Valour – Part I (EP)
Forlorn Hope
Heavy metal band Forlorn Hope are back on the scene with some new songs – and seeing the advanced copy of their new EP Valour – Part I drop into my inbox made my entire month. These days, there aren’t many bands that can actually draw my attention and get me excited for a new release; but the guys from Merseyside with their British Military History-themed heavy metal tunes are at the very top of my list. I can still vividly remember the exact moment, years ago, late at night when I was scrolling through Bandcamp and came across Forlorn Hope’s page and their initial release – Rifles. The very notion of a heavy metal song about the 95th Rifles intrigued me – and then I was absolutely blown away by the epic lyrics, drums and guitar riffs that came when I decided to take a chance and play the song. I was hooked – and I’ve been a fan ever since. At the beginning of 2022 I was lucky enough to be sent a review copy of the band’s previous single, Redcoat, which I reviewed and called ‘one of the best heavy metal songs that I have ever listened to in my life‘. I stand by those words, and not a week goes by without me rocking out to that single and the rest of the band’s songs. As such, I couldn’t wait to see what awaited me in the five songs that compose Valour – Part I.
As the name suggests, Valour – Part I is in fact the first installment of several EPs that will form an entire album’s worth of music – the largest release by the band since their debut album Over the Hill released in 2019. It’s an interesting release schedule, cleverly designed to maximise interest and engagement from the band’s fanbase, including a crowdfunding campaign that seemed to be quite successful, especially for a small, indie band in a crowded genre. The EP’s subject is also deftly chosen – whereas previous releases have focused on a particular period, Valour is taking a whirlwind tour through British military history in order to pick out particular soldiers – in all of the armed forces – who were awarded the prestigious Victoria Cross for various heroic and valorous acts across the ages. It’s a fascinating concept, and I’m looking forward to what the second EP picks in terms of subjects for its songs. The cover art for Valour – Part I also needs to be mentioned – artist Mitchell Nolte has absolutely knocked it out of the park with the amazing painting depicting James Brindley Nicolson’s Hawker Hurricane in action, gun barrels blazing. It’s the perfect accompaniment to the five songs on the EP.
[Note: As with previous music reviews – just to highlight that I’m not really a music reviewer and more of an ‘enthusiastic amateur’ at best; so you’ll have to forgive a lack of any nuanced stylistic interpretations and knowledge of musical composition in the next part!]
Nicolson’s act of valour – climbing back into a burning and disintegrating Hurricane to shoot down a Messerschmitt during the Battle of Britain, sustaining serious burns in the process – is the subject of Down in Flames. The first song released by the band back in June, Down in Flames is classic Forlorn Hope, utilising Chris Simpson’s unique and powerful vocals and John Roughley and Alexander Bishop’s guitars to hurl the listener into the chaos of the frantic aerial battle that Nicolson found himself above the skies of Kent in 1940. It’s a superb piece of music, distinctive and deeply compelling with lyrics that instantly hooks you; and alongside the earlier Rifles is perhaps the best song to introduce someone to Forlorn Hope. It helps that its release was supported by an amazing music video created in the style of an old Commando or War Picture Library strip, deftly created by the talented people at Very Metal Art.
We then move back in time to the First World War and the tragedy of the Gallipoli landings for Ulysses, 1915 – a song which focuses on the actions of Captain Edward Unwin and his command of the SS River Clyde during the landing at V Beach. If anything, this is an even more frenetic and intense song than Down in Flames, with Danny Kelly’s incredible drumming skills coming to the fore, supported by multiple vocals from the rest of the band. It’s perhaps the catchiest of the five songs on the EP – though there’s intense competition – and the one I’ve had playing in my headphones the most the past few days.
The Fusilier then travels back to the dawn of the Victoria Cross and the Crimea Campaign in 1864 – focusing down on the heroic actions of the titular Fusilier, Luke O’Connor, who led a charge through brutal Russian gunfire to plant the Queen’s Colours of the 23rd Regiment of Foot on the Russian Great Redoubt on the banks of the River Alma. It’s a slower and more contemplative song than its predecessors, but that works well in its favour – putting us in O’Connor’s shoes as he charges towards the Russian lines, colours in hand, and Chris Simpson’s near-hypnotic vocals coming to the fore.
Greater Love Hath No Man is, I believe, a first for Forlorn Hope – an entirely instrumental track absent Simpson’s distinctive vocals and which instead allows the guitars and drums of Roughley, Bishop and Kelly to tell the tale of Private William McFadzean and the Victoria Cross he won for his actions during the Battle of the Somme. In an act of bravery I cannot even begin to fathom, and suspect few ever could, McFadzean threw himself on top of a box of Mills bombs that were about to detonate in the trench he and his comrades were standing in; he died, but in doing so, absorbed the blast and saved his friends. Perhaps the purest act of bravery imaginable, and one that Greater Love Hath No Man pays fitting tribute to through its tremendous composition.
Finally, we come to The Last Ride, the second song on the EP released separately as a single by Forlorn Hope and which was also accompanied by a superb music video, again created in Commando strip style by Very Metal Art. The Last Ride takes us to the bloody aftermath of the Battle of Isandalwana and the defeat of the British redcoats by the Zulu army opposing them; and the desperate ride by Lieutenant Coghill and Lieutenant Teignmouth Melvill in an attempt to save their regimental colours from capture. The song is another pulse-pounding, thrilling song from the band, and of the type that fully demonstrates their skill as musicians and their continuing evolution as a heavy metal band.
When considering the subject matter of the EP and the songs themselves, one of the most impressive aspects of each piece of music is the careful choice of subject matter – throughout the lengthy, complex and blood-soaked history of the British Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, there are many famous tales of the Victoria Cross that the band could have picked from in order to wring the greatest amount of recognition for their songs and the EP as a whole. Yet it’s to their credit – both as musicians and historians – that the bandmates have carefully chosen from the vast pool of far lesser known, and yet just as impressive, tales of heroism and sacrifice in order to craft these five songs. The result is not only five peerless heavy metal tunes, but also an opportunity for the listener to learn more about British servicemen who sacrificed for the country and yet remain buried deep in lesser-read pages of the country’s history.
So – what to make of Valour – Part I when all is said and done? It’s an amazing achievement by Forlorn Hope, building upon their previous releases (Redcoat and To The Bitter End) to create an EP that demonstrates that the band is becoming increasingly confident and sophisticated both in terms of lyrics and musical composition. Already the band have set down what could be called a ‘typical’ Forlorn Hope musical composition in their previous releases, characterised by Kelly’s feverish, almost super-human drumming, Roughly and Bishop’s intense guitar playing and Simpson’s amazing vocals in songs like Rifles, Talavera and To The Bitter End. That typical, familiar composition can be seen in Down in Flames and I suspect no-one could have blamed the band if they had decided to maintain that composition for the rest of the EP and effectively ‘sat on their laurels’. However, they’ve done the very opposite, and instead taken the decision to start varying the style of their music, deftly crafting songs that – while still maintaining that essential, central ‘Forlorn Hope’ core – have begun to experiment with what they can achieve. It’s risky, and something that only truly ambitious bands set out to do, and fortunately the band have pulled it off flawlessly; and as such, is an excellent sign for the band’s musical future. With the release of Valour – Part I Forlorn Hope have readily demonstrated why they are the best British Heavy Metal band around today, and that their future could not be brighter in the genre. I cannot wait to see what Valour – Part II and Part III will reveal – and I’ll be reviewing them as soon as humanly possible!
‘Valour – Part I’ is released on August 30th 2024 and can be preordered at the band’s website – www.forlornhope.uk
The Sci-Fi and Fantasy Reviewer 