Raven (ENGLAND)

[Horex]

Raven - Extermination (Japan Edition) (2015)













Year : 2015 (Japan Edition)
Style : Heavy Metal
Country : United Kingdom
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 161 mb

Bio:

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".Raven was formed in 1974 in Newcastle, England, by brothers John 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 a unique image and style of play, 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). Their music began to develop into a unique amalgam of speed and power - heavily influencing the genres of speed/thrash metal and power metal. The band have a reputation as an extremely energetic live band - and for regularly destroying their equipment.They started by playing local pubs and working men's clubs in the North East of England - occasionally opening shows for punk bands such as The Stranglers and The Motors.Eventually, the band signed with Neat Records, the legendary, low-budget metal label of the North. They released their 1st single "Don't Need Your Money" in 1980 and embarked on a number of UK shows opening for bands such as Ozzy Osbourne's Blizzard of Ozz, Motörhead, Whitesnake and Iron Maiden. Their first album Rock until You Drop was released to wide acclaim in 1981, leading the band to tour Italy and the Netherlands. Their second album, Wiped Out was released in 1982 and was influential on creating the burgeoning thrash and speed metal genres, 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 on the "Kill 'em All For One" tour with young thrashers Metallica (on their first tour) as their opening act.The manager and founder of Megaforce Jon Zazula believed that Raven was major-label material and kept them touring constantly until the big labels noticed. The infamous Live at the Inferno 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 City.Stay Hard was released in 1985, and proved a minor hit on the strength of single and 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 redeemed themselves with a return to form on the Mad EP in 1986 and the Life's a Bitch album in 1987, before arranging their departure from Atlantic.After the tour for Life's a Bitch, drummer 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..Virginian 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, which was self-produced and continued the bands return to form with fast, involved compositions. A concert at the Trocadero Theatre in Philadelphia was released by Combat Records as Ultimate Revenge 2 and featured the band on 4 cuts, alongside a number of thrash bands such as Death, Forbidden and Dark Angel. Next was a US tour opening for Testament, and then a European tour with German band Kreator. 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.In 1990 the band recorded the album Architect of Fear in Germany again self-produced showcasing the bands heavier side. They toured Europe in 1991 as special guests of German band Running Wild. 1992 had the band releasing an EP called Heads Up, featuring 4 new studio songs and 3 live tracks from the 1991 tour. They again toured Europe with German band Risk as openers.The band spent the first half of 1993 writing and demoing new material, delays ensued due to John Gallagher having a house fire and thieves stealing guitars from the remains. In 1994 the band regrouped and inked a deal with Japanese label Zero - an album entitled Glow was recorded at Showplace Studios, Dover NJ (notable for having a strip club connected to the tape closet!) The album was self-produced and varied in feel, even sporting a few ballads alongside heavier material such as "Altar" and "Enemy". A cover of Thin Lizzy's "The Rocker" also made the album.In 1994 the band attended and played live at the Foundations Forum metal convention in Burbank, California, and stole the show alongside acts as disparate as Korn, Yngwie Malmsteen and Machine Head.The band toured Japan for the first time in May 1995, a live album called Destroy All Monsters/Live in Japan was recorded featuring songst from Glow, as well as older cuts such as "For the Future".1996 was spent writing and recording a new studio album Everything Louder - sessions took place in Manassas VA at future Brett Michaels guitarist Pete Evick's studio and the recording was a frantic affair done over 4 weekends with almost no reheasal - the better to get a "live" feel onto tape. The album came out in 1997 in Japan, Europe and the US, and the band went on the road in Europe with support acts Tank and HammerFall.1999 promised a Raven box set with the NY label Spitfire Records. However, after a "lack of communication" John took the extra live/studio/bootleg tracks and working with engineer S.A. Adams compiled a collection entitled Raw Tracks, featuring unreleased material from 1984 to the present. The band also reunited with producer Michael Wagener and worked on an album titled One for All recorded at Wagener's Wireworld Studio in Nashville TN. Following its release, the band toured opening for old friend Udo Dirkschneider's band U.D.O. in Europe and also with them in the US in 2000

Album:

Legendary Geordies return on new album after five-year gap.……and they’re back!! That’s right folks, the moment bassist/vocalist John Gallagher screams “destroy all monsters” one of the UK’s finest, but most criminally underrated, bands return to tread the heavy metal path they first trod over 40 years ago.Seminal metal trio Raven were once part of the NWOBHM scene back in the late 1970’s/early 1980’s with bands like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Saxon etc. Some bands from that era went on to enjoy highly successful careers, with Priest and Maiden being the most obvious. For others however, the road to stardom was not paved with shiny gold but with hard, dirty and cold metal. Despite the fact that their early 80’s output stands toe to toe with any of the aforementioned bands it is somewhat surprising that they haven’t broken down the doors of larger arenas in which to showcase their considerable talent.Raven haven’t gone down the re-invention track to enable them to find relevance with a new audience. They are what they were 40 years ago, only better. Kicking the album off with “Destroy All Monsters” is a smart move. It immediately captures the spirit of the band’s heyday without wallowing in nostalgia. It’s a traditional balls-to-the-walls track for which the band are recognised for and a style in which they excel.With hard-driving tracks like “Tomorrow”, “It’s Not What You Got” and “Scream” providing the attitude and exuberance of a band in their mid-20’s The Diamond Head-infused “One More Day” and the AC/DC inspired “Thunder Down Under” are other highlights on an album riddled with metal gems.“Fight” is perhaps the most generic and therefore weakest track on the album and it doesn’t do the band any favours or any justice. Thankfully such tracks are very much in the minority as the following tracks “Battle March Tank” and “Feeding The Monster” prove. They are full-on tracks generating their power for swirling riffs and thunderous drum attacks.They may still be proclaiming, as their debut single stated, they “Don’t Need Your Money” but you should be giving your some of your hard-earned cash to this band as it’s not just the new bands that the music-loving public should be supporting, the past still has a future too.The band were known, back in the day, for introducing an “athletic” element into their shows, consisting of sporting goods various and although the North East may be going through a slump in sporting terms, Newcastle United and Sunderland I’m referring to you, it’s great to see at least one aspect that region is approaching something akin to their glory days.Forget subgenre’s this is metal for metalheads…….and damn fine metal it is too.‘ExtermiNation’ is out now on Steamhammer / SPV and is available as a 14 track CD, a digipak (with bonus track), as a double gatefold green vinyl LP, and download.

Line-Up:

John Gallagher - Vocals, Bass (1974-present) (ex-Killers)
Mark Gallagher - Guitars (1974-present)
Joe Hasselvander - Drums (1988-present) (The Hounds of Hasselvander, Joe Hasselvander, ex-Devil Childe, ex-Guardians of the Flame, ex-Phantom Lord, ex-Death Row, ex-Pentagram, ex-Jack Starr's Burning Starr (live), ex-Armageddon, ex-Black Manta, ex-Reactor, ex-Cathedral (live), ex-Blue Cheer, ex-Forgotten Realm, ex-Mind Assassin, ex-Overlord, ex-The Boyz, ex-White Lion)

Tracklist:

01. Destroy All Monsters 06:04
02. Tomorrow 04:24
03. It's Not What You Got 03:26
04. Fight 04:01
05. Battle March / Tank Treads (The Blood Runs Red) 05:24
06. Feeding the Monster 03:40
07. Fire Burns Within 04:56
08. Scream 03:01
09. One More Day 05:10
10. Thunder Down Under 04:47
11. No Surrender 03:51
12. Golden Dawn 00:53
13. Silver Bullet 04:12
14. River of No Return 05:22
15. Bad Reputation (Japan Bonus Track)
16. He's A Whore (Japan Bonus Track)
17. Malice in Geordieland 03:04 (Bonus Track)




Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/

[Horex]

Raven - Walk Through Fire (2010) (Limited Collector's Edition 2015)











Year : 2010 (Limited Collector's Edition 2015)
Style : Heavy Metal
Country : United Kingdom
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 168 mb

Bio:

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".Raven was formed in 1974 in Newcastle, England, by brothers John 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 a unique image and style of play, 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). Their music began to develop into a unique amalgam of speed and power - heavily influencing the genres of speed/thrash metal and power metal. The band have a reputation as an extremely energetic live band - and for regularly destroying their equipment.They started by playing local pubs and working men's clubs in the North East of England - occasionally opening shows for punk bands such as The Stranglers and The Motors.Eventually, the band signed with Neat Records, the legendary, low-budget metal label of the North. They released their 1st single "Don't Need Your Money" in 1980 and embarked on a number of UK shows opening for bands such as Ozzy Osbourne's Blizzard of Ozz, Motörhead, Whitesnake and Iron Maiden. Their first album Rock until You Drop was released to wide acclaim in 1981, leading the band to tour Italy and the Netherlands. Their second album, Wiped Out was released in 1982 and was influential on creating the burgeoning thrash and speed metal genres, 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 on the "Kill 'em All For One" tour with young thrashers Metallica (on their first tour) as their opening act.The manager and founder of Megaforce Jon Zazula believed that Raven was major-label material and kept them touring constantly until the big labels noticed. The infamous Live at the Inferno 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 City.Stay Hard was released in 1985, and proved a minor hit on the strength of single and 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 redeemed themselves with a return to form on the Mad EP in 1986 and the Life's a Bitch album in 1987, before arranging their departure from Atlantic.After the tour for Life's a Bitch, drummer 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..Virginian 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, which was self-produced and continued the bands return to form with fast, involved compositions. A concert at the Trocadero Theatre in Philadelphia was released by Combat Records as Ultimate Revenge 2 and featured the band on 4 cuts, alongside a number of thrash bands such as Death, Forbidden and Dark Angel. Next was a US tour opening for Testament, and then a European tour with German band Kreator. 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.In 1990 the band recorded the album Architect of Fear in Germany again self-produced showcasing the bands heavier side. They toured Europe in 1991 as special guests of German band Running Wild. 1992 had the band releasing an EP called Heads Up, featuring 4 new studio songs and 3 live tracks from the 1991 tour. They again toured Europe with German band Risk as openers.The band spent the first half of 1993 writing and demoing new material, delays ensued due to John Gallagher having a house fire and thieves stealing guitars from the remains. In 1994 the band regrouped and inked a deal with Japanese label Zero - an album entitled Glow was recorded at Showplace Studios, Dover NJ (notable for having a strip club connected to the tape closet!) The album was self-produced and varied in feel, even sporting a few ballads alongside heavier material such as "Altar" and "Enemy". A cover of Thin Lizzy's "The Rocker" also made the album.In 1994 the band attended and played live at the Foundations Forum metal convention in Burbank, California, and stole the show alongside acts as disparate as Korn, Yngwie Malmsteen and Machine Head.The band toured Japan for the first time in May 1995, a live album called Destroy All Monsters/Live in Japan was recorded featuring songst from Glow, as well as older cuts such as "For the Future".1996 was spent writing and recording a new studio album Everything Louder - sessions took place in Manassas VA at future Brett Michaels guitarist Pete Evick's studio and the recording was a frantic affair done over 4 weekends with almost no reheasal - the better to get a "live" feel onto tape. The album came out in 1997 in Japan, Europe and the US, and the band went on the road in Europe with support acts Tank and HammerFall.1999 promised a Raven box set with the NY label Spitfire Records. However, after a "lack of communication" John took the extra live/studio/bootleg tracks and working with engineer S.A. Adams compiled a collection entitled Raw Tracks, featuring unreleased material from 1984 to the present. The band also reunited with producer Michael Wagener and worked on an album titled One for All recorded at Wagener's Wireworld Studio in Nashville TN. Following its release, the band toured opening for old friend Udo Dirkschneider's band U.D.O. in Europe and also with them in the US in 2000

Album:

Walk Through Fire is the twelfth album recorded by the English heavy metal band Raven for the Japanese King Records label. It was released in 2010.Yet another veteran band from the storied New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM), England's RAVEN stood apart from the herd for their outrageous image and a style called "athletic rock" that at times bordered on unhinged. While classics like "Wiped Out", "All For One", and more commercially accessible (though not in a sellout sense) albums like "Stay Hard" and "The Pack is Back" contained more than a few toe-tapping rockers, RAVEN is a band whose status was held up as much by the images as the songwriting. Fast forward to the close of the 21st Century's first decade and brothers John and Mark Gallagher (vocals/bass and guitars, respectively) and drummer Joe Hasselvander (PENTAGRAM) have come roaring back with an album in "Walk Through Fire" that is sure to please the RAVEN Lunatics and convert more than a few fans that had previously been unexposed to the British threesome."Walk Through Fire" is anything but an attempt to cash in on a retro trend with rehashed ideas and tired playing, "Walk through Fire" is the sound of guys with fires in the belly and chips on the shoulder, and the playing is top notch. "Fire" is the key word here; as in the trio is on freakin' fire! Every track is filled with killer riffs, hot solos, and stand-up-and-shout choruses. Ain't a damn bit of filler on this album either. Songs like "Breaking you Down", the reckless 'n wild "Trainwreck", and the boogie-riffing stutter of "Under your Radar" will have you playing air guitar, singing a happy NWOBHM tune and loving every minute of the kicking taken by your ass. Speaking of which, the title track is a great, no frills rocker with a notably infectious chorus, yet another example of game-raising songwriting. Interestingly enough on the rousing "Against the Grain", John Gallagher sounds a bit like vintage Biff Byford (SAXON), which isn't surprising when one considers that the cutting occurred from the same cloth.Sit back down; we ain't done yet. The cover of "Space Station #5" from MONTROSE's vaunted debut is a grand choice and easily one of the most underrated metal songs of all time. The live versions of "Live at the Inferno" and "Rock Until You Drop" are a nice touch as well, giving the old timers a blast of nostalgia and introducing the virgins to a golden era of metal. That's right; you get 13 new tracks (counting "Introz'), a slam bang cover, and two live classics all for one low, low price. Order now!

Line-Up:

John Gallagher - Vocals, Bass (1974-present) (ex-Killers)
Mark Gallagher - Guitars (1974-present)
Joe Hasselvander - Drums (1988-present) (The Hounds of Hasselvander, Joe Hasselvander, ex-Devil Childe, ex-Guardians of the Flame, ex-Phantom Lord, ex-Death Row, ex-Pentagram, ex-Jack Starr's Burning Starr (live), ex-Armageddon, ex-Black Manta, ex-Reactor, ex-Cathedral (live), ex-Blue Cheer, ex-Forgotten Realm, ex-Mind Assassin, ex-Overlord, ex-The Boyz, ex-White Lion)

Tracklist:

01. Intro 00:52 instrumental
02. Against the Grain 03:52
03. Breaking You Down 03:02
04. Under Your Radar 04:05
05. Walk Through Fire 03:20
06. Bulldozer 03:53
07. Long Day's Journey 04:50
08. Trainwreck 03:34
09. Grip 03:31
10. Running Around in Circles 03:40
11. Hard Road 03:45
12. Armageddon (The Beginning) 06:31
13. Attitude 03:24
14. Necessary Evil (Bonus Track)
15. Space Station #5 (Montrose cover) (Bonus Track)
16. All For One (Exclusive Bonus Track)




Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/

[Horex]

