Raven (band)
Encyclopedia
Raven are an English
heavy metal
band associated with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal
movement. They had a hit with the single "On and On", and refer to their music as "athletic rock".
, England
, by brothers John Gallagher and Mark Gallagher, and Paul Bowden.
Raven began creating a sound which was rooted in British hard rock
, with progressive rock
tendencies, and a willingness to take musical chances. The band's highly-energized live show and interaction between band members developed an image and style of play-the-band, described as "athletic". They began wearing guards, helmets, and plates from various sports (hockey, baseball, etc...), and incorporating them into the playing of their instruments (for instance, elbow pads and hockey masks were used to strike cymbals).
They also opened for punk bands the Stranglers
and the Motors
.
, the legendary, low-budget metal label of the North. They released Rock Until You Drop
in 1981, and Wiped Out
in 1982, making an impressive showing on the UK charts at the time.
Sufficient noise was made for the American
market to take notice and New Jersey
's Megaforce Records
signed them, issuing their next recording in the States as All for One in 1983. The band came stateside in 1983, and toured extensively with Megaforce bands Metallica
and Anthrax
, both of whom would gain a place of prominence in the growing thrash metal
movement.
recording, released in 1984, was a product of one of those tours. Atlantic Records
signed Raven to a worldwide contract after a minor bidding war (major label contracts would follow for Metallica and Anthrax in the following year). The band moved its permanent base from Newcastle to New York
.
Stay Hard
was released in 1985, and proved a minor hit on the strength of single/video "On and On". The Atlantic years proved to be less than stellar for the band. A drastic shift in a more commercial direction came at the label's behest, with many die-hard fans being alienated by the slick, lightweight production of The Pack Is Back
. However, the band recorded two more studio albums and the Mad
EP before being let go by Atlantic.
After the tour for Life's a Bitch, Rob "Wacko" Hunter left the band in late 1987 to spend more time with his new wife and family. He would later pursue a career in audio production and engineering, eventually working with jazz musicians Branford Marsalis
and Harry Connick, Jr.
.
n Joe Hasselvander
(ex-Pentagram
) joined as drummer in late 1987, and the band dropped the outlandish image for a more conventional denim-and-leather look for their 1988 release Nothing Exceeds Like Excess
. After, the advent of grunge
and the dissolution of their record label Combat Records
led the band to concentrate on continental Europe
and Japan
, where they retained more of a following.
Raven recently completed a UK tour in 2008 with support from British rock band Lost In Vegas.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band associated with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal
New Wave of British Heavy Metal
The New Wave of British Heavy Metal was a heavy metal movement that started in the late 1970s, in Britain, and achieved international attention by the early 1980s. The movement developed as a reaction in part to the decline of early heavy metal bands such as Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and Black...
movement. They had a hit with the single "On and On", and refer to their music as "athletic rock".
Formation
Raven was formed in 1974 in NewcastleNewcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, by brothers John Gallagher and Mark Gallagher, and Paul Bowden.
Raven began creating a sound which was rooted in British hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
, with progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
tendencies, and a willingness to take musical chances. The band's highly-energized live show and interaction between band members developed an image and style of play-the-band, described as "athletic". They began wearing guards, helmets, and plates from various sports (hockey, baseball, etc...), and incorporating them into the playing of their instruments (for instance, elbow pads and hockey masks were used to strike cymbals).
They also opened for punk bands the Stranglers
The Stranglers
The Stranglers are an English punk/rock music group.Scoring some 23 UK top 40 singles and 17 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning five decades, the Stranglers are the longest-surviving and most "continuously successful" band to have originated in the UK punk scene of the mid to late 1970s...
and the Motors
The Motors
The Motors were a British pub rock/punk band, formed in London in 1977 by former Ducks Deluxe members Nick Garvey and Andy McMaster together with guitarist Rob Hendry and drummer Ricky Slaughter...
.
Early years
Eventually, the band signed with Neat RecordsNeat Records
Neat Records was a record label based near Newcastle, England. The label was established in 1979 by David Wood, who was the owner of Impulse Studios in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, England. The establishment of Neat coincided with the arrival at Impulse of Songwriter/Producer Steve Thompson who guided...
, the legendary, low-budget metal label of the North. They released Rock Until You Drop
Rock Until You Drop
Rock until You Drop is the first full-length album by the British heavy metal band Raven, released in 1981. The album was the first of many heavy metal studio albums issued by British independent label Neat Records. It reached position No. 63 in the UK Albums Chart.The song "Lambs to the Slaughter"...
in 1981, and Wiped Out
Wiped Out
Wiped Out is the second full-length album by by the British heavy metal band Raven, released in 1982.-Track listing:*All songs written by Gallagher, Gallagher and Hunter.#"Faster than the Speed of Light" – 4:22#"Bring the Hammer Down" – 4:19...
in 1982, making an impressive showing on the UK charts at the time.
