If you love themes of war and history then you certainly need to check out the one and only Forlorn Hope! These northerners certainly know how to blend historic heavy metal with symphonic elements to create something unique and special that is hard to come across!

TheNwothm: Hey guys how you doing! I hope you are all well? First of all, for those who do not know can you introduce the band and where you are from?

Chris: Hey! I’m Chris Simpson, I’m from the Wirral and I’m the vocalist, rhythm guitarist, lyricist and historical researcher for Forlorn Hope. My brothers in arms are Alexander Bishop, also from the Wirral, who is responsible for lead guitars and orchestration, and John Roughley, our bass guitarist who is from St Helens. It’s just me answering questions today though.

TheNwothm: So you got together around 2017? So how did your formation happen? Were you friends before hand or did you meet online for instance?

Chris: Alex and I had been friends since high school, jamming intermittently, and from 2014-15 we were in a vaguely-symphonic metal band called Cathar along with Jade McKenna and Danny Kelly, the two other founder members of Forlorn Hope. John had known Danny for many years, and they had both been in a longstanding metalcore band called Ensorrowed until 2014. The five of us got together in 2017 to play a couple of casual covers gigs. We were having a lot of fun, so Danny suggested doing something original, at which point I pitched this idea for a historical metal project that I’d been sitting on and the rest (forgive me) is history.

TheNwothm: Can you tell our readers how you chose the name Forlorn Hope and how did the themes of War and History become centrepiece for your music? 

Chris: Well this one is my fault, I’m afraid. I’d been interested in military history for a number of years (largely thanks to my Dad’s bad influence and reading too many Bernard Cornwell novels). When we were between bands I’d had the idea, very much inspired by bands like Sabaton, of putting my own spin on the whole historical heavy metal thing and writing songs about some of the stories that really excited me. I’d started writing a few songs, with Alex’s help (I was very new to proper songwriting back then), but the project had been gathering dust for a while. Then in 2017 when Danny suggested doing something original, I pitched this idea and, to my great surprise, the band went for it, so we started Forlorn Hope with a very clear concept in mind which I think benefited us a lot.

As for the name, I already had that in the bank when I first made my pitch. “Forlorn Hope” is an old term and has been used in a few different contexts over the centuries, but I first came across it in the context of Napoleonic history where it refers to the first attacking troops into the breach during a siege, who risked near-certain death for fame, fortune and promotion. Without wanting to sound flippant, I thought it would make a damn cool name for a metal band.

TheNwothm: Were any of your relatives connected to parts of history that influenced you? For instance world war 2? 

Chris: My Great Grandfather’s elder brother, Alfred Arnold Simpson (“Uncle Alf” to the family), was a Lance Corporal in the 6th Sherwood Foresters during the First World War. He died of wounds received at Vimy Ridge in 1916, aged 21. The same Great Grandfather’s later-brother-in-law, Harry Gordon Benstead (“Uncle Harry”) was a signals Sergeant in the same battalion and survived the War, and various other more distant relatives also served.

I’d be lying if I said it was these family connections that brought me to military history, but it was meeting Uncle Harry and men of his generation that first sparked my Dad’s interest in the subject and he passed that on to me, so I suppose the influence is there albeit one person removed.

TheNwothm: Did any of you study History or just find a love for it?

Chris: Only to A-Level. Since then it’s just been an energetically-pursued hobby. 

TheNwothm: Expanding on on my previous questions to you typically focus on certain periods of history for your music or are you working through a timeline of different eras such as world war 1 etc?

Chris: It was Napoleonic history, especially the British experience in that period, that first inspired the project that would become Forlorn Hope, hence why our first album ‘Over the Hills’ was all about the Peninsular War (1807-1814), but we knew from the start that didn’t want to tie ourselves down to one era of history. We’re not a Napoleonic metal band. 

Since that first album (and I’m including songs written for our forthcoming second album ‘Valour’ here – more on that below), we’ve explored stories from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, from 1704-1945. So far these have all been from a British or Commonwealth perspective, but again that’s not something we’re tied to.

I think what we’d like to see in the long term is a Forlorn Hope catalogue that touches on all manner of conflicts and characters, worldwide, from the ancient world through to the modern era, although I think 1945 is as close to living memory as we’d like to get. 

