Robespierre – Garden Of Hell

Robespierre announce themselves with NWOBHM debut ‘Garden Of Hell’

There are many events throughout history that take time to come to fruition, the universe as we know it is roughly 13.8 billion years old, the Earth, a mere 4.543 billion years. In that time many civilisations have risen and faded into obscurity, many armies have conquered and fallen. Liverpool band Robespierre surely fall into the ‘slowly slowly…’ category, when you consider that the Great Pyramid took 20 years to build and this debut album has been on the cards for 35 years, you begin to see the picture. Recording a demo way back in ’83, for whatever reasons, things didn’t take off so fast forward to 2011 when they resurface on a compilation album and a whole new audience awaits them

As a person that was immersed in the original NWOBHM scene, discovering such bands as The Handsome Beasts, Tobruk, Tytan and many many more was an absolute joy, that raw and genuine energy that came through the speakers of your record player was just spine tingling. Although many modern day bands have attempted to re capture that vibe, few can achieve it…until now

What I instantly felt when listening to ‘Garden Of Hell’ was that unmistakeable 80’s Metal sound surging through my veins again, uncomplicated, uncontrived and definitely unapologetic. Opening with the wonderfully Motorhead paced ‘Punish Oppressors’, you can not help but be drawn into the bands world. ‘Mare Of Steel’ again hits the spot, and that Doom tinged riff on ‘Dwelling In The Shadows’, immense indeed. Yes it’s all retro but it’s done by guys who were doing retro when it was current (if you see what I mean) and therefore, to be blunt, they know what they’re doing. The album is 100% NWOBHM but with a splattering of late 70’s Punk, a limb and a torso of classic Doom, and a great ability to not take itself too seriously. If I had to pick a favourite track it would be between the last two songs on the album, namely ‘Welcome To The Cult’ and ‘I Am A Flower (In The Garden Of Hell), both exude all that you would want in a classic British Metal album

Some things really are worth waiting for, a joyous romp down memory lane and an album that I’m sure will continue to grow on me, all together now…”Shattered dreams in a wishing well, I am a flower in the garden of Hell”