Sufficient noise was made for the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
market to take notice and New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
's Megaforce Records
Megaforce Records
Megaforce Records is an American independent record label which was founded in 1982 by Jon and Marsha Zazula to publish the first works of Metallica. It has offices in New York and Philadelphia. The label is distributed in the U.S. by Sony Music Entertainment/RED Distribution...
signed them, issuing their next recording in the States as All for One in 1983. The band came stateside in 1983, and toured extensively with Megaforce bands Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
and Anthrax
Anthrax (band)
Anthrax is an American heavy metal band from New York City, formed in 1981. Founded by guitarists Scott Ian and Danny Lilker, the band has since released ten studio albums and 20 singles, and an EP featuring Public Enemy. The band was one of the most popular of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
, both of whom would gain a place of prominence in the growing thrash metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
movement.
Commercial success
Manager/Megaforce founder Johnny Zazula believed that Raven was major-label material, and kept them touring constantly until the big labels noticed. The infamous Live at the InfernoLive at the Inferno
Live at the Inferno is a live album by the British Heavy metal band Raven, released in 1984. The song "Live at the Inferno" first appeared on Raven's 1982 album Wiped Out.-Track listing:*All songs by Gallagher/Hunter.#"Live at the Inferno" – 1:21...
recording, released in 1984, was a product of one of those tours. Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
signed Raven to a worldwide contract after a minor bidding war (major label contracts would follow for Metallica and Anthrax in the following year). The band moved its permanent base from Newcastle to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Stay Hard
Stay Hard
Stay Hard is the fourth full-length album by the British heavy metal band Raven, released in 1985. It is the first album recorded in the United States for the major label Atlantic Records, after the British band had passed under American management....
was released in 1985, and proved a minor hit on the strength of single/video "On and On". The Atlantic years proved to be less than stellar for the band. A drastic shift in a more commercial direction came at the label's behest, with many die-hard fans being alienated by the slick, lightweight production of The Pack Is Back
The Pack Is Back
The Pack Is Back is the fifth full-length album by the English heavy metal band Raven, released in 1986 . It was recorded in the USA with renowned producer Eddie Kramer and features a sound more FM-friendly and commercial than any other Raven album...
. However, the band recorded two more studio albums and the Mad
Mad (EP)
Mad is an EP released by English heavy metal band Raven in 1986, after the debacle of the album The Pack Is Back, which received very bad reviews and insignificant commercial success. The songs of this EP mark the return to a more aggressive and metallic sound...
EP before being let go by Atlantic.
After the tour for Life's a Bitch, Rob "Wacko" Hunter left the band in late 1987 to spend more time with his new wife and family. He would later pursue a career in audio production and engineering, eventually working with jazz musicians Branford Marsalis
Branford Marsalis
Branford Marsalis is an American saxophonist, composer and bandleader. While primarily known for his work in jazz as the leader of the Branford Marsalis Quartet, he also performs frequently as a soloist with classical ensembles and has led the group Buckshot LeFonque.-Biography:Marsalis was born...
and Harry Connick, Jr.
Harry Connick, Jr.
Joseph Harry Fowler Connick, Jr. is an American singer, big-band leader/conductor, pianist, actor, and composer. He has sold over 25 million albums worldwide. Connick is ranked among the top 60 best-selling male artists in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America, with...
.
Later years
VirginiaVirginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
n Joe Hasselvander
Joe Hasselvander
Joe Hasselvander is a musician who has been playing professionally since the age of 9 years old in 1966. He was self-taught, playing the violin and later the drums. He has been the drummer of Raven since 1987.-Career:...
(ex-Pentagram
Pentagram (band)
Pentagram is a American heavy metal band from Virginia, most famous as one of the pioneers of doom metal. The band was prolific in the underground scene of the 1970s, producing many demos and rehearsal tapes, but did not release a full-length album until reforming in the early 1980s with an almost...
) joined as drummer in late 1987, and the band dropped the outlandish image for a more conventional denim-and-leather look for their 1988 release Nothing Exceeds Like Excess
Nothing Exceeds Like Excess
Nothing Exceeds Like Excess is the seventh full-length album by the band Raven, released in 1988. It is Raven's first album with their then-new drummer, Joe Hasselvander.-Track listing:*All songs by Gallagher, Gallagher, Hasselvander.#"Behemoth" – 1:05...
. After, the advent of grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
and the dissolution of their record label Combat Records
Combat Records
Combat Records was an independent record label from New York City. The label was home to predominantly metal and punk rock acts including Megadeth, Circle Jerks, Nuclear Assault, Death, Dead Brain Cells, Possessed, Crumbsuckers, Agnostic Front, Agent Steel, Dark Angel, Heathen, Zoetrope and...
led the band to concentrate on continental Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, where they retained more of a following.
