DESOLATION ANGELS - Feels Like Thunder BOXSET HRR 110, limited to 500 copies, 32 page booklet, 5 LP`s + 7", all in seperate picture sleeves, 150 x gold/ black blend vinyl LP 1 - Only Time Will Tell - Soul Of The City - While The Flame Still Burns - I'm On Fire - Power Hungry - Wings On My Heels - Killer - Feels Like Thunder - Naked Truth LP 3 - Satan's Child - Death Machine - Unsung Hero - All Hallows Eve - Wild Gypsy Woman - Boadicea - Fury - Vision - Chainsaw - I Like It Heavy - God's Departure LP 5 - Fury - Valhalla - Black Heart - Scream All Night - Running For Your Life - Chainsaw - Dance Of The Demons - Death Or Glory - Evil Possessor - Written In Blood - Death Machine LP 2 - Fury - Edge Of Darkness - Dance Of The Demons - In The Machine - Hold On - Turn The Stone - Road Racing - Traveller - Save Our Souls - Far Cry To Nowhere - Scream All Night - When A World Dies LP 4 - Spirit Of The Deep - Unsung Hero - Valhalla - Satan's Child - Death Machine - Hounds Of Hell - Running For Your Life - Angry Rain - Doomsday - I Just Wanna Be Free 7” - Evil Possessor - Killer - Blackheart - Running For Your Life SOLD OUT!

There had been rumors about a Desolation Angels box set of some sort or other for years. It took until 2008, however, for it to finally materialize. Cyclone Empire did release a fantastic 4 CD collection with a record 54 songs! Who would have thought that a cult N.W.O.B.H.M. band like the Desolation Angels, who only released one official album and one 7" single in their lifespan, still had so much high-quality material in their archives? And there are better things still to come: High Roller Records is proud to announce the exclusive vinyl release of “Feels Like Thunder” (with five albums plus bonus 7" single in a boxed set). I asked guitarist Robin Brancher why a band with such a wealth of excellent material like the Desolation Angels was not able to make a living from playing music in the long run? His answer is very in-depth: “God, how the hell we didn’t become mega mega after so much dammed effort I’ll never know? I guess there are a thousand things you could point your finger at as to why it didn’t happen ... Things like: Was it a wise move to go to the States at that point in time? I mean we were doing very well over here (in the UK) just before we left for the US. Lots of regular press, a real big buzz going round, all sorts of offers coming in (but still not the allusive big company record deal, but you never know, it might have been the next offer in?). BBC Radio One Rock Show playing our tunes. We had just started to headline at the old Marquee Club in Wardour Street London and the gigs were packed, packed every time we played there, we were even accused of fixing the crowd by one band that we supported there!? They couldn’t believe that everybody left the venue after we had finished our set and they were left with just their closest fans, a handful gathered at the front of the stage. Kinda weird after the mass sweating pumping throng that had just been. But it shows you just how respected we were becoming, and how all that touring was beginning to pay off. It was Dumpy’s Rusty Nuts that got us in there (Marquee). We met him and his band on tour when we were gigging in Scotland and he came onto our coach to have a look around and cracked his head on the overhead storage rack when getting up from his seat after a few beers, we were all laughing and he made some joke of it like he does, funny man and a great entertainer. But from that meeting he offered us the support slot at the Marquee the next time he played there, and that’s how we got in. There maybe other factors too as why it didn’t happen big time for us. Like it was only when we got to America that people there (in the music business) started to show us how to be more creative with our songs, suggesting a more commercial and organized way of putting songs and albums together, we were also shown how to be more professional in our outlook and presentation on stage and with industry people. Back in the UK we put on huge shows, spending lots of money on PA systems, light shows, pyrotechnics, dry ice, the works, cost us a dammed arm and a leg, but it was rough and ready, still cool though but somehow the Americans took us to the next level, somehow more polished, we felt like rock stars, we were treated like rock stars, and that all made for a better tighter harder hitting and rocking outfit ... It was great out there, the shows, the travelling, the people around us, even doing interviews (no pun intended here dear interviewer). Keith and myself have taken all that experience and advice right though to today and it works.” Rob already mentioned the fact that the band moved over to America, to Los Angeles to be precise: “We moved out there towards the end of the eighties and that readers changed everything, believe me! What a cracking time, from the moment we landed right through six years of pure rock ‘n’ roll bliss. I remember at Heathrow, Dave (Wall) and me just about to get on the plane all up for it like and excited like you wouldn’t believe, and I said to him do you fancy doing some acid for the long trip? (No pun intended) Should be a laugh I thought. Dave declined so I did his tab and mine, Jesus when the stewardess came along with the lunch I was having the best of fun, that is until I was served up chicken and rice, I tell ya the carton of rice was moving about like a fisherman’s god dammed bait box, shit. Yeah there’s plenty more tales from the good ol’ US of A.” Although the band did not get a record deal in the States, they still operated under the name of Desolation Angels: “What better name would take its place? None. Yeah, we were Desolation Angels through and through. Desolation Angels flyers, posters, stickers, full page ads, magazine centre