Raven - Metal City (Digipak Edition) (2020)













Year : 2020
Style : Heavy Metal
Country : United Kingdom
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 108 mb

Bio:

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".Raven was formed in 1974 in Newcastle, England, by brothers John 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 a unique image and style of play, 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). Their music began to develop into a unique amalgam of speed and power - heavily influencing the genres of speed/thrash metal and power metal. The band have a reputation as an extremely energetic live band - and for regularly destroying their equipment.They started by playing local pubs and working men's clubs in the North East of England - occasionally opening shows for punk bands such as The Stranglers and The Motors.Eventually, the band signed with Neat Records, the legendary, low-budget metal label of the North. They released their 1st single "Don't Need Your Money" in 1980 and embarked on a number of UK shows opening for bands such as Ozzy Osbourne's Blizzard of Ozz, Motörhead, Whitesnake and Iron Maiden. Their first album Rock until You Drop was released to wide acclaim in 1981, leading the band to tour Italy and the Netherlands. Their second album, Wiped Out was released in 1982 and was influential on creating the burgeoning thrash and speed metal genres, 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 on the "Kill 'em All For One" tour with young thrashers Metallica (on their first tour) as their opening act.The manager and founder of Megaforce Jon Zazula believed that Raven was major-label material and kept them touring constantly until the big labels noticed. The infamous Live at the Inferno 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 City.Stay Hard was released in 1985, and proved a minor hit on the strength of single and 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 redeemed themselves with a return to form on the Mad EP in 1986 and the Life's a Bitch album in 1987, before arranging their departure from Atlantic.After the tour for Life's a Bitch, drummer 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..Virginian 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, which was self-produced and continued the bands return to form with fast, involved compositions. A concert at the Trocadero Theatre in Philadelphia was released by Combat Records as Ultimate Revenge 2 and featured the band on 4 cuts, alongside a number of thrash bands such as Death, Forbidden and Dark Angel. Next was a US tour opening for Testament, and then a European tour with German band Kreator. 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.In 1990 the band recorded the album Architect of Fear in Germany again self-produced showcasing the bands heavier side. They toured Europe in 1991 as special guests of German band Running Wild. 1992 had the band releasing an EP called Heads Up, featuring 4 new studio songs and 3 live tracks from the 1991 tour. They again toured Europe with German band Risk as openers.The band spent the first half of 1993 writing and demoing new material, delays ensued due to John Gallagher having a house fire and thieves stealing guitars from the remains. In 1994 the band regrouped and inked a deal with Japanese label Zero - an album entitled Glow was recorded at Showplace Studios, Dover NJ (notable for having a strip club connected to the tape closet!) The album was self-produced and varied in feel, even sporting a few ballads alongside heavier material such as "Altar" and "Enemy". A cover of Thin Lizzy's "The Rocker" also made the album.In 1994 the band attended and played live at the Foundations Forum metal convention in Burbank, California, and stole the show alongside acts as disparate as Korn, Yngwie Malmsteen and Machine Head.The band toured Japan for the first time in May 1995, a live album called Destroy All Monsters/Live in Japan was recorded featuring songst from Glow, as well as older cuts such as "For the Future".1996 was spent writing and recording a new studio album Everything Louder - sessions took place in Manassas VA at future Brett Michaels guitarist Pete Evick's studio and the recording was a frantic affair done over 4 weekends with almost no reheasal - the better to get a "live" feel onto tape. The album came out in 1997 in Japan, Europe and the US, and the band went on the road in Europe with support acts Tank and HammerFall.1999 promised a Raven box set with the NY label Spitfire Records. However, after a "lack of communication" John took the extra live/studio/bootleg tracks and working with engineer S.A. Adams compiled a collection entitled Raw Tracks, featuring unreleased material from 1984 to the present. The band also reunited with producer Michael Wagener and worked on an album titled One for All recorded at Wagener's Wireworld Studio in Nashville TN. Following its release, the band toured opening for old friend Udo Dirkschneider's band U.D.O. in Europe and also with them in the US in 2000

Album:

If like me your knees creak when you bend, the chances are that you’ll remember the athletic speed metal of Raven, the Tyneside legends who emerged at the forefront of the NWOBHM in the late 1970s. The embryonic shoots of the band can be traced as far back as 1974 but it was the trio of brothers John and Mark Gallagher, bass and vocals and guitar respectively, along with drummer Rob ‘Wacko’ Hunter that were the line-up that still linger in the memory. Raven were one of the early steeds in the Neat records stable, alongside neighbours Tygers of Pantang, Fist and White Spirit (not too mention a certain notable North East band called Venom). They were certainly unlike most other bands, their high-powered energetic athleticism and proto-speed metal pushing the envelope where many were unable or feared to go. High powered tempos combined with John’s alternative gruff and shrieking vocals ensured that Raven soon gathered a large following.An anxious year’s delay on their debut album was justified by the band stating that they wanted all other bands to “get their singles/albums underway. It wouldn’t be fair to others to release the album which would defeat all others”. [Source: The NWOBHM Encyclopaedia – Malc MacMillan, 3rd Edition, 2012] The resulting release had to be something special after that and to Raven’s credit, ‘Rock Til You Drop’ was a fine release with some classic tracks including ‘Hard Ride’, ‘Lambs to the Slaughter’ (later covered by Kreator) and ‘For The Future’. The album cracked the mainstream UK charts, an amazing achievement at the time. The band hit the States in 1983 with support from an upcoming band called Metallica! The release of 1984’s ‘Live At The Inferno!’ which remains one of my favourite live albums of all time was a watershed moment as the band based themselves in the States and signed to Atlantic, moving to a more polished, hard rock sound, a million miles away from their early fiery style. When Hunter left the band in 1987, disillusioned by the flack the band received by the UK press, the band drafted in drummer Joe Hasselvander (Pentagram, Cathedral amongst a million others) who remained in place until a heart attack forced his departure in 2017. Over those 30 years since they signed to Atlantic the band have continued to work (an enforced hiatus in 2001-04 occurred when Mark was crushed by a wall) with their most recent album 2015’s ‘ExtermiNation’. Now, with drummer Mike Heller (Fear Factory, Malignancy) firmly rooted to the drum stool, Raven are back with their 14th long player, ‘Metal City’.It’s been a long time since I heard anything new from Raven, although I admit that ‘Live At The Inferno!’ still gets a regular spin. Well, the good news, especially for an old fart like me is that Raven can still cut it. Ten tracks, 38 minutes of powerful, driving metal, catchy hooks, and plenty of riffs. It’s an album that works for both the old school fan and the younger metalhead who may be exploring a bit of the UK’s metal heritage. The tempo and attitude are spot on throughout with Heller’s explosive drumming propelling Raven at breakneck speed. It may not be classed as thrash metal, but Raven still bring the speed and the slightly crazed, out of control feel that was prevalent back in those earlier days.There’s a retro feel to opener ‘The Power’ (Raven’s Game of Thrones song!) and especially’ Top Of The Mountain’, both songs that link the past with the present whilst ‘Human Race’ is a blistering explosive piece with an unexpected change of gear mid-song. The anthemic homage to their home city of Newcastle is covered in the title track (worth checking out the video for some true Geordie sights). ‘Motorheadin’ is unashamedly the band’s tribute to Motörhead, both in approach and style. A frantic, bludgeoning track, short and sweet and in your face. Observations on society are included with ‘Cybertron’, the band’s view on the surveillance state. After all these years, John Gallagher’s ability to hit those ear-piercing screams is impressive and he shatters glass on ‘Not So Easy’ and the pounding aggressive thrash blast of ‘Break’. ‘When World’s Collide’ is an appropriate anthem to finish.Raven were a band who could have achieved huge things. That they didn’t is another of those mysteries that litters the NWOBHM legacy. ‘Metal City’ is massively enjoyable, and although there is more than a link to the past, it is also contemporary. Tackling the album with modern production at Michael Wagener’s Nashville studio gives it a fresh feel whilst comfortingly retaining some of the rawness that Raven have always had. With the threat of European dates in 2021, in ‘Metal City’ is a fine reminder that there is still plenty of gas left in the tank.

