Has it really been 3 years since Raven’s last studio album, Metal City? Hard as it is to believe, it has. In the years since its release, Raven has been touring the globe like the road warriors they are, laying audiences to waste with songs off this most recent offering of “Athletic Rock”, as well as the 80s classics that put them on the map. They’ve also been carefully plotting their follow up attack. We’re all aware of the chaos the Gallagher brothers are capable of. With drummer Mike Heller in tow, best known for his work in the extreme metal realm with Malignancy, the possibilities are endless.
Mind you, this doesn’t mean we’re going to be getting Raven songs with guttural vocals or slamming death metal riffs any time soon. But Raven songs with blast beats and other double bass drum heroics? You better believe it. On paper, it’s an odd combination, but it worked remarkably well on Metal City, and works even more so on their latest album, All Hell’s Breaking Loose. Considering Raven’s place in metal history as proto-thrash pioneers who pushed the limits of speed and extremity at a time when Slayer was still wearing spandex, their co-opting of extreme metal tropes in 2023 shouldn’t be all too surprising.
From the opening speed/thrash attack of “Medieval”, with its dark riffage and explosive drum work, it’s made apparent that this is going to be an all killer, no filler album. High speed, high energy, high pitched vocals: Raven has it all in spades. Cuts like “Surf the Tsunami”, “Edge of a Nightmare”, and the title track would sound right at home on any of Raven’s first 3 albums. The songs are unabashed headbanger anthems, and the individual performances are a force to be reckoned with. Each member seemingly pushes each other to their musical limit, and then proceeds to dash 100 yards further.
All Hell’s Breaking Loose isn’t merely a rehash of what made Raven famous 40 years ago, but rather a musical nod to their past, while pushing towards the future. “Desperate Measures” blurs the line between catchiness and brutality, channeling the thrashing tendencies of Nothing Exceeds Like Excess (1988) and Architect of Fear (1991). “The Far Side” recalls the 80s arena metal of the band’s Atlantic era, boasting a massively melodic chorus and a ripping guitar solo. And then you’ve got the rough and tumble, heavy rock n’ roll of “Turn of the Screw”: A Motörhead-esque banger that could easily have been the soundtrack of an English bar fight circa ’81.
You name it, Raven checks all the boxes and then some. Just as the closing track on this album says, they “Go for the Gold”, leaving all the others in the dust as they hopelessly compete for silver and bronze. John and Mark Gallagher are still “solid as a rock”, and Mike Heller makes one hell of a third musketeer. As a diehard Raven lunatic myself, I can’t wait to hear what further musical madness these maniacs can create. With hell having already been broken loose, nothing is off limits!
9 out of 10
Label: Silver Lining Music
Genre: Heavy Metal
For fans of: Motörhead, Tank, Exciter