 1983 demo as the December 1983 demo remained hidden in the vaults until now, I'm going to give equal credit to the pair of Cooke and Logan (for their original work in the studio) and to Bart Gaberial (head of Skol Records) who handled the executive production of this 2013 re-release. When you add in the beautiful booklet (with a bio, lyrics, pictures and track by track information) this is a must-have for NWOBHM fans. Speaking of which, it might be helpful to spell out just what this pair is rocking on about right? Well, admittedly I was pulled in by the promise of metal born of Hell, Cloven Hoof and Raven. That's fair enough. When my copy actually arrived, thanks to the fine folks at HR Records (link below), those 3 groups did come to mind while listening to this re-release, but so did other NWOBHM bands. While I won't go track by track for space reasons I will divulge that opener "Backs To The Wall", in addition to having some of that spitfire punk mentality previously mentioned, sported a sound that was bred from the likes of Venom, Raven, Grim Reaper and Motörhead! Very nice right? While they might not all have the same immediate impact that the opener had, especially as it seems as if they book-ended the best two tracks for this compilation (to be fair though the first 4 tracks come from demo number 1 while the last 5 tracks come from demo number 2 so it's not exactly like they cherry-picked the running order that much) at least it ends on a high note with the great, and somewhat epic, "Battle Of The Ninth Thermidor". Mixed in between these two highlights are some rem gems (the title cut and "Robespierre") and sweet rockers ("I Am A Cannibal" and "Medusa") so this re-release still makes for an essential purchase for NWOBHM purists. It should also be noted that when you step back and consider when these cuts were originally put to tape it's then that the reality sets in. For their time period (1983) Robespierre were quite the heavy bunch which, again per the bio notes, was actually their agenda all along. With "Die You Heathen, Die!" it's easy, especially in hindsight, to see that all the pieces were there for these two to make it big. As is too often the case with bands from this time period though they slipped through the cracks. This collection ends up then as a fitting tribute to another pair of unsung heroes who should have found success in a time when the public was craving new and exciting hard rock, heavy metal and thrash. While it didn't happen it's at least possible to now show our support to these cult acts that helped paved the way for today's hard and heavy, mean and nasty and most definitely over-the-top metal bands!


http://www.hrrshop.de/ROBESPIERRE-Die-You-Heathen-Die-CD_1