Line-Up:

Mark Gallagher - Guitars (1974-present)
John Gallagher - Vocals, Bass (1974-present) (ex-Killers)
Mike Heller - Drums

Tracklist:

01. The Power (03:55)
02. Top of the Montain (03:36)
03. Human Race (03:59)
04. Metal City (03:27)
05. Battlescarred (04:45)
06. Cybertron (03:24)
07. Motorheadin' (02:42)
08. Not So Easy (03:09)
09. Break (03:39)
10. When Worlds Collide (06:15)




Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/

[Horex]

Raven - Rock Until You Drop (The 4CD Over The Top Edition) (2022)













Year : 1981 (HNE Records Edition 2022)
Style : Heavy Metal
Country : United Kingdom
Audio : 320 kbps + scans
Size : 597 mb

Bio:

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".Raven was formed in 1974 in Newcastle, England, by brothers John 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 a unique image and style of play, 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). Their music began to develop into a unique amalgam of speed and power - heavily influencing the genres of speed/thrash metal and power metal. The band have a reputation as an extremely energetic live band - and for regularly destroying their equipment.They started by playing local pubs and working men's clubs in the North East of England - occasionally opening shows for punk bands such as The Stranglers and The Motors.Eventually, the band signed with Neat Records, the legendary, low-budget metal label of the North. They released their 1st single "Don't Need Your Money" in 1980 and embarked on a number of UK shows opening for bands such as Ozzy Osbourne's Blizzard of Ozz, Motörhead, Whitesnake and Iron Maiden. Their first album Rock until You Drop was released to wide acclaim in 1981, leading the band to tour Italy and the Netherlands. Their second album, Wiped Out was released in 1982 and was influential on creating the burgeoning thrash and speed metal genres, 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 on the "Kill 'em All For One" tour with young thrashers Metallica (on their first tour) as their opening act.The manager and founder of Megaforce Jon Zazula believed that Raven was major-label material and kept them touring constantly until the big labels noticed. The infamous Live at the Inferno 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 City.Stay Hard was released in 1985, and proved a minor hit on the strength of single and 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 redeemed themselves with a return to form on the Mad EP in 1986 and the Life's a Bitch album in 1987, before arranging their departure from Atlantic.After the tour for Life's a Bitch, drummer 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..Virginian 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, which was self-produced and continued the bands return to form with fast, involved compositions. A concert at the Trocadero Theatre in Philadelphia was released by Combat Records as Ultimate Revenge 2 and featured the band on 4 cuts, alongside a number of thrash bands such as Death, Forbidden and Dark Angel. Next was a US tour opening for Testament, and then a European tour with German band Kreator. 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.In 1990 the band recorded the album Architect of Fear in Germany again self-produced showcasing the bands heavier side. They toured Europe in 1991 as special guests of German band Running Wild. 1992 had the band releasing an EP called Heads Up, featuring 4 new studio songs and 3 live tracks from the 1991 tour. They again toured Europe with German band Risk as openers.The band spent the first half of 1993 writing and demoing new material, delays ensued due to John Gallagher having a house fire and thieves stealing guitars from the remains. In 1994 the band regrouped and inked a deal with Japanese label Zero - an album entitled Glow was recorded at Showplace Studios, Dover NJ (notable for having a strip club connected to the tape closet!) The album was self-produced and varied in feel, even sporting a few ballads alongside heavier material such as "Altar" and "Enemy". A cover of Thin Lizzy's "The Rocker" also made the album.In 1994 the band attended and played live at the Foundations Forum metal convention in Burbank, California, and stole the show alongside acts as disparate as Korn, Yngwie Malmsteen and Machine Head.The band toured Japan for the first time in May 1995, a live album called Destroy All Monsters/Live in Japan was recorded featuring songst from Glow, as well as older cuts such as "For the Future".1996 was spent writing and recording a new studio album Everything Louder - sessions took place in Manassas VA at future Brett Michaels guitarist Pete Evick's studio and the recording was a frantic affair done over 4 weekends with almost no reheasal - the better to get a "live" feel onto tape. The album came out in 1997 in Japan, Europe and the US, and the band went on the road in Europe with support acts Tank and HammerFall.1999 promised a Raven box set with the NY label Spitfire Records. However, after a "lack of communication" John took the extra live/studio/bootleg tracks and working with engineer S.A. Adams compiled a collection entitled Raw Tracks, featuring unreleased material from 1984 to the present. The band also reunited with producer Michael Wagener and worked on an album titled One for All recorded at Wagener's Wireworld Studio in Nashville TN. Following its release, the band toured opening for old friend Udo Dirkschneider's band U.D.O. in Europe and also with them in the US in 2000

Album:

HNE Records present band Raven Rock with 4 cd box-set "Rock Until You Drop' is the best LP to come off the NWOBHM since Saxon's 'Wheels Of Steel'." Geoff Barton, Sounds, September 19, 1981.Although Raven were an important part of the NWOBHM of the late '70s and early '80s, brothers Mark and John Gallagher had the idea of ​​starting their own rock band as early as 1972. With John on bass and vocals and Mark on lead guitar, they played their first gig in 1975 and built a loyal following in the North East of England. In 1978 they recorded a rudimentary demo, which is included here on CD2. When they were signed to Neat Records, they recorded more demos. By this time they had dwindled to a power trio when the Gallaghers were joined by Rob "Wacko" Hunter on drums. Neat released her '45 debut Don't Need Your Money in 1980 and made Raven the lead on the cassette compilation Lead Weight with Inquisitor.Raven released their debut LP, Rock Until You Drop, in 1981, which successfully captured the energy of their live shows. The album was immediately hailed as a champion by the influential British rock press and was featured in Kerrang! and sounds. This led to important appearances with Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake and Motörhead to name a few. These self-proclaimed "athletic rockers" were a huge influence on later thrash and speed metal bands like Slayer, Megadeth, Testament and Metallica.Their live sound was illegally taped by a fan while touring in Italy in December 1982 and is heard here in its entirety, with the collection being completed by their performance at the Apollo in Manchester in May 1982.Featuring an in-depth essay by NWOBHM expert John Tucker, this 4CD Over The Top Edition of 'Rock Until You Drop' also includes a 24-page booklet filled with many rare and unreleased photos from the band's archive.While every effort has been made to ensure the best sound quality, some of these recordings were recorded for their historical significance and do not represent the fidelity of the professional studio recordings.

