PERSIAN RISK - Rise Up (NEW*LIM. SLIPCASE CD*NWOBHM CLASSIC)

High Roller Records 2024 – Brandnew limited slipcase, booklet

Carl Sentance – Vocals

Phil Vokins – Guitar (tracks 1–10)

Nick Hughes – Bass

Steve Hopgood – Drums

Graham Bath – Guitar (tracks 1–10 / 16–18)

Alex Lohfink – Guitar (tracks 11–12)

PHIL CAMPBELL – Guitar (tracks 13–15)

RAZZ – Drums (tracks 13–15)

01 Hold the Line

02 Jane

03 Rise Up

04 Brave New World

05 Don't Turn Around

06 Sky's Falling Down

07 Break Free

08 Dark Tower

09 Rip it Up

10 Women in Rock

11 Calling for You (single)

12 Chase the Dragon (single)

13 50.000 Stallions (compilation)

14 Riding High (single)

15 Hurt You (single)

16 Too Different (single)

17 Sky's Falling Down (single)

18 Dark Tower (single)

Original transfers by Patrick W. Engel and Thorsten Thormann in February 2023.

Audio restoration and mastering by Patrick W. Engel at TEMPLE OF DISHARMONY in March 2023.

Finally released in 1986, although recorded a year or so earlier, Rise Up is the sole LP by Welsh band Persian Risk. Formed around 1979/80, Persian Risk have perhaps become best known for being the band in which Jon Deverill and Phil Campbell cut their teeth, but this shouldn’t overshadow their reputation as a great live band who recorded some of the best melodic metal tracks of the NWOBHM.

By the time bassist Nick Hughes, vocalist Carl Sentance, guitarists Phil Vokins and Graham Bath, and drummer Steve Hopgood came to record Rise Up the band already had three singles to their name. Two highly collectable 7” 45s – ‘Calling To You’ and ‘Ridin’ High’ – had been put to tape by previous line-ups from which only founder member Hughes and Sentance now remained. Then, with Bath and Hopgood replacing Phil Campbell and original drummer Razz, the four-piece line-up was responsible for 1984’s ‘Too Different’ 12” single. With Vokins added to the band they recorded Rise Up, but by the time the LP was released the band had already hit the buffers.

Featuring the ten cuts from the original LP, this new version of Rise Up also adds all the tracks from the band’s three singles as well as ’50,000 Stallions’, previously only available on the Neat Records’ 60 Minutes Plus Metal Compilation cassette.