No other band quite represent the sheer determination and never say die ethos of heavy metal in the way that Newcastle’s Raven do. Formed in 1974 they were a leading light in the NWOBHM scene and their lively brand of “athletic rock” went on to inspire countless bands in the speed and thrash genres. However, like many pioneers they got usurped by those who followed and refined their sound for mass consumption, but this tenacious trio (still led by John and Mark Gallagher) have ploughed through every obstacle a fickle music industry could put in their way. To celebrate their 50th anniversary, Raven hit us with the aptly-titled Can’t Take Away The fire, a selection of tracks which honours the past and marks the band as a contemporary force.
The ferocity and fire with which opening track ‘Black And Blue’ bursts from the speakers suggests that Raven have reset the clock; this could quite easily be their debut single for Neat Records. That’s not to say that they are resting on past glories, far from it, yet there’s the same energy here that powered their early releases and as the title of this EP alludes, they’ve still got the fire in their bellies. To all intents and purposes, this is a speed metal freight train that threatens to go off the rails; “new” drummer Mike Heller (he joined in 2017) proves himself a powerhouse and throughout the five studio cuts delivers a set of earth-shaking beats. John Gallagher’s bass playing is equally boisterous and his voice hasn’t lost it’s trademark squeal. Over on guitar, his brother Mark is all over the fretboard like a rash and the three conspire to become the quintessential power trio (and with plenty of emphasis on the power). Like the very best bands who operate as a three-piece (think Budgie and Motörhead), Raven create a sound that is far bigger than their constituent parts and they turn each of these five studio tracks into a fist-in-the-air, foot-on-the-monitor, rebel rousing metal anthems.
They might have been the propagators of speed and thrash, but Raven understood that there was more to music than just speeding past at 100 miles per hour and they get all mean and moody on ‘The Wreckage’. It’s a doom laden affair that swings with wrecking ball force and could quite easily trade punches with Black Sabbath (and possibly win). It injects a nice change of pace and is the kind of move their imitators wouldn’t consider and shows why, in terms of chutzpah, Raven are still ahead of the pack.
The three live tracks that are tagged onto the end of this release seem like something of an afterthought; they neither add or detract from the EP and in that respect seem a little superfluous (although I suppose they do honour the past). Besides, the brooding ‘The Wreckage’ would have made a more ominous note on which to depart and I feel these live cuts would have been better saved for a retrospective collection. But that’s a minor issue and this EP amply proves why, when it comes to the unstoppable force that it Raven, You Can’t Take Away The Fire.
- You Can’t Take Away The Fire is released via Silver Lining Music on 14th February 2025.
- Raven Official Website
Track List:
- Black And Blue
- Power Hungry
- Can’t Take Away The Fire
- Gimme A Lie
- The Wreckage
- The Power (Live In Clifton, New Jersey, 2022)
- Architect Of Fear (Live In Amsterdam, Netherlands, 1984)
- Don’t Need Your Money (Live In Erlangen, 1991)