• Expanded 4CD edition of Raven’s debut album ‘Rock Until You Drop’
• With demo’s, single B-sides, and two incendiary live recordings
• For fans of Diamond Head, Iron Maiden, Metallica

“Rock Until You Drop’ is the best LP to emerge out of the NWOBHM since Saxon’s ‘Wheels Of Steel’.” Geoff Barton, Sounds, 19 September 1981.Although Raven were very much part of the NWOBHM of the late ’70s and early ’80s, brothers Mark and John Gallagher had formulated the idea of creating their own rock group way back in 1972. With John on bass and vocals and Mark on lead guitar, they played their first gig in 1975, building up a loyal following across the North East of England. Recording a rudimentary demo in 1978, included here on CD2. Signed to Neat Records, they recorded further demos, by which time they had trimmed down to a power-trio when the Gallaghers were joined by Rob “Wacko” Hunter on drums. Neat would release their debut 45 ‘Don’t Need Your Money’ in 1980 and make Raven the lead act with ‘Inquisitor’ on the cassette compilation, ‘Lead Weight’.Raven released their debut LP ‘Rock Until You Drop’ in 1981 successfully capturing the energy of their live shows, the album picked up instant champions across the influential UK rock press, with key features in Kerrang! and Sounds. These would lead to important shows with Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake and Motörhead, among many others. These self-styled “athletic rockers” were a huge influence on future Thrash and Speed Metal bands, such as Slayer, Megadeth, Testament and Metallica.Their live sound was captured illicitly by a fan on tape while on tour in Italy in December 1982, and is featured here in its entirety, the collection completed by their May 1982 performance at Manchester’s Apollo.As well as an extensive essay from NWOBHM expert John Tucker, this “4CD Over The Top Edition” of ‘Rock Until You Drop’ also features a 24 page booklet featuring many rare and unpublished photos supplied from the band’s own archive.While Every Effort Has Been Made To Ensure Optimum Sound Quality, Due To The Limitations Of The Audio Sources On Some Of These Recordings, They Have Been Included For Their Historical Importance And Do Not Represent The Fidelity Of The Professional Studio Recordings.

Line-Up:

John Gallagher - Vocals, Bass (1974-present) (ex-Killers)
Mark Gallagher - Guitars (1974-present)
Rob Hunter - Drums, Vocals (backing)

Tracklist:

CD1: ROCK UNTIL YOU DROP (1981)

01. Hard Ride
02. Hell Patrol
03. Don’t Need Your Money
04. Over The Top
05. 39/40
06. For The Future
07. Rock Until You Drop
08. Nobody’s Hero
09. Hellraiser/Action
10. Lambs To The Slaughter
11. Tyrant Of The Airways BONUS TRACKS
12. Wiped Out (Don’t Need Your Money B- Side) (Bonus Track)
13. Crazy World (Hard Ride B-Side) (Bonus Track)
14. Let It Rip (from Brute Force) (Bonus Track)
15. Inquisitor (from Lead Weight) (Bonus Track)

CD2: NEAT RECORDS LIVE TO 2-TRACK DEMO (1980)

01. Don’t Need Your Money
02. Let It Rip
03. Wiped Out

TRACK DEMO SESSION (1978)

04. Inquisitor
05. Come Up And See Me
06. Cry Wolf
07. Hitting The Road
08. On The Hunt
09. Going Home
10. Turn It Down
11. Hit And Run

CD3: SASSO MARCONI BOLOGNA (2ND DECEMBER 1982) pt1

01. Faster Than The Speed Of Light
02. Hard Ride
03. Hell Patrol
04. Read All About It
05. Tyrant Of The Airways 6 Drum Solo
07. Crazy World
08. Firepower
09. Hold Back The Fire
10. Rock Until You Drop
11. Hellraiser/Action
12. Crash Bang Wallop
13. Guitar Solo
14. Wiped Out
15. For The Future

CD4: SASSO MARCONI BOLOGNA (2ND DECEMBER 1982) pt2

01. Don’t Need Your Money
02. Bass Solo
03. Chainsaw

MANCHESTER APOLLO, UK (21ST MAY 1982)

04. Hard Ride
05. Hell Patrol
06. Rock Until You Drop
07. Tyrant Of The Airways
08. Bring The Hammer Down
09. For The Future
10. Don’t Need Your Money
11. Radio Metro interview with Alan Robson




Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/

[Horex]

Raven - Leave ‘Em Bleeding (2022)











Year : 2022
Style : Heavy Metal
Country : United Kingdom
Audio : 320 kbps + front
Size : 110 mb

Bio:

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".Raven was formed in 1974 in Newcastle, England, by brothers John 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 a unique image and style of play, 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). Their music began to develop into a unique amalgam of speed and power - heavily influencing the genres of speed/thrash metal and power metal. The band have a reputation as an extremely energetic live band - and for regularly destroying their equipment.They started by playing local pubs and working men's clubs in the North East of England - occasionally opening shows for punk bands such as The Stranglers and The Motors.Eventually, the band signed with Neat Records, the legendary, low-budget metal label of the North. They released their 1st single "Don't Need Your Money" in 1980 and embarked on a number of UK shows opening for bands such as Ozzy Osbourne's Blizzard of Ozz, Motörhead, Whitesnake and Iron Maiden. Their first album Rock until You Drop was released to wide acclaim in 1981, leading the band to tour Italy and the Netherlands. Their second album, Wiped Out was released in 1982 and was influential on creating the burgeoning thrash and speed metal genres, 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 on the "Kill 'em All For One" tour with young thrashers Metallica (on their first tour) as their opening act.The manager and founder of Megaforce Jon Zazula believed that Raven was major-label material and kept them touring constantly until the big labels noticed. The infamous Live at the Inferno 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 City.Stay Hard was released in 1985, and proved a minor hit on the strength of single and 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 redeemed themselves with a return to form on the Mad EP in 1986 and the Life's a Bitch album in 1987, before arranging their departure from Atlantic.After the tour for Life's a Bitch, drummer 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..Virginian 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, which was self-produced and continued the bands return to form with fast, involved compositions. A concert at the Trocadero Theatre in Philadelphia was released by Combat Records as Ultimate Revenge 2 and featured the band on 4 cuts, alongside a number of thrash bands such as Death, Forbidden and Dark Angel. Next was a US tour opening for Testament, and then a European tour with German band Kreator. 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.In 1990 the band recorded the album Architect of Fear in Germany again self-produced showcasing the bands heavier side. They toured Europe in 1991 as special guests of German band Running Wild. 1992 had the band releasing an EP called Heads Up, featuring 4 new studio songs and 3 live tracks from the 1991 tour. They again toured Europe with German band Risk as openers.The band spent the first half of 1993 writing and demoing new material, delays ensued due to John Gallagher having a house fire and thieves stealing guitars from the remains. In 1994 the band regrouped and inked a deal with Japanese label Zero - an album entitled Glow was recorded at Showplace Studios, Dover NJ (notable for having a strip club connected to the tape closet!) The album was self-produced and varied in feel, even sporting a few ballads alongside heavier material such as "Altar" and "Enemy". A cover of Thin Lizzy's "The Rocker" also made the album.In 1994 the band attended and played live at the Foundations Forum metal convention in Burbank, California, and stole the show alongside acts as disparate as Korn, Yngwie Malmsteen and Machine Head.The band toured Japan for the first time in May 1995, a live album called Destroy All Monsters/Live in Japan was recorded featuring songst from Glow, as well as older cuts such as "For the Future".1996 was spent writing and recording a new studio album Everything Louder - sessions took place in Manassas VA at future Brett Michaels guitarist Pete Evick's studio and the recording was a frantic affair done over 4 weekends with almost no reheasal - the better to get a "live" feel onto tape. The album came out in 1997 in Japan, Europe and the US, and the band went on the road in Europe with support acts Tank and HammerFall.1999 promised a Raven box set with the NY label Spitfire Records. However, after a "lack of communication" John took the extra live/studio/bootleg tracks and working with engineer S.A. Adams compiled a collection entitled Raw Tracks, featuring unreleased material from 1984 to the present. The band also reunited with producer Michael Wagener and worked on an album titled One for All recorded at Wagener's Wireworld Studio in Nashville TN. Following its release, the band toured opening for old friend Udo Dirkschneider's band U.D.O. in Europe and also with them in the US in 2000

Album:

