Originally formed in 1974, the pioneering Newcastle, U.K. heavy metal legends RAVEN have been celebrating their 50th anniversary throughout the year and to continue with their celebrations, the band offer an electric gift to their fans on February 14, 2025 with the release of their “Can’t Take Away The Fire” EP.
RAVEN co-founding lead vocalist and bassist John Gallagher comments: “With the incredible reaction to our last album, ‘All Hell’s Breaking Loose’, it spurred us to slave even harder in the songwriting salt mines. As an indication of where we are headed, we’ve put together for you an EP of five brand new songs (plus bonus tracks) that’s simply……. BLISTERING!!! We hope you enjoy our contribution to global warming!”
“Can’t Take Away The Fire” features five ferocious, no-nonsense, and full-force new songs and delivers the sort of lean, mean RAVEN-brand metal that continues to turn up the volume and land the crispest of punches. Founding Geordie brothers John Gallagher (lead vocals, bass) and Mark Gallagher (guitar, backing vocals) — aligned with the jet-propulsive power of American drummer Mike Heller — throw down their speed demon intent on “Black And Blue”, roar with fresh old school perspective on “Power Hungry”, hit the heavy metal mid-pace highway with “Can’t Take Away The Fire” and accelerate back into hyperdrive for “Gimme A Lie”. The new suite of songs wraps up with a semi-balladic, BLACK SABBATH-tinged epic “The Wreckage”. Adding to the festivities are three live bonus tracks from across the band’s career — “The Power”, “Architect Of Fear” and “Don’t Need Your Money”.
Featuring artwork by All Things Rotten, “Can’t Take Away The Fire” is a very limited-edition release, with only 1,000 CDs available, all of which will be numbered and signed by the band as well as coming with an exclusive 50th-anniversary RAVEN patch. The limited-edition CD will also only be available from the official RAVEN store, and once they’re gone, they’re gone. Pre-order now from this location. Digital pre-order will be available from January 14, 2025 via the same link.
Track listing:
01. Black And Blue
02. Power Hungry
03. Can’t Take Away The Fire
04. Gimme A Lie
05. The Wreckage
06. The Power (Live In Clifton, New Jersey, 2022)
07. Architect Of Fear (Live In Erlangen, Germany, 1991)
08. Don’t Need Your Money (Live In Amsterdam, Netherlands, 1984)
Considered part of the “New Wave Of British Heavy Metal” movement of the early ’80s, RAVEN is perhaps best remembered for its trailblazing tours in America in the early ’80s that gave groups like METALLICA and ANTHRAX their first taste of the road.
RAVEN‘s classic albums “Rock Until You Drop”, “Wiped Out” and “All For One” virtually invented both the speed metal and power metal genres, with the band consistently pushing the envelope while retaining its unique sound and attack — both in the studio and in their true element: onstage.
In a 2005 post on RAVEN‘s official message board, John Gallagher stated about RAVEN‘s influence on other pioneering metal bands: “Anyone ever listen to the middle of ‘Aces High’ by IRON MAIDEN and compare it to part of ‘Faster Than The Speed Of Light’ [by RAVEN]? How about the chorus riff of METALLICA‘s ‘No Remorse’ to [RAVEN‘s] ‘Lambs To The Slaughter’?? Makes me laugh…!”
Photo by Magalie Aspeele (courtesy of Earsplit PR)