Raven were considered one of the brightest hopes in the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, but bad decisions and musical inconsistency wouldde-railtheir once-promising career, turning the trio into just another small -- albeit important -- footnote for this important genre.Raven formed in late 70's Newcastle, England by brothers Mark (guitar) and John Gallagher (bass/vocals) along with drummer Rob"Wacko"Hunter.Signing with independent Neat Records, the trio joined labelmates Venom in laying the groundwork for what would become known as thrash metal bypicking up where '70s noisemongers Motorhead ...read more
Raven were considered one of the brightest hopes in the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, but bad decisions and musical inconsistency wouldde-railtheir once-promising career, turning the trio into just another small -- albeit important -- footnote for this important genre.Raven formed in late 70's Newcastle, England by brothers Mark (guitar) and John Gallagher (bass/vocals) along with drummer Rob"Wacko"Hunter.Signing with independent Neat Records, the trio joined labelmates Venom in laying the groundwork for what would become known as thrash metal bypicking up where '70s noisemongers Motorhead had left off. Not as satanically-inclined or downright awesome as Venom, Ravenwere much poorer musicians despite playing with the raw energy and reckless power that epitomized the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Asthemovement approachedits peak in 1981, Raven rode its crest with the self-labeled "athletic rock" of their album, Rock Until You Drop,stillconsidered a classic of the genre.Subsequent Neat releases -- Wiped Out, All for One and Live at the Inferno -- weren't quite as focused but helped the band solidify their fan-baseand attract the attention of Atlantic Records. Unfortunately, signing with the major record company marked the turning point ofRaven'sfortunes as1985's disappointing Stay Hard saw the band opting for an overtly commercial direction. Raven gradually relinquished theirpop-metal aspirations, butby the time they attempted a full return to their roots with 1988's Nothing Exceeds Like Excess, their momentumhadbeen irretrievably lost, alongwith drummer Wacko. The group has continued to record throughout the '90s on a variety of independentlabelswith new drummer JoeyHassewander, without anything close to mainstream success.http://www.ravenlunatics.com/ « hide
