PERSIAN RISK - Too Different EP (1984) NWOBHM

bigfootkit · Post by **bigfootkit** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 7:20 pm

For Jonah Quizz:

PERSIAN RISK - Too Different EP (1984) UK
Zebra Records

01. Too Different
02. Sky's Falling Down
03. Dark Tower

Carl Sentence - Vocals
Nick Hughes - Bass
Graham Bath - Guitar
Steve Hopgood - Drums

Persian Risk were a New Wave Of British Heavy Metal band who originated from Cardiff, Wales in 1979.
The brainchild of guitarist Phil Campbell, he recruited vocalist Jon Deverill, second guitarist Dave Bell, bass-player Nick Hughes and drummer Razz.
After two years with little success, in 1981 Deverill was headhunted by the Tygers Of Pan Tang and was replaced by Carl Sentence.
With little improvement in fortune, the band soldiered on for a further two years.
In 1983 Razz was sacked, replaced by Dixie Lee, and Graham Bath took over second guitar.
The band also finally made it to vinyl by contributing a track to "Heavy Metal Heroes Vol.2".
The following year Campbell successfully auditioned for Motörhead, but this also led to a 1984 support slot on their tour.
He was replaced by namesake Phil Vokins, and Steve Hopgood (formerly of Shy and Chinatown) took over drums.
A further two years of failure to get a big break led to the band's disintegration in 1986.
An album, Rise Up was released posthumously in the same year.
Most of the members at that time moved on to other bands.
Carl Sentence became a member of the Geezer Butler Band; in the 1990s he joined Swiss hard rock legend Krokus.
However, after relocating to the USA, he put together a new version of Persian Risk for a club tour and a hard-to-find EP, circa 1991.
Guitarist Graham Bath worked with Paul Di'Anno in the bands Battlezone and Killers.
Bassist Nick Hughes joined Idol Rich.
Drummer Steve Hopgood joined Wild! and has also played in Tank and Di'Anno's Killers.

art & txt included

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http://rapidshare.com/files/104353591/PERSIAN_RISK_-_Too_Different_EP__UK-1984_.rar

no pw

nightsblood · Post by **nightsblood** » Fri Apr 04, 2008 5:29 pm

Thanks bigfoot! 2 of these songs were re-done for 'rise Up' ('dark tower' and 'sky's falling down').

bigfootkit · Post by **bigfootkit** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 12:23 am

That's right, but i must say the album's never really "hit the spot" for me, it's a bit flat sounding compared to the earlier stuff.
It always struck me an an opportunity missed, after all the promise of the singles/eps.

nightsblood · Post by **nightsblood** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 2:13 am

Yeah, people tend to be split on the LP. Personally I like it- it's light but very catchy- but it's not in the same league as the earlier stuff. That said, music had changed a lot between '80 and '86, and 'Rise Up' is a much better attempt at converting to the polished, mid 80s sound than most bands managed to come up with (coughcough JAGUAR 'this time' coughCRAPcough).

bigfootkit · Post by **bigfootkit** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 2:54 am

Yup, that's a pretty accurate summing up of the Persian Risk situation, and of the Jaguar affair too.
LOL.
Quite a few of the NWOBHM bands suffered the same fate, after the emergence of the hair & thrash genres. Those still standing from the NWOBHM were left at a bit of a crossroads and whilst a few stuck to their guns, it seems many jumped on one or other of the bandwagons in order to further their careers, or at the very least felt the need to lean in one or the other direction.
I've got to admit, i'm struggling to come up with a band from that era who completed the transition smoothly, but the list of acts who came out of it badly is as long as you want.
Put in that context, "Rise Up" was a pretty decent effort i suppose, but as you say, not in the same league as their earlier recordings.
I suspect all the line up changes took their toll in that respect too.