TheNwothm: In your opinion what do you think of the traditional heavy metal scene here in the UK? And would you say there are any other bands that do historically focused music like you do?

Chris: Well we’ve been away from the stage for more than two years so I might be a bit out of touch, but it looks like there are still some incredibly talented bands on the scene. Our buddies in Sellsword just put out an absolutely killer new single, and Wytch Hazel, who we had the pleasure of playing with back in 2021, continue to go from strength to strength. I don’t think we have anything to worry about.

I don’t think there’s anyone else in the UK doing exclusively historical stuff right now (happy to be corrected on that in the comments), but plenty of metal bands are still looking to history for inspiration. Tailgunner, for instance, have put out some great historically inspired tracks. Outside the UK though there are plenty of other bands in this nerdy, little subgenre. Obviously you have your big hitters like Sabaton and Civil War, but there are a lot of smaller bands putting their own spin on these subjects, like 1914 (Ukraine) and Fireforce (Belgium). It’s a good time to be a history-loving metalhead. 

TheNwothm: Can you tell us the story about your first EP which is self titled? By that point did you have a direction in mind for the band? Especially for the sound you wanted to have?

Chris: This was very much a demo EP to give people a taste of our sound when we were first looking for gigs. I think we recorded and mixed the whole thing in a day and a half! Listening to it now, next to our latest recordings, is quite the experience. We already had the concept for our first, full-length album ‘Over the Hills’ firmly in place at that point and were already establishing our sound, so this EP was really a preview of that. 

TheNwothm: I love the fact you guys are so active on social media? From sharing tales about history to sending postcards with amazing artwork out to lucky people? How important do you feel interactions like these are for any band to thrive in music?

Chris: I think that in this day and age, where paying for music is pretty much optional, what you really want as a band is to find those dedicated fans who want to feel involved in the band’s journey, who want to support you and who are happy to part with their hard-earned cash to help you along. Social media is your most valuable tool in cultivating those relationships. There’s no more solid base for a band than a passionate and thriving fan community. If you can build that, you’re golden. 

Our history focus makes us quite a niche concern, but it also brings a lot of really passionate people to the table who love these stories and are hungry for more. I get a massive kick out of sharing the stories that excite me with people like that and building a dialogue, and I think those sort of interactions are a big part of why our core fans have stuck by us so loyally in the last few years. 

To all such fans who may be reading this; we really can not thank you enough.

TheNwothm: I typically ask this question later in interviews but your whole identity  has been carefully constructed and one element that particular stands out is your branding and artworks. Your artworks are glorious paintings depicting different scene from parts of history and war? Initially some of it reminded me Iced Earths “The Glorious Burden” etc. Who creates these amazing artworks for you and where does the inspiration come from?

Chris: All of our artwork is by the incredibly talented Mitchell Nolte, who is a digital artist based in Australia. I had been following his work for a while before Forlorn Hope got going and loved his historical work, so when we needed some artwork for the second print-run of our demo EP I dropped him an email to see if he was taking commissions and we’ve been working together ever since. His work is always stunning, and he’s also a big history buff, so he does his research and makes a real effort to get the details right, which is something we really value. I think his artwork has done more than anything else to help us sell merch and attract new fans. 

I can’t speak to Mitchell’s personal influences, but I was drawn to his artwork because it reminded me of the great Victorian war artists like Lady Butler. I wanted our artwork to have that same aesthetic and sense of drama and intensity, and I think Mitchell captures that every time.

TheNwothm: Let us talk more about your music? In 2019 you released a handful of singles which featured on your debut album “Over the Hills” which was also released in 2019? What can you tell us about the process of the album? From penning the ideas to recording and having the final thing in your hands?

Chris: As I said earlier, when we formed the band the concept for ‘Over the Hills’ was already in place, and we had the bones of a few songs already written, so right off the bat we were working to finish the album and get into the studio as soon as possible. We worked on it right through 2018, and at the same time we were playing every gig we could get, so we were able to test most of the songs out live and develop them organically before we went into the studio.