Raven are one of the bands that have left a lasting mark on heavy metal, yet have never lost their underground status. While other bands of the NWoBHM took off and enjoyed and still enjoy great commercial success, it was Raven who always stood in the second row, leaving aside the years with Atlantic Records. Nevertheless, the development of genres such as speed metal and thrash metal would certainly have been different without the contribution of the Gallagher brothers. Raven belong to the pioneers in metal.More than one scary moment occurred in 2001 when guitarist Mark Gallagher was seriously injured by a collapsing wall. This meant a longer break for the band and it was in 2004 when Raven came back to the stages. So you can’t stop Raven that easily. This band is a true metal force.After this little detour we are approaching the current phase of the band and with it the ‘Leave ’em Bleeding’ album. With this record Raven looks back on the past years and what could have been a simple compilation has become a little bit more with Raven.The basic framework for the record consists of three songs from the last studio album ‘Metal City’ and two songs from the 2015 release ‘ExtermiNation’. Together with a live song, it results in a good retrospective over the past seven years.Besides these songs, ‘Necesssary Evil’ is also on this record release. It is one of the first songs that Raven released after the serious accident of Mark Gallagher. With ‘Space Station #5’ (Montrose) and ‘Bad Reputation’ (Thin Lizzy) the record also contained two cover versions. The final tracks are ‘Rock This Town’, a song which was produced by Michael Wagner in 2018, and the closing live number ‘Stay Hard’ also fits very well.All in all, Raven have put together a good tracklist on ‘Leave ’em Bleeding’ which shows that they are far from being on the shelf.

Line-Up:

John Gallagher - Vocals, Bass (1974-present) (ex-Killers)
Mark Gallagher - Guitars (1974-present)
Rob Hunter - Drums, Vocals (backing)

Tracklist:

01. Top of the Mountain
02. Metal City
03. The Power
04. Destroy All Monsters
05. Battle March / Tank Treads
06. Crash Bang Wallop (live)
07. Necessary Evil
08. Space Station #5
09. Malice in Geordieland
10. Bad Reputation (Thin Lizzy cover)
11. Rock This Town
12. Stay Hard (live)




Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/

[Horex]

Raven - Faster Than The Speed Of Light (3CD) (Cherry Red Records Edition 2023)











Year : 2023 (Cherry Red Records Edition)
Style : Heavy Metal
Country : United Kingdom
Audio : 320 kbps + scans
Size : 432 mb

Bio:

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".Raven was formed in 1974 in Newcastle, England, by brothers John 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 a unique image and style of play, 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). Their music began to develop into a unique amalgam of speed and power - heavily influencing the genres of speed/thrash metal and power metal. The band have a reputation as an extremely energetic live band - and for regularly destroying their equipment.They started by playing local pubs and working men's clubs in the North East of England - occasionally opening shows for punk bands such as The Stranglers and The Motors.Eventually, the band signed with Neat Records, the legendary, low-budget metal label of the North. They released their 1st single "Don't Need Your Money" in 1980 and embarked on a number of UK shows opening for bands such as Ozzy Osbourne's Blizzard of Ozz, Motörhead, Whitesnake and Iron Maiden. Their first album Rock until You Drop was released to wide acclaim in 1981, leading the band to tour Italy and the Netherlands. Their second album, Wiped Out was released in 1982 and was influential on creating the burgeoning thrash and speed metal genres, 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 on the "Kill 'em All For One" tour with young thrashers Metallica (on their first tour) as their opening act.The manager and founder of Megaforce Jon Zazula believed that Raven was major-label material and kept them touring constantly until the big labels noticed. The infamous Live at the Inferno 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 City.Stay Hard was released in 1985, and proved a minor hit on the strength of single and 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 redeemed themselves with a return to form on the Mad EP in 1986 and the Life's a Bitch album in 1987, before arranging their departure from Atlantic.After the tour for Life's a Bitch, drummer 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..Virginian 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, which was self-produced and continued the bands return to form with fast, involved compositions. A concert at the Trocadero Theatre in Philadelphia was released by Combat Records as Ultimate Revenge 2 and featured the band on 4 cuts, alongside a number of thrash bands such as Death, Forbidden and Dark Angel. Next was a US tour opening for Testament, and then a European tour with German band Kreator. 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.In 1990 the band recorded the album Architect of Fear in Germany again self-produced showcasing the bands heavier side. They toured Europe in 1991 as special guests of German band Running Wild. 1992 had the band releasing an EP called Heads Up, featuring 4 new studio songs and 3 live tracks from the 1991 tour. They again toured Europe with German band Risk as openers.The band spent the first half of 1993 writing and demoing new material, delays ensued due to John Gallagher having a house fire and thieves stealing guitars from the remains. In 1994 the band regrouped and inked a deal with Japanese label Zero - an album entitled Glow was recorded at Showplace Studios, Dover NJ (notable for having a strip club connected to the tape closet!) The album was self-produced and varied in feel, even sporting a few ballads alongside heavier material such as "Altar" and "Enemy". A cover of Thin Lizzy's "The Rocker" also made the album.In 1994 the band attended and played live at the Foundations Forum metal convention in Burbank, California, and stole the show alongside acts as disparate as Korn, Yngwie Malmsteen and Machine Head.The band toured Japan for the first time in May 1995, a live album called Destroy All Monsters/Live in Japan was recorded featuring songst from Glow, as well as older cuts such as "For the Future".1996 was spent writing and recording a new studio album Everything Louder - sessions took place in Manassas VA at future Brett Michaels guitarist Pete Evick's studio and the recording was a frantic affair done over 4 weekends with almost no reheasal - the better to get a "live" feel onto tape. The album came out in 1997 in Japan, Europe and the US, and the band went on the road in Europe with support acts Tank and HammerFall.1999 promised a Raven box set with the NY label Spitfire Records. However, after a "lack of communication" John took the extra live/studio/bootleg tracks and working with engineer S.A. Adams compiled a collection entitled Raw Tracks, featuring unreleased material from 1984 to the present. The band also reunited with producer Michael Wagener and worked on an album titled One for All recorded at Wagener's Wireworld Studio in Nashville TN. Following its release, the band toured opening for old friend Udo Dirkschneider's band U.D.O. in Europe and also with them in the US in 2000

Album:

The fledgling Raven were formed by brothers Mark and John Gallagher, playing their first gig in 1975 while building up a loyal following across the North East of England. Coming to the attention of NWOBHM pioneers Neat Records, a power-trio were formed when John Gallagher on bass and vocals and Mark Gallagher on lead guitar, joined forces with drummer Rob “Wacko” Hunter, releasing debut 45 ‘Don’t Need Your Money’ in 1980, followed by debut LP ‘Rock Until You Drop’ in 1981. Successfully capturing the energy of their live shows, the album picked up instant champions across the influential UK rock press, rewarding them with key features in Kerrang! and Sounds.These would lead to tours with Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake and Motörhead.These self-styled “athletic rockers” were a huge influence on future thrash and speed metal bands, such as Slayer, Megadeth and early touring partners Metallica. Becoming a big crowd draw, Raven did what they do best, and hit the road, exemplified by their live album, ‘Live At The Inferno’, released in 1984. Their last album for Neat Records before signing a major deal with Atlantic Records in the States, ‘Live At The Inferno’ cherry picks their biggest hitters from their early 45s and first three Neat albums.Jumping forwards by more than a decade, ‘Destroy All Monsters: Live In Japan’ (CD2) was recorded in 1995 at Tokyo’s famed rock venue, Club Citta. Though the set does have a concentration of their early New Wave Of British Heavy Metal days, latter rockers such as ‘For The Future’, ‘Architect Of Fear’ and ‘White Hot Anger’ get a well-deserved airing.As much as Raven had been a huge influence on the metal and thrash of the 1980s, the roots of the band lay in the classic hard rock and even the heavier end of glam of the 1970s. Raven were able to pay homage to their heroes across eleven cover versions on ‘Party Killers’ (CD3), including the rock classics ‘Fireball’ (by Deep Purple), ‘Bad Reputation’ (by Thin Lizzy) and finishing off with the ‘Ziggy Stardust ‘classic, ‘Hang On To Yourself’ (by David Bowie).

