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All Hell's Breaking Loose

    
       
       
       
     
             
Raven are a heavy metal band from the UK, formed in 1974 by the Gallagher brothers John and Mark. The bands first three albums 'Rock Until You Drop' (1981), 'Wiped Out' (1982) and 'All For One' (1983) are quintessential listening, and pivotal in the creation of the iconic NWOBHM sound. Raven were at the forefront of the movement along with bands such as Angel Witch, Diamond Head, Iron Maiden and Saxon - all these bands enjoying a forty plus year career! In fact, for Raven, it's more like fifty years!    
             
In an incredible career, the band have released fifteen studio albums, along with a number of singles, E.P.'s and compilation albums - the bands most recent release (and fifteenth album) 'All Hell's Breaking Loose' emerged in 2023, featuring ten songs in a little under forty minutes! The band are in ferocious form, the energy level sky high, brothers John and Mark still performing at the top of their game, even after four, going on five decades! Just where do they get their energy from? Is it from the water in The Tyne - the sixty mile river running right through their home town of Newcastle! If it is, I want some! I could do with a pick me up after all the health problems I've suffered over the last few years. But while I await my supply of The Tyne water, the brothers Gallagher, along with drummer Mike Heller (Malignancy, ex Fear Factory), are picking me up beautifully with a barnstorming barrage of unbridled, unabashed, and unashamedly old school heavy metal. Opening song 'Medieval' creeps in with a short atmospheric and chilling spoken word passage, ferociously exploding into life and accelerating off at high velocity. Raven are back - and doing what they do best, delivering fast paced, head bang-able heavy metal!    
             
With the album now in full flight, Raven roar on with 'Surf The Tsunami', breaking speed limits and ignoring traffic enforcement officers! This is how heavy metal should sound, a glorious galloping furore that gets the blood pumping and adrenaline flowing - just like it did when I first heard the band during the early eighties! Yes readers, I'm that old! Raven are one of the bands that set alight my addiction to metal, and along with the band I'll be rocking until I drop! The most melodious song heard so far, 'Turn Of The Screw' is a heavy hitter that'll involuntary move heads back and forth - the force is that strong! But that said, Raven have been moving heads for over fifty years, stretching neck muscles to their limits, and beyond! The title song 'All Hell's Breaking Loose' is a fantastic foray of fast paced heavy metal with a staggering infectious level - a level that began high with album opener 'Medieval', and has just gotten higher and higher with every song that roars by.    
             
The intensity of the album so far has been fucking incredible, Raven one of the finest metal bands ever to grace the world stage - 'The Far Side' maintaining the intense and highly thrilling roller coaster ride! The pace of the album has been breathless - each and every song a belter that'll smack you round the head and knock you flying into next week! There's so much energy and power oozing from 'All Hell's Breaking Loose' (the album) it's unbelievable - but then Raven are an unbelievable band, there's not many bands around that can claim the accolades "pioneers of heavy metal", "forerunners of speed metal" and "forerunners of thrash metal". Raven have been there, done that, and are still doing it - superbly! And with so much passion and enthusiasm too! The Gallagher brothers are true heroes of heavy metal - the band storming on with the devastating 'Desperate Measures', crushing skulls and snapping bones with savage intent! 'All Hell's Breaking Loose' (the album) began in full flight, and hasn't slowed since! And with no sign of the band lifting their foot off the accelerator, the album powers on with the fastest song heard so far, 'Victory's Call'. The speed is incredible, the level of head bang ability soaring through the fucking roof - the iconic sound of the old school, traditional metal gallop making its immense presence felt.    
             
And maintaining the relentless pace and power, Raven roar on with the "foot on the monitor" fury of 'Edge Of A Nightmare', the band banging heads harder and faster than ever before! The entire album up to this point has been delivered with breath taking accuracy and precision - every metalhead everywhere enjoying one helluva neck breaking workout! Better make sure you're fully warmed up for this, or the local accident and emergency services are gonna be busy! And with only two songs to go, Raven keep the pedal firmly pressed to the metal, storming on with the heavy hitter 'Invasion' - and just a touch of the anthemic style of metal too. That is until the two minute mark when literally all hell break's loose, the guitars screaming loudly, shredding faster than Slayer on speed! Bringing a brilliant album to a close, the band deliver 'Go For The Gold' with insane levels of energy, pace, power and panache. 'Go For The Gold' is the creme de la creme of a fucking superb album - and even after fifty years Raven knock spots off many of the younger and newer metal bands around today. Take heed all you young guns, this is how great heavy metal should sound.    
             
Overall, a breath taking, fast paced gallop of head bang-able heavy metal from one of metals finest ever bands.    
             
             
Review by Iron Mathew Collins    
             
             
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