Welcome to another edition of From My Collection. Although it’s been a little over two and a half weeks since they laid waste to Chicago’s Legions of Metal festival, I’ve had a raging case of Raven fever! Can you blame me? Aside from a mid 80s foray into pop metal that was questionable at best and cringeworthy at worst, Mark and John Gallagher have managed to maintain one of the most consistent outputs in metal history. Whether it’s Rob “Wacko” Hunter, Joe Hasselvander, or latest addition Mike Heller on drums, you know what to expect from Raven: a high speed, high energy affair. And I’m willing to argue that there’s no finer affair in their catalog than the one being examined today, All for One. In this week’s essay, we’ll examine what led up to this shining gem of English steel and its subsequent impact on heavy metal as a whole. Are you ready to “Break the Chain”?!
Raven’s roots date back much further than the release of their 1980 debut single, “Don’t Need Your Money”. The Gallagher brothers first formed the band in 1974. After a slew of lineup changes, the brothers settled upon drummer Rob “Wacko” Hunter in 1979, just in time for the NWOBHM. During these formative years, Raven absorbed influences from the surrounding hard rock, glam rock, and boogie rock scenes: influences that seeped their way into the grooves of their debut album, Rock Until You Drop (1981). These varying influences didn’t result in an inconsistent collection of songs à la Saxon’s self titled debut, but rather emboldened the core of Raven’s sound.
Come 1982, Raven upped the ante with their second album, Wiped Out. With bands like Venom and Tank pushing the boundaries of musical extremity, Raven were in good company. Furthermore, Motörhead had already assumed godlike status reserved for the likes of Black Sabbath and Deep Purple, and a little band from Germany was making such waves that they made Scorpions look quaint. That band was Accept. Fueled by the earsplitting vocals of Udo Dirkschneider, the six string assault of Wolf Hoffmann, the turbo charged rhythm section of Stefan Kaufmann (drums) and Peter Baltes (bass), and the steely, yet sensible production of Michael Wagener, Accept took the burgeoning metal underground by storm with their fourth album, Restless and Wild (1982). In particular, it was the unforgettable opening cut, “Fast as a Shark”, that raised eyebrows and snapped necks around the globe.
Among the raised eyebrows and snapped necks were those of the Gallagher brothers, whose love for Accept went back a year earlier with the release of Breaker. After two lackluster experiences at Neat Studio, the band laid down an ultimatum: Next record, real studio, real producer. The band got their wish. For album number three, Raven settled into the much more spacious and accommodating quarters of Pineapple Studios in London. Joining them behind the board was not only Accept producer Michael Wagener, but Accept frontman Udo Dirkschneider. Together, the Teutonic duo helped Raven pinpoint the finest aspects of their sound on what would become their crowning achievement, All for One.
The album opens with the heavy rocking “Take Control”. 1983 was a banner year for big, anthemic album openers. You had Accept’s “Balls to the Wall”, Quiet Riot’s “Metal Health”, and Def Leppard’s “Rock Rock (Till You Drop)”, just to name a few. “Take Control” fit right in with its mega riffs, steady driving beat, and fist pumping chorus. It was a reflection of the era when every metal band was ready for the task of headlining arena, whether they’d eventually do so or not. “Mind Over Metal” packs as much a punch as “Take Control”, just minus the hard rock accessibility. This classic Raven rager showcases the band firing on all cylinders, but with the new and improved Wagener sanctioned production. With all due respect to the lo-fi humbleness of Rock Until You Drop and Wiped Out, All for One is the sonic equivalent of Raven going from black and white to technicolor.
“Sledgehammer Rock” sees the band flex their hard rock muscle yet again with another stadium shaking anthem. It’s amazing that sport franchises almost exclusively play AC/DC over their PAs. I can’t help but think a cut like this would be enough to boost the morale of a losing team and their accompanying fanbase towards a late game comeback. If “Sledgehammer Rock” wouldn’t, surely the title track would. “All for One” has been permanently stuck in my head from the first time I heard it back in junior high. It’s so much so that whenever anyone even brings up Raven, I immediately shout, “Solid as a rock with swords in the air!” I can’t be the only one guilty of this.
Side A closes with one of the most underrated songs in the Raven catalog, “Run Silent, Run Deep”. Unlike the happy go lucky spirit that permeates most Raven songs, there’s something dark and ominous about “Run Silent, Run Deep”. Besides the lyrics, which chronicle a human hunting game, the riffs and atmosphere send shivers down my spine, not to mention, the gentle proggy midsection. This, my friends, is how you write a dynamic metal song. Even or the Gallagher brothers, there was more to music than “rocking” and “metal”!
As we flip over to side B, we’re greeted by the high speed assault of “Hung, Drawn and Quartered”. Considering All for One dropped in August of 1983, it could be argued that “Hung, Drawn and Quartered” is the last proto-thrash song before the genre took full formation that same month with the release of Metallica’s Kill ‘Em All. Blindingly fast and unforgiving, “Hung, Drawn and Quartered” is top tier speed metal that leaves the lunatics screaming for more. Contrasting this ferocity is “Break the Chain”, a song that ideally should’ve been a hit single on both rock radio and MTV. The most melodic Raven song up until that point, “Break the Chain” still maintains enough classic Raven traits to appeal to diehards and newcomers alike.
“Take It Away” sees Raven standing firm and comfortably in the melodic realm, but specializing in the same brand of metal being offered by Scorpions and Accept when the latter wasn’t pushing the speedometer to overload. “Seek and Destroy” (not to be confused with the Metallica song of the same name) boasts the same dark, intimidating energy of “Run Silent, Run Deep”, but merged with the Raven’s trademarked crowd pleasing flair. Closing it all out is a maximum dose of “Athletic Rock”. Hey, if Venom was gonna have “Black Metal”, you knew Raven was gonna have their own self branded subgenre!
In retrospect, All for One was a make or break record for Raven. It could’ve gone belly up and resigned the band to being hometown heroes. Instead, it opened the floodgates to worldwide exposure. The hype surrounding the album led to a headlining American tour. The opening act was a little band called Metallica. Come the mid 80s, they’d sign a major label deal with Atlantic. By the decade’s closing years, they were sharing the stage with the likes of Megadeth, Testament, and other young titans who owed their existence to Raven and other NWOBHM trailblazers. Fast forward nearly 50 years since their formation. Raven is still pleasing fans far and wide with their non-stop rocking music and unforgettable live shows. When your credo is “All for one! One for all!”, you can’t lose.