It isn’t often we get a new Raven album. The preeminent power trio tend to release an album every five years or so. When they do, they pull out all the stops. Their latest full length, Metal City, is no exception. The brothers Gallagher (John on vocals and bass, Mark on guitar) are joined by new drummer, Mike Heller (Fear Factory, Malignancy). Heller carries on the hard hitting legacies of former skinsmen Joe Hasselvander and Rob “Wacko” Hunter. In many ways, he expands upon their legacies in ways neither drummer could ever imagine, but more on that in a bit.
Metal City is a rip roaring trip down musical memory lane. Most of the songs are full blown neck snappers, recalling the days when Neat Records was king and “NWOBHM” was on the lips of every denim and leather clad headbanger. There’s also a handful of thrash flavored tracks which remind me of their sorely underrated late 80s/early 90s era. Architect of Fear anyone?
“The Power” kicks things off in high speed, old school fashion. In a little under 4 minutes, we’re treated to all the classic Raven trademarks: machine gun double bass drumming, skull splitting riffs, anthemic lyrics, and the eardrum shattering vocals of John Gallagher. 40 years ago, these guys set the template for every over the top speed metal band to come after. 40 years later, they haven’t lost the slightest bit of intensity. That’s clearly demonstrated on the following two cuts, “Top of the Mountain” and “Human Race”.
The title track serves as a bit of a palette cleanser. It’s more a mid tempo hard rocker. One tends to forget how damn well Raven can do this style. After all, amidst those 80s barn burners were riff fests in the vein of Thin Lizzy and Status Quo. Meanwhile, “Cybertron” will thrash its way into your head like a raving mad lunatic in the mosh pit for the Ultimate Revenge 2 Tour (in which Raven shared a bill with Death, Dark Angel, Faith or Fear, and Forbidden).
I mentioned earlier how Heller adds his own unique flavor to the Raven sound, which just can’t be ignored. Now I know Heller comes from a death metal background, but if you had told me there’d be a Raven song with blastbeats, even I wouldn’t believe it. Do you? No? Check out my choice cut, “Human Race”, and prepare to be bludgeoned.
Metal City will crash, bang, and wallop you from beginning to end. Everything about this release is top notch, from the playing to the songwriting to the production. There’s no modern metal wimpouts. No compressed garbage production. No ballads. Only the leanest, meanest “Athletic Rock” you’ll hear all year.
9 out of 10
Label: Steamhammer
Genre: Heavy Metal
For fans of: Judas Priest, Motörhead, Tank