We recorded at Whitewood studios in Liverpool in March 2019 with Dan Woodward producing. He looked after us really well when we came in to record our demo EP the year before, and we’ve recorded all of our subsequent releases with him (including the new album). We were on a very tight budget, and I think we recorded the whole thing in four or five days, with everything apart from the lead guitars and vocals being recorded live due to time constraints. Dan mixed and mastered the whole thing in two or three days, so it actually wasn’t that long before we had a finished product to send to the printers. When the CDs came back a month or two later, it was an amazing feeling to see that project, that had sat dormant for so long, fully realised at last.

TheNwothm: Do you each have any favourite tracks from the album?

Chris: I think ‘Badajoz’ is more or less the unanimous favourite among band members. It was one of the first songs that Alex and I had started work on before the band came together, but it feels like one of the most sophisticated tracks on the album. It has a lot of texture and a lovely, cinematic structure, and when the drums kick in they go harder than anywhere else on the album. I think it also helps that it was a real slog to record. We kept hammering away at it, every time it wasn’t quite right, and emotions were running high, so when we finally cracked it we had this incredible moment of catharsis that has stuck with us ever since. It’s also one of the most fun tracks to play live, so it wins on every front.

TheNwothm: And if you could go back in time would you change anything or keep it the same?

Chris: Personally, I’m not sure ‘Masterstrike’ really does justice to the story of the Battle of Salamanca, so an opportunity to rework that might be nice. That said, I’ve got no idea how I’d go about it.

TheNwothm: I would love to know! Considering your history enthusiasts do your hobbies push further into this? For instance reenactments or table top gaming etc?

Chris: I spend an awful lot of time in museums, and far more money than I should on books, and I enjoy making and painting up a scale model from time to time (mainly tanks). I’ve dipped a toe into historical table-top wargaming as well, but that’s about it. 

TheNwothm: In 2021 and 2022 you put out the singles “To the Bitter End” and “Redcoat!” Can you tell us more about those songs?

Chris: These were standalone singles that we recorded in 2020 between COVID lockdowns. We have a policy that our multi-track releases will always be concept pieces in one form or another, so it was nice to do a couple of self-contained tracks that didn’t have to be part of a larger whole.

‘To the Bitter End’ was our first foray into the 20th Century and the First World War (which we have returned to at length with our second album, ‘Valour’). It’s a fairly obscure story about a group of British soldiers that got cut off in a German second-line trench on the last day of the Battle of the Somme and managed to hold out for eight days until they were overrun. I had a lot of fun researching this one and piecing the narrative together, and it was a great feeling to bring this largely-forgotten story to a whole new audience. I’ve often thought I’d like to dive back into that research and write a proper book about it one day.

With ‘Redcoat’ we were pushing into new ground conceptually, because it’s not about a particular battle, event or individual. It’s about the figure of the British soldier from 1704 to 1885, through the great monarchical power struggles of the 18th Century, the Age of Revolution, and the carving-out of the British Empire. Fitting 200 years of history into a song that still had to be concise and catchy was a massive undertaking in itself, but this is also history that remains controversial and emotionally-charged to this day so we had the added challenge of addressing those stories honestly, sensitively and with intellectual integrity. I think we did a good job though. At its core it’s a song about the greyness and complexity of history, and it’s still one of the tracks I’m most proud of personally.

We also had a higher budget (per track) for these recordings than ever before, so the production took a real leap forward with these singles and that set a new standard for future projects. Even if nobody had liked the singles, they probably would have been worth the effort just for that.

TheNwothm: Sadly you had a slight change with the lineup recently? What does that mean for the band moving forward? 

Chris: Yes, Danny and Jade left in 2022 for their own separate reasons. It took us a while to work out this new version of Forlorn Hope, but we’ve got a pretty solid new dynamic in place now. We’ve moved from keyboards to synth orchestrations, which Alex has done an amazing job putting together, so we’ll be working with a backing track when we eventually return to live shows. Danny is now back behind the drum kit on a part time basis, and that arrangement is working really well for everyone involved. Right now everything is running smoothly, and having fewer full-time members has its advantages in terms of organisation and clarity of purpose, so we’re not looking to take on any new members for the time being.