spreads, banners, t-shirts, guitar picks, bandanas, back drops, airbrushed cars, tattoos, artworks from fans, beer cans. Yeah, you could say that when we went to America we went as Desolation Angels.” Speed Metal and Thrash Metal were pretty big in the States around 1987 (as well as Glam Metal). Did Robin and the boys ever think of changing their musical direction? That was indeed the case: “Yeah, we changed, bigger hair (ouch) not much though honest, bigger ideas, bigger outlook. Everybody was very focused. Guitar wiz kids out there, it made you take up the guitar and play harder and better. A real wake up call. Better facilities to record, people listened to what you had to say, we got very much better as a band and very much better FAST! You had to, otherwise you would be left behind. The music took on a new and bigger strength. The structuring of the songs changed. One might say a more commercial outlook? It did us good. At the time when Nirvana were starting to steal the lime light and Guns ‘n’ Roses were at the The Roxy, there was only one true band that really stood in the spot light: Alice In Chains. Class act.” Of course, the Desolation Angels played with a lot of different bands in the US and they made some friends along the way: “Yeah, we met a few, Warrior being one of them. We recorded at their studios in Burbank, we had barbeques, nights out and beers and that. The occasional celeb would come by every now and then, mainly the old singer from Iron Maiden, Paul Di’Anno, who knew Dave Wall. We used to have a bonfire, burgers and beer most nights in our backyard and the door was open to anyone really. Everyone was out there on the Strip flying for the next gig and generally getting on it, so when it all finished up there on Sunset it would all be back to our place and party till dawn. Police helicopters buzzing over every now and then, zapping us all with the spotlight, but they never bothered us. How cool is that? Imagine trying to do that over here (UK) ...” “While The Flame Still Burns” and “Fury” are two bootleg picture disc vinyls featuring some of the Desolation Angels’ late ‘80’s demo material from the States. Rob says: “The bootlegs? At the time I either didn’t take any notice or didn’t realise that we were being bootlegged. I think it was Richard (The Miskatonic Foundation) that brought all that to our attention years later? I would like to know how many went out, got pressed? It makes you wonder, if someone thinks it's worth while to go to all that trouble to bootleg your band then surely we (Desolation Angels) must be doing something right.” It is common knowledge among N.W.O.B.H.M. fans that the Desolation Angels only released one 7" single named “Valhalla” in 1983 and a self-titled album in 1986. Three years is a long gap between a debut single and the debut album ... Rob, however, had and still has different priorities: “To me it was and still is ... (even though these days I can’t wait to record, so many great ideas Keith and myself have. Plus now I know how to play guitar and love the recording experience) ... about the gigging and touring that counted, playing to and talking with the audience, getting smashed with them after the gig, forgetting that after the two weeks on the road it was back to work to pay for the next away day. Recording and studios to me were all a bit of a ‘Yes’ thing, a Led Zep scene. We were too busy out there giving and doing what I thought would bring us the time and space to record properly. Learn the trade, and be guided through the pit falls. We were too busy waiting for someone to spot us and take us under their wing. That’s how we thought it was done, it was a true nightmare the first recordings, especially the first album. No one really knew what was what, and that goes for the people in charge too!” The mentioned first album was supposed to come out via Bullet Records but before it could see the light of day the company went bust. Robin and the boys were not amused at all: “I was really pissed off when that news came through, we had only been with Bullet what seemed to me like a couple of weeks before it was all over with them. Man, that was going to be my ticket out and away from Capper Street London doing advertising, and getting on to that golden horizon of never ending rock and roll with someone that knew a little about it. I don’t think we had any other options at the time. I think we all took to drinking heavily after that! (just kidding).” The other guitarist Keith Sharp remembers the situation like this: “Mausoleum Records were interested for a while but Thameside Records, where we recorded the album, did a deal with Bullet because they were owed the recording money. We had no say in anything.” The album was indeed finally released on Thameside in 1986 and even licensed out to Brazil one year later (Rock Brigade Records). The Brazilian deal seemed a bit strange but Robin says: “The Brazilian thing? I don’t know what went on there really? But to my knowledge, yes, it was all above board, legal and all very official. Kind of like a grey area that one though, just too young to get a grasp of what the elders were doing for us, or rather, what they weren’t doing for us. Even though I must say the chaps at Thameside Records did try their best for us. But they, like us, were new to the game (music business) too at the time. Did we get paid? Naa, nothing. The thing is (being so young and naive) I didn’t really mind not being paid because I thought that these people would quickly move us on and keep pushing for us to gain the next level in the business so to speak. But it wasn’t to be and we (the band) were just left back on our own again.” Like the mighty Iron Maiden the Desolation Angels also operated from the East End of London. Especially Steve Harris is immensely proud of his roots, supporting