Book Review by Ralphs Life

Taken from Ralphs Life 

Occasionally Ralph strays from the musical path and dabbles in other arts related forms and on this occasion it's Hitting The Black Wall, a book of poetry by respected Louder Than War writer and fellow music blogger extraodinaire (under the nom-de-plume of Hiapop) Paul Scott-Bates.

Originally a Burnley Lad, he's now based in Lancashire's Rossendale Valley where he enjoys 'The Good Life' with his family. 

This book though examines quite the opposite, delving at times almost painfully into the frailties of man's existence. There's longing, suffering and death alongside love, regret and malice. 


Is this book of poems by Paul Scott-Bates retrospective? 
Probably. 

Cathartic? 
Hopefully. 

Enjoyable? 
Uncomfortably. 

Unmissable? 
Definitely.

Book review by Babi A Fi

Taken from Babi A Fi.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Non-Fiction, 2016. Some really evocative writing here; a few of the angrier pieces in particular felt like it could be an outpouring of my own experiences with depression. These poems, interspersed with lighter moments (e.g. Drink) and poetry which conjures up an entire story in a few carefully chosen words, make this collection well worth checking out. 

Book review by Louder Than War

Taken from Louder Than War, article by Dave Jennings.

Louder Than War contributor and Hiapop Blog writer Paul Scott-Bates makes his written print debut with a striking collection of poetry. Paul hails from Burnley Lancashire and was an early devotee of Glam and New Romantics and dreamed of forming a band of his. However, inability to play an instrument was something of a stumbling block and he turned his lyrical adventures into the poetry we see here.

Paul has recorded the ups and downs of life over the last thirty years or so and this leads to a varied and challenging collection of poems that take no prisoners. There is a fearless examination of themes which may prove uncomfortable reading but certainly attest to the power of the written word. The fact that the words are laid out unaccompanied by music adds to their impact and possibly encourages the reader to delve deeper than if they were part of a song.

Book review by Helen McCookerybook

Taken from the Helen McCookerybook blogspot.

Paul Scott Bates hails from Rossendale in Lancashire, blogs under the name Greenfield Cygnus and can also be found writing articles for Louderthanwar, amongst other publications.

Hitting the Black Wall is a collection of 65 poems that are a surprisingly dark offering from a happily-married father of four and grandfather of one; but then these things do not preclude a person from hitting a black wall, do they?

They circle around death, isolation and self-destruction: the first poem, Gone, is about a shooting from the perspective of a murderer (terribly apt at the time of writing). The poetry  in this volume describes a fight against demons, with the bittersweet success/failure of a completed suicide of a friend reminding us just how fragile is our hold on sanity and hope.

Some, for instance Janine, Silensore and You Left Me Standing In The Rain, are crying out to be made into songs. The most complex, Josephine, is the darkest and most powerful: reflections on a car crash centred on the deceased passenger who didn’t wear her seat belt.Josephine sums up the collection, which will appeal to fans of Scandi-noir looking to savour a cloudy weekend exploring the darker realms of the soul.