RAVEN – “Metal City” album review

Band – Raven
Label – Steamhammer
Release Date – September 18, 2020
Band Members –
John Gallagher – Bass/Lead Vocals
Mark Gallagher – Guitars/Backing Vocals
Mike Heller – Drums
Band Links –
https://www.facebook.com/ravenbandofficial
https://twitter.com/official_raven
http://www.ravenlunatics.com/
Producer – Michael Wagner
Review by – John Erigo

RAVEN are often referred to as The GodFathers of the NWOBHM movement – the Athletic Rock Trio has been burning it up for a very long time, they have the legacy that legends are made of. They’ve influenced tons of bands and were one of the first bands to play songs at blistering paces. So all these years later, can they STILL deliver? Can they still play insanely upbeat songs with John Gallagher’s classic air raid siren like high pitched vocals? Well pack your bags, get your boarding ticket and fasten your seatbelts because it’s time to fly to METAL CITY so you can see the answer is YES!!!

The album opens with a great upbeat song THE POWER. Right away all the classic elements of a Raven song hit you – Mike Heller (making his album debut for Raven) has the double bass going, Mark Gallagher’s frenetic fretboard fireworks and John Gallagher’s slick and amazing bass lines coupled with the high pitched yelps and screams, this is metal, this is RAVEN, this is METAL CITY!!! The second song is the first single that was released from the album TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN (see the video above). The band has been playing this song live for about 2 years now, so if you are a diehard you already knew about this one! This song was a great choice for being the first single because it combines all the elements that make RAVEN a very unique band. RAVEN has always had a way of playing really heavy and fast tunes but also injecting some catchiness ot them. A lot of bands that play fast just do that, play fast. RAVEN do it with flair!!!

The second single that was released was the title track METAL CITY. When I first heard the album about a month or so ago, I was hoping this would be the second single. Again, combining heaviness with catchiness. This tune refers to brothers John & Mark Gallagher’s home town of Newcastle. The return of Producer Michael Wagner really shines through on tracks like this – Wagner was the most sought after metal producer during the mid 80’s – younger fans can Google his name to check his resume! It’s rare to find this kind of tune today because once again, RAVEN really can deliver the catchy tunes without compromising heaviness. See the video for this great tune ————–>

There are just so many cool songs on this album, it’s a solid release. The addition of new drummer Mike Heller seems to have injected the already potent band with new life, making METAL CITY right up there with RAVEN’s best albums. The Brother’s Gallagher never disappoint! There’s a nice nod to Lemmy (RIP) in the song called MOTORHEADIN’ – awesome double bass work from Heller with an OVERKILL(Motörhead song) kind of intro and a really strong pre chorus & chorus. This song makes you feel like you’re listening to the ALL FOR ONE album! BATTELSCARRED features more double bass and strong choruses, CYBERTRON sees Mark Gallagher going off!!! HUMAN RACE, NOT SO EASY and BREAK are just more brilliant RAVEN tunes – this album is all killer, no filler!! John Gallagher’s advanced bass playing and great vocals really shine throughout the whole album.

The album closes with an epic type of tune clocking in at over 6 minutes, a rare thing for RAVEN. WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE – I heard parts that reminded me of their song “True Believer” and there are some Black Sabbath type of riffs going on. Really good, really heavy, REALLY RAVEN!!!!

We’re all together, we’re all for one! This album is a must have for any self respecting metal head. RAVEN fans will no doubt eat this album up, it is pure RAVEN Lunatic ambrosia! You can get the album following this link
https://Ravenlunatics.lnk.to/MetalCity Don’t be left out, find your way to METAL CITY!!!!!