• FOR FANS OF: Diamond Head, Iron Maiden, Metallica.
• 3CD collection spanning the decades of athletic rock supremos Raven.
• Featuring two live albums, recorded a decade apart.
• Plus a fine collection of covers of the acts who inspired them.

Line-Up:

John Gallagher - Vocals, Bass (1974-present) (ex-Killers)
Mark Gallagher - Guitars (1974-present)
Rob Hunter - Drums, Vocals (backing)

Tracklist:

CD1: LIVE AT THE INFERNO (1984)

01. Intro / Live At The Inferno
02. Take Control
03. Mind Over Metal
04. Crash Bang Whallop
05. Rock Until You Drop
06. Faster Than The Speed Of Light
07. All For One
08. Forbidden Planet
09. Star Wars
10. Tyrant Of the Airways / Run Silent, Run Deep
11. Crazy World
12. Let It Rip
13. I.G.A.R.B.O.
14. Wiped Out
15. Fire Power
16. I Don’t Need Your Money
17. Break The Chain
18. Hell Patrol
19. Live At The Inferno

CD3: DESTROY ALL MONSTERS LIVE IN JAPAN (1995)

01. Victim
02. Live at the Inferno
03. Crash! Bang! Wallop!
04. True Believe
05. Medley: Into the Jaws of Death – Hard as Nails – Die for Allah
06. Guitar Solo
07. Medley: Speed of The Reflex – Run Silent, Run Deep – Mind Over Metal
08. Gimme A Reason
09. Inquisitor
10. For the Future
11. Bass Solo
12. Architect of Fear
13. White Hot Anger
14. Drum Solo
15. Break the Chain

CD3: PARTY KILLERS: THE COVERS ALBUM (2021)

01. Fireball (Deep Purple)
02. Bad Reputation (Thin Lizzy)
03. He’s a Whore (Cheap Trick)
04. In for the Kill (Budgie)
05. Is There a Better Way (Status Quo)
06. Ogre Battle (Queen)
07. Queen of My Dreams (Edgar Winter Group)
08. Too Bad So Sad (Nazareth)
09. Cockroach (Sweet)
10. Tak’ Me Bak ‘ome (Slade)
11. Hang On To Yourself (David Bowie)




Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/

[Horex]

Raven - All Hell's Breaking Loose (2023)













Year : 2023
Style : Heavy Metal
Country : United Kingdom
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 93 mb

Bio:

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".Raven was formed in 1974 in Newcastle, England, by brothers John 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 a unique image and style of play, 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). Their music began to develop into a unique amalgam of speed and power - heavily influencing the genres of speed/thrash metal and power metal. The band have a reputation as an extremely energetic live band - and for regularly destroying their equipment.They started by playing local pubs and working men's clubs in the North East of England - occasionally opening shows for punk bands such as The Stranglers and The Motors.Eventually, the band signed with Neat Records, the legendary, low-budget metal label of the North. They released their 1st single "Don't Need Your Money" in 1980 and embarked on a number of UK shows opening for bands such as Ozzy Osbourne's Blizzard of Ozz, Motörhead, Whitesnake and Iron Maiden. Their first album Rock until You Drop was released to wide acclaim in 1981, leading the band to tour Italy and the Netherlands. Their second album, Wiped Out was released in 1982 and was influential on creating the burgeoning thrash and speed metal genres, 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 on the "Kill 'em All For One" tour with young thrashers Metallica (on their first tour) as their opening act.The manager and founder of Megaforce Jon Zazula believed that Raven was major-label material and kept them touring constantly until the big labels noticed. The infamous Live at the Inferno 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 City.Stay Hard was released in 1985, and proved a minor hit on the strength of single and 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 redeemed themselves with a return to form on the Mad EP in 1986 and the Life's a Bitch album in 1987, before arranging their departure from Atlantic.After the tour for Life's a Bitch, drummer 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..Virginian 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, which was self-produced and continued the bands return to form with fast, involved compositions. A concert at the Trocadero Theatre in Philadelphia was released by Combat Records as Ultimate Revenge 2 and featured the band on 4 cuts, alongside a number of thrash bands such as Death, Forbidden and Dark Angel. Next was a US tour opening for Testament, and then a European tour with German band Kreator. 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.In 1990 the band recorded the album Architect of Fear in Germany again self-produced showcasing the bands heavier side. They toured Europe in 1991 as special guests of German band Running Wild. 1992 had the band releasing an EP called Heads Up, featuring 4 new studio songs and 3 live tracks from the 1991 tour. They again toured Europe with German band Risk as openers.The band spent the first half of 1993 writing and demoing new material, delays ensued due to John Gallagher having a house fire and thieves stealing guitars from the remains. In 1994 the band regrouped and inked a deal with Japanese label Zero - an album entitled Glow was recorded at Showplace Studios, Dover NJ (notable for having a strip club connected to the tape closet!) The album was self-produced and varied in feel, even sporting a few ballads alongside heavier material such as "Altar" and "Enemy". A cover of Thin Lizzy's "The Rocker" also made the album.In 1994 the band attended and played live at the Foundations Forum metal convention in Burbank, California, and stole the show alongside acts as disparate as Korn, Yngwie Malmsteen and Machine Head.The band toured Japan for the first time in May 1995, a live album called Destroy All Monsters/Live in Japan was recorded featuring songst from Glow, as well as older cuts such as "For the Future".1996 was spent writing and recording a new studio album Everything Louder - sessions took place in Manassas VA at future Brett Michaels guitarist Pete Evick's studio and the recording was a frantic affair done over 4 weekends with almost no reheasal - the better to get a "live" feel onto tape. The album came out in 1997 in Japan, Europe and the US, and the band went on the road in Europe with support acts Tank and HammerFall.1999 promised a Raven box set with the NY label Spitfire Records. However, after a "lack of communication" John took the extra live/studio/bootleg tracks and working with engineer S.A. Adams compiled a collection entitled Raw Tracks, featuring unreleased material from 1984 to the present. The band also reunited with producer Michael Wagener and worked on an album titled One for All recorded at Wagener's Wireworld Studio in Nashville TN. Following its release, the band toured opening for old friend Udo Dirkschneider's band U.D.O. in Europe and also with them in the US in 2000

Album:

Sometimes, things just speak -or scream, roar, shout, maim, wound, beat, pulverize and destroy - for themselves. Exhibit one? All Hell’s Breaking Loose, the 15th studio album from Newcastle-born Heavy Metal pioneers Raven.Founding Geordie brothers John Gallagher (lead vocals, bass, 12 string bass) and Mark Gallagher (guitar, backing vocals) have seemingly entered a time-machine and regenerated their youthful selves, and with the fierce drumming of Mike Heller propelling further power, All Hell’s Breaking Loose shows a band clearly bursting with fire, energy, power and pride in their standing as one of the true forefathers of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal.It is no understatement to say these are 10 'banger-after-banger' tracks, each with a tantalizing flurry of twisting NWOBHM riffery. "Turn Of The Screw" bounces on the upbeats before smashing you with a thunderous chorus, "The Far Side" has as classic a metal riff as you’ll hear in 2023, "Desperate Measures" is pure '81-saturated tales of hardship and despair, if you ever wondered what Raven at the Marquee were like on a sweaty metal night in ’83, then "Edge of A Nightmare" is your portal to paradise, and "Go For The Gold" (the finisher!) thunders as hard as the opener "Medieval".Produced expertly by the band themselves at Heaven And Heller Studios, All Hell’s Breaking Loose is 100% peddle to the heavy metal fun and escape back to the timeless future. Get into yer denim and leathers, break out the bevvies and crank this mutha to 11!!!

