Raven is a band I associate so much to the NWOBHM and the late '70s and early '80s that I'm always surprised that they're still around. I picked up this LP at a local store and it's been kicking my ass. Yes, it's a 2023 album, and it has the production that goes with it, but damn, do Raven somehow manage to sound like 40+ years ago or what? It's crazy. The vocals, the music, they all throw me back to their earliest albums. It's highly energetic, adrenaline-rushed, testosterone-pumped heavy metal. They still have that '70s heavy/hard rock vibe to their music, but it's delivered with the punch of modern production and, let's face it, these guys just aren't slowing or mellowing down, so whether it's the vocals or the music, they're pounding the crap out of everything and plowing everything out of their path. What did they call themselves back in the day? Athletic rock or athletic metal. Whatever, there's a hell of a lot of energy coming out of this album and you'd think it was a bunch of guys in their early 20s playing here. Powerful, high-pitched vocals, thundering drums (maybe a little too much at times), old-school guitar riffs and solos, it's all there. It's like these guys are frozen in time, and kicking ass doing so.