TheNwothm: “Down In Flames” is your killer new single! You mentioned on Facebook that ‘Down in Flames’ tells the incredible story of RAF fighter pilot James Brindley Nicolson, whose actions on 16 August 1940, during the height of the Battle of Britain, earned him Britain’s supreme award for gallantry; the Victoria Cross. So where did the inspiration come from for this new single?

Chris: Well I’m going to pre-empt your next question a bit here, but before we had even recorded ‘Over the Hills’ I had a concept in mind for our second album, which was recipients of the Victoria Cross; Britain’s highest military award for gallantry. These are some of the most incredible stories of bravery, endurance and sacrifice that you could ask for, and it gave us the opportunity to explore a whole range of conflicts from the Crimean War to the Second World War while maintaining a strong, cohesive theme. It’s still a concept album, but of a very different sort to ‘Over the Hills’.

When I first started thinking about possible VC recipients to include, Nicolson and the fact that he was the only pilot in Fighter Command to receive the VC was drawn to my attention quite early on. I read up on the details of his story and knew immediately that he had to be on the album. Any readers who don’t already know the story can check out the history section of our website to read about it in detail, but to my mind this is the sort of narrative that full-throttle metal anthems are made for, and in all honesty the image of a burning Hawker Hurricane, guns blazing, immediately struck me as perfect album cover material.

The Nwothm: And is this an indication at a new album or EP in the works?

Chris: See above! ‘Valour’ is a fifteen-track album that we will be releasing as three, five-track EPs, partly for financial reasons and partly so that we can give all of the tracks the focus they deserve. Part I will be released on 30/08/2024 and brings together stories from the Crimean War, Anglo-Zulu War, First World War and Second World War. I know every band says this about their new release, but these new tracks really are the best we’ve ever written. We are very excited for people to hear them.

The Nwothm: Let’s talk about your live shows! Reflecting on the past what have been some of your highlight performances? 

Chris: There are so many stand-out moments, but Power Metal Quest Fest in 2019 is a memory I will treasure forever. It was our first time in Birmingham, we were opening the festival, and car trouble on the way there had nearly sunk the entire show, but the turnout was absolutely incredible and we had the time of our lives. The album had barely been out a month and there were so many people singing our songs back to us! Also, Dakesis and their team are an absolute delight to work with. I hope we get the chance to do it again one day.

The Nwothm:  And what  shows do you have coming up for the rest of 2024?

Chris: Still to be confirmed. We’re hoping to get back on stage before the end of the year, but there are a lot of factors up in the air right now. Keep watching our socials for updates.

The Nwothm:  Before we conclude this interview I would like to mention that you also have a podcast? Where can our readers listen to that and what are the things you talk about?

Chris: The podcast is a really exciting new venture for us. We’ve got a ten-episode run currently planned, exploring the stories behind ‘Valour – Part I’, as well as a couple of other favourites from our back-catalogue and some lighter content too.

The podcast is an exclusive benefit for the supporters of our ‘Valour – Part I’ crowdfunder, so if you’re only just hearing about it then I’m afraid you’ve missed the boat for season 1. Don’t fret though, because we’ll be running another crowdfunder to get ‘Valour – Part II’ off the ground next year, and access to season 2 will be one of the benefits. Again, keep an eye on our socials.

The Nwothm:  Where can people buy your music, merch or join your fan club?

Chris: We have CDs and a full merch range available via our official webstore at https://forlornhope.uk/store, and those who prefer digital content can find our music on all major platforms.

Bandcamp: https://officialforlornhope.bandcamp.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialForlornHope

Press Agent: https://www.facebook.com/stampedepressuk

We don’t have an official fan-club, but we do run a private group for our crowdfunder supporters. We’ve got a great, little community going on there, we post exclusive behind the scenes and history content, and we run a giveaway every other week, so keep an eye out for our next crowdfunder if that’s something you’re interested in.

The Nwothm:  Anything else you would like to mention?

Chris: I’d just like to say a massive thankyou one more time to the fans that have stuck with us during our wilderness years, and especially those who put up their hard earned money to make the ‘Valour – Part I’ crowdfunder a success. Your support really does mean more to us than we can say. None of this happens without you.