Line-Up:

John Gallagher - Vocals, Bass (1974-present) (ex-Killers)
Mark Gallagher - Guitars (1974-present)
Mike Heller Drums (2018-present) - See also: Amahiru, Apoxiomen, Azure Emote, Cruelty Exalted, Excommunicated, Flesh Sermon, Gorepunch, Malignancy, Redsphere, WretchedPain, ex-Control/Resist, The 01Experience, The Lucid, Zen from Mars, ex-Castrofate, ex-Fear Factory, ex-System Divide, ex-World Under Blood, ex-Zillah, ex-Success Will Write Apocalypse Across the Sky, ex-Disembowel

Tracklist:

01. Medieval
02. Surf The Tsunami
03. Turn Of The Screw
04. All Hell's Breaking Loose
05. The Far Side
06. Desperate Measures
07. Victory's Call
08. Edge Of A Nightmare
09. Invasion
10. Go For The Gold




Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/

[Horex]

Raven - All Hell's Breaking Loose (Japan Edition) (2023)













Year : 2023 (Japan Edition)
Style : Heavy Metal
Country : United Kingdom
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 101 mb

Bio:

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".Raven was formed in 1974 in Newcastle, England, by brothers John 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 a unique image and style of play, 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). Their music began to develop into a unique amalgam of speed and power - heavily influencing the genres of speed/thrash metal and power metal. The band have a reputation as an extremely energetic live band - and for regularly destroying their equipment.They started by playing local pubs and working men's clubs in the North East of England - occasionally opening shows for punk bands such as The Stranglers and The Motors.Eventually, the band signed with Neat Records, the legendary, low-budget metal label of the North. They released their 1st single "Don't Need Your Money" in 1980 and embarked on a number of UK shows opening for bands such as Ozzy Osbourne's Blizzard of Ozz, Motörhead, Whitesnake and Iron Maiden. Their first album Rock until You Drop was released to wide acclaim in 1981, leading the band to tour Italy and the Netherlands. Their second album, Wiped Out was released in 1982 and was influential on creating the burgeoning thrash and speed metal genres, 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 on the "Kill 'em All For One" tour with young thrashers Metallica (on their first tour) as their opening act.The manager and founder of Megaforce Jon Zazula believed that Raven was major-label material and kept them touring constantly until the big labels noticed. The infamous Live at the Inferno 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 City.Stay Hard was released in 1985, and proved a minor hit on the strength of single and 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 redeemed themselves with a return to form on the Mad EP in 1986 and the Life's a Bitch album in 1987, before arranging their departure from Atlantic.After the tour for Life's a Bitch, drummer 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..Virginian 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, which was self-produced and continued the bands return to form with fast, involved compositions. A concert at the Trocadero Theatre in Philadelphia was released by Combat Records as Ultimate Revenge 2 and featured the band on 4 cuts, alongside a number of thrash bands such as Death, Forbidden and Dark Angel. Next was a US tour opening for Testament, and then a European tour with German band Kreator. 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.In 1990 the band recorded the album Architect of Fear in Germany again self-produced showcasing the bands heavier side. They toured Europe in 1991 as special guests of German band Running Wild. 1992 had the band releasing an EP called Heads Up, featuring 4 new studio songs and 3 live tracks from the 1991 tour. They again toured Europe with German band Risk as openers.The band spent the first half of 1993 writing and demoing new material, delays ensued due to John Gallagher having a house fire and thieves stealing guitars from the remains. In 1994 the band regrouped and inked a deal with Japanese label Zero - an album entitled Glow was recorded at Showplace Studios, Dover NJ (notable for having a strip club connected to the tape closet!) The album was self-produced and varied in feel, even sporting a few ballads alongside heavier material such as "Altar" and "Enemy". A cover of Thin Lizzy's "The Rocker" also made the album.In 1994 the band attended and played live at the Foundations Forum metal convention in Burbank, California, and stole the show alongside acts as disparate as Korn, Yngwie Malmsteen and Machine Head.The band toured Japan for the first time in May 1995, a live album called Destroy All Monsters/Live in Japan was recorded featuring songst from Glow, as well as older cuts such as "For the Future".1996 was spent writing and recording a new studio album Everything Louder - sessions took place in Manassas VA at future Brett Michaels guitarist Pete Evick's studio and the recording was a frantic affair done over 4 weekends with almost no reheasal - the better to get a "live" feel onto tape. The album came out in 1997 in Japan, Europe and the US, and the band went on the road in Europe with support acts Tank and HammerFall.1999 promised a Raven box set with the NY label Spitfire Records. However, after a "lack of communication" John took the extra live/studio/bootleg tracks and working with engineer S.A. Adams compiled a collection entitled Raw Tracks, featuring unreleased material from 1984 to the present. The band also reunited with producer Michael Wagener and worked on an album titled One for All recorded at Wagener's Wireworld Studio in Nashville TN. Following its release, the band toured opening for old friend Udo Dirkschneider's band U.D.O. in Europe and also with them in the US in 2000

Album:

Sometimes, things just speak -or scream, roar, shout, maim, wound, beat, pulverize and destroy - for themselves. Exhibit one? All Hell’s Breaking Loose, the 15th studio album from Newcastle-born Heavy Metal pioneers Raven.Founding Geordie brothers John Gallagher (lead vocals, bass, 12 string bass) and Mark Gallagher (guitar, backing vocals) have seemingly entered a time-machine and regenerated their youthful selves, and with the fierce drumming of Mike Heller propelling further power, All Hell’s Breaking Loose shows a band clearly bursting with fire, energy, power and pride in their standing as one of the true forefathers of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal.It is no understatement to say these are 10 'banger-after-banger' tracks, each with a tantalizing flurry of twisting NWOBHM riffery. "Turn Of The Screw" bounces on the upbeats before smashing you with a thunderous chorus, "The Far Side" has as classic a metal riff as you’ll hear in 2023, "Desperate Measures" is pure '81-saturated tales of hardship and despair, if you ever wondered what Raven at the Marquee were like on a sweaty metal night in ’83, then "Edge of A Nightmare" is your portal to paradise, and "Go For The Gold" (the finisher!) thunders as hard as the opener "Medieval".Produced expertly by the band themselves at Heaven And Heller Studios, All Hell’s Breaking Loose is 100% peddle to the heavy metal fun and escape back to the timeless future. Get into yer denim and leathers, break out the bevvies and crank this mutha to 11!!!

Line-Up:

John Gallagher - Vocals, Bass (1974-present) (ex-Killers)
Mark Gallagher - Guitars (1974-present)
Mike Heller Drums (2018-present) - See also: Amahiru, Apoxiomen, Azure Emote, Cruelty Exalted, Excommunicated, Flesh Sermon, Gorepunch, Malignancy, Redsphere, WretchedPain, ex-Control/Resist, The 01Experience, The Lucid, Zen from Mars, ex-Castrofate, ex-Fear Factory, ex-System Divide, ex-World Under Blood, ex-Zillah, ex-Success Will Write Apocalypse Across the Sky, ex-Disembowel

Tracklist:

01. Medieval
02. Surf The Tsunami
03. Turn Of The Screw
04. All Hell's Breaking Loose
05. The Far Side
06. Desperate Measures
07. Victory's Call
08. Edge Of A Nightmare
09. Invasion
10. Go For The Gold
11 Rotten (Japan Bonus Track)




Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/