West Ham United and all that. Can the same be said about Robin Brancher? “No, I didn’t see myself or the band as an ‘East End band’ like Iron Maiden. For a start, Iron Maiden still hadn’t got Bruce Dickinson in their band yet and I thought it wouldn’t be long before we would be hot on their heels with our brand of riffing (naivety again, laughs). That’s the way we though: BIG. And I remember when we were supporting Samson one time, and chatting with Bruce after the shows how far removed he was with anything to do with Iron Maiden, he was like we were totally into our bands and that’s that, dedicated and driving it on. I mean looking back we were young and had a lot to learn, but the drive was there and set at full tilt, even though we loved playing at the Ruskin, we always thought of bigger things and stages to get to. And that would come. We played all over London, north, south east and west, at any venue that would be brave enough to have us.” Keith Sharp, the other guitarist in Desolation Angels, agrees: “We were based in the East End of London but saw ourselves more as a touring band. Ruskin Arms, East Ham, and the Royal Standard, Walthamstow were the two main local venues.” When the band moved back from the US to England around 1991/92 the end was nigh, as Robin points out: “Man, as much as I might say it was all thrills and no spills out there in LA, I have to say we worked bloody hard, an office where we would hand write letters to fans (no computer) with a free sticker in every letter. We did loads on correspondence which took up a lot of time, not that we minded, but we lived together and on top of each other. Things were mad, our sponsors were sometimes high when we (the band) were all trying to get some sleep for whatever it was we had to do the next day. There was always a party going on around us and people wanting something from us, and I mean ALL the time. We were doing a lot of show cases and the pressure was on ... It’s not good to turn up to work half asleep and still semi smashed. There were arguments, SHOUTS to say the least. I remember one of the last rehearsals back in London, things were still very professional and all was played out right and true as if there was a gig or show case the next day. But somehow the lust for it had gone. Some of us wanted to go in other musical directions and nothing was (for the time) going to bring back what was Desolation Angels at their height. It was a fantastic high and was a sad time for us all, even though no one would really say so. That’s rock ‘n’ roll some would say ... I think we all needed a rest, exhausted but not (as some might have thought at the time) defeated. And when we did finally split it was bound never to be the last of it, never the last thing we would ever do ... the ties are just to strong, and the next chapter was waiting in the wings.” Which is the “Feels Like Thunder” box set of course, of which Rob is immensly proud. And he has every reason to be: “‘Feels Like Thunder’, F***in class! It’s great to hold that box set, how many other bands can say ‘yeah, we released a four CD box set’. I mean that was a fantastic effort all round, and a bloody big thanks to Richard. I mean whatever possessed the man. A true fan of the heaviest of Metal. It was a long time in the making but well worth the wait. We get e-mails all the time asking us how we did it, why it took so long and the like. A lot of gig offers too come through now. We are working on that one big time, should be back out there 2011. It’s great to have German, Greek, Spanish, French, Portugeuse and of course the US festival promoters e-mailing us. I mean we might not have made any money out of it, and didn’t go on to world domination. But we certainly did something right, and pushed the right buttons in someone’s vibe pack to have generated all this attention right now. It’s well cool, and I’m looking forward to all that this new found enthusiasm will bring.” In the liner notes to “Feels Like Thunder” there is talk of an unreleased album. Did the band really enter the studio to lay down enough tracks to put out a second album? Rob explains: “I think you must be referring to ‘CD 1 Studio Recordings’ of the box set. Yes, it was going to be released either by us or a label, the likes of Columbia, Atlantic and Warner Brothers were all interested, plus other smaller labels too. We were show casing none stop at that time and getting a lot of interest, but it just didn’t happen with the big labels. Even though we were highly organised, slick and totally professional on and off stage, change was in the air what with Glam and Grunge coming onto the scene. And this was all towards the end (1992/1993) of our stay in the US when things were getting (how can I say?) just a tad nervy between us all. It was great fun though doing that album, we learnt a lot from that experience and the boys at ‘Silver Cloud’ rocked! We all had a great time.” Being a vinyl collector himself Rob is especially proud of the vinyl edition of “Feels Like Thunder”: “Ah well, doing the vinyl box set is the business, with all that extra space to work with the artworks for each album completely different from the CD box set. The booklet inside will be much bigger (10"x10") so now we can all see our ugly faces (laughing), there’s an extra three live tracks on a limited edition vinyl single! It’s just how things used to be done ... A total ‘Rock and Roll’ package! All black and gold and on such a grand scale, I mean how much will the dammed thing weigh? Christ, when you order one of those things and it comes crashing through your letter box you’re definitely going to know about it. Visions of delighted fans fixing the hole in the floor after it has landed ... I’m laughing again now and going off into cartoon land. Yeah, I can’t wait.” Matthias Mader