Album Review: Raven - ExtermiNation

John and Mark Gallagher have been touring metal for more than 40 years, most of that time with drummer Joe Hasselvander. Even if the publication frequency has decreased significantly since the mid-90s, «Raven» with «ExtermiNation» offers so much quality that one can justifiably call it a real board. After their successful comeback with "Walk Through Fire", the NWoBHM legend is now around the corner with a new album that will be released (almost) on time for the band's 40th anniversary. «Raven» also offer the perfect mixture of metal anthem, NWoBHM spirit, speed metal and absolute chaos on their latest work. «Raven» sound like no other band and no band sounds like «Raven».

Similar to their Canadian colleagues from «Anvil», the Brits were in the starting blocks of the metallic race for fame and glory at the beginning of the 80s, only to see Metallica or Megadeth pass them at the end and even Anvil got stuck somewhere. Neither commercial nor health setbacks have been able to stop "Raven" to date. The band bravely dragged themselves on and today it actually looks pretty good again. Overall, «ExtermiNation» has become a powerful album that is fun to play. "Raven" has always been an inspiration for countless other bands, without "Raven" there would probably be neither thrash nor speed metal today. And somehow the Gallagher Brothers and their "Weird" drummer Joe Hasselvander are indestructible. The English, who immigrated to the USA, released classics for eternity with «Rock Until You Drop» and «Wiped Out» and the last studio album «Walk Through Fire» was really good.

The present output "ExtermiNation" was quickly financed via a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign, where you could collect a whopping $ 27, which resulted in a Kickstarter-only cover album called "Party Killers". put it on. The full recording budget is reflected above all in the really crisp, but by no means over-the-top sound, for which sound engineer Kevin 000, with whom the band had already worked on the previous «Walk Through Fire», is responsible. The positive energy of their legendary live shows can also be found on «ExtermiNation». Mark Gallagher delivers his most aggressive vocal performance to date and the signature screams are used less than in the past. As usual, no-frills Heavy Metal reigns between pounding simplicity and rapid dynamics. You can get over the fact that John Gallagher no longer hits the very high notes one hundred percent, as long as snappy up-tempo hits like "Destroy All Monsters" or "Feeding The Monster" - well what now, destroy or feed? - hitting the bull's eye in classic early metal style.

RAVEN "Destroy All Monsters" (Official Lyric Video)

Right from the start, they bang on with such enthusiasm and energy that the listener has no choice but to jump through the apartment with a big grin, swing either the air guitar or the hair of the head and join in with each of the numerous hit refrains. The simplest riffs are played here with such fervor and eaten up by the dozen that it never even occurs to you to complain that innovations are written rather small here. What sounds stiff or dusty with other bands sounds fresh and powerful with «Raven», apart from the slightly limp bass drum. With «Fight» and «Feeding The Monster», «Raven» have two real contenders for the title «Heavy Metal Song of the Year». The "Battle March Tank Treads" wrecking ball, with its bone-dry aggressiveness, demands from the willing fan all the head-nodding stamina the beet has to offer. With "Fire Burns Within" you take your foot off the gas pedal and then press it down again with "Scream". Too much, though, because the rest of the album doesn't contain any heavy hits anymore. «One More Day» would have done better in «The Answer» repertoire and «Thunder Down Under» is more of an homage to AC/DC than Iron Maiden or Def Leppard. "Golden Dawn" is the perfect intro to "Silver Bullet" as both are nothing more than filler. The album ends with the ballad "River Of No Return" and the bonus track "Malice In Geordieland" shows some humor paired with a lot of steam in the boiler.

In terms of the songs, «Raven» has of course stayed true to itself, Mark Gallagher's guitar work in particular can set accents and really bad songs won't actually be wasted in the present good hour. Nevertheless, in my opinion «ExtermiNation» turned out to be a bit too long(windy), because here and there a certain fatigue creeps in. This is somehow crumbled away by the faster tracks like «Fight» or «Feeding The Monster», but one or two tracks less would certainly have done the disc good. Did you really have to fill a double LP just because you can? Whatever the case, the melodies are always unobtrusive, but mostly intoxicating. While «ExtermiNation» leaves the frantic craziness and madness of the early albums well behind, it doesn't detract from the quality of the band in the slightest. Stylistically and qualitatively, the disc can be classified somewhere between the 88 album "Nothing Exceeds Like Excess" and the 97 "Everything Louder" and if you like crisp, natural NWoBHM-tinged tunes, you won't make a mistake with the purchase of "ExtermiNation". An absolute must for Raven fans and a worthwhile entry into the cosmos of this likeable, chaotic troupe. Most importantly, «ExtermiNation» is the perfect reason for a new tour for the band, and live the guys are known to be a real force.

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Tracklist:

1. Destroy all monsters
2. Tomorrow
3. It's Not What You Got
4. Fight
5. Battle March / Tank Treads (The Blood Runs Red)
6. Feeding The Monsters
7. Fire Burns Within
8. Scream
9. One More Day
10. Thunder down under
11. No Surrender
12. Golden Dawn
13. Silver Bullet
14. River Of No Return
15. Malice In Geordieland (Bonus Track)

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