Recent events
The band recorded and toured until 2001, when a wall collapsed on guitarist Mark Gallagher, crushing his legs. Raven went on hiatus for nearly 5 years, from 2001–2006, while the guitarist rehabilitated, though Raven never officially disbanded. As of 2006, Raven was touring, with a new release in the works.Raven recently completed a UK tour in 2008 with support from British rock band Lost In Vegas.
Current members
- John Gallagher – bass, lead vocals (1974–present)
- Mark Gallagher – guitar, backing vocals (1974–present)
- Joe Hasselvander – drums (1987–present)
Former members
- Paul Bowden – guitar, backing vocals (1974–1979)
- Paul Sherrif – drums (1975–1976)
- Mick (Mike) Kenworthy – drums (1976–1977)
- Sean Taylor – drums (1977–1979)
- Pete Shore – guitar, backing vocals (1979–1980)
- Rob "Wacko" Hunter – drums (1979–1987)
Lineups
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| (1975–1976) |
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| (1976–1977) |
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| (1977–1979) |
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| (1979) |
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| (1979–1980) |
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| (1980–1987) |
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| (1987–present) |
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Studio albums
- Rock Until You DropRock Until You DropRock until You Drop is the first full-length album by the British heavy metal band Raven, released in 1981. The album was the first of many heavy metal studio albums issued by British independent label Neat Records. It reached position No. 63 in the UK Albums Chart.The song "Lambs to the Slaughter"...
(1981) - UKUK Albums ChartThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
#63 - Wiped OutWiped OutWiped Out is the second full-length album by by the British heavy metal band Raven, released in 1982.-Track listing:*All songs written by Gallagher, Gallagher and Hunter.#"Faster than the Speed of Light" – 4:22#"Bring the Hammer Down" – 4:19...
(1982) - All for One (1983)
- Stay HardStay HardStay Hard is the fourth full-length album by the British heavy metal band Raven, released in 1985. It is the first album recorded in the United States for the major label Atlantic Records, after the British band had passed under American management....
(1985) - The Pack Is BackThe Pack Is BackThe Pack Is Back is the fifth full-length album by the English heavy metal band Raven, released in 1986 . It was recorded in the USA with renowned producer Eddie Kramer and features a sound more FM-friendly and commercial than any other Raven album...
(1986) - Life's a Bitch (1987)
- Nothing Exceeds Like ExcessNothing Exceeds Like ExcessNothing Exceeds Like Excess is the seventh full-length album by the band Raven, released in 1988. It is Raven's first album with their then-new drummer, Joe Hasselvander.-Track listing:*All songs by Gallagher, Gallagher, Hasselvander.#"Behemoth" – 1:05...
(1988) - Architect of FearArchitect of FearArchitect of Fear is the eighth full-length album by the English heavy metal band Raven, released in 1991.-Track listing:*All music by Raven, lyrics by John Gallagher.#"Architect of Fear Intro" – 1:21#"Architect of Fear" – 4:01#"Disciple" – 4:03...
(1991) - GlowGlow (Raven album)Glow is the ninth full-length album by the band Raven, released in 1994 ."The Rocker" is a Thin Lizzy cover.-Track listing:*All songs by Gallagher, Gallagher, Hasselvander unless noted.#"Watch You Drown" – 4:36#"Spite" – 2:26...
(1994) - Everything Louder (1997)
- One for All (2000)
- Walk Through FireWalk Through FireWalk Through Fire is an album recorded by the English heavy metal band Raven for the Japanese King Records label. It was released in 2009.-Tracklist:# "Intro"# "Against the Grain"# "Breaking You Down"# "Under Your Radar"# "Walk Through Fire"...
(2009)
Extended plays
- Crash Bang Wallop (1982)
- MadMad (EP)Mad is an EP released by English heavy metal band Raven in 1986, after the debacle of the album The Pack Is Back, which received very bad reviews and insignificant commercial success. The songs of this EP mark the return to a more aggressive and metallic sound...
(1986) - Heads Up! (1991)
Live albums
- Live at the InfernoLive at the InfernoLive at the Inferno is a live album by the British Heavy metal band Raven, released in 1984. The song "Live at the Inferno" first appeared on Raven's 1982 album Wiped Out.-Track listing:*All songs by Gallagher/Hunter.#"Live at the Inferno" – 1:21...
(1984) - Destroy All Monsters/Live in JapanDestroy All Monsters/Live in JapanDestroy All Monsters is the second live album from the band Raven. It was recorded at "Club Cittá" in Tokyo, Japan, in 1995 and released a year later...
(1996)
Compilation albums
- Unreleased Tracks (1990)
- Mind Over Metal (1993)
- Raw Tracks (1999)
- All Systems Go!: The Neat Anthology (2002)