In a new feature by music journalist Joel Gausten, Raven vocalist / bassist John Gallagher discusses the band’s new compilation album, Leave ‘Em Bleeding, Raven’s current North American tour, and what has kept the band (which also includes John’s brother, Mark, on guitar and drummer Mike Heller) going after 48 years. An excerpt from the feature appears below:
Raven is currently on a North American tour commemorating the 40th anniversary of 1982’s Wiped Out, a bonafide metal classic that is being performed on stage in its entirety for the first time ever.
"(Wiped Out) was a groundbreaking album in that it had fast, crazy songs and was unrelenting," John recalls. "It’s certainly gonna be a blast playing these songs, as many of them haven’t been played in many, many years – and three have never been played live!"
In the past 48 years, the Gallagher Brothers have seen and been through it all – record labels both large and small, drummers who have come and gone, peaks and valleys in the popularity of metal, and even a freak 2001 accident that crushed Mark’s legs and kept the band off the map for three years. No matter what, Raven has persevered – and its legion of diehard fans keep coming back. John credits the band’s longevity to a single word: Tenacity.
"It’s an attribute of our hometown people for sure, and that stubborn 'never say die' attitude has paid off. People know when you are real and you are doing this for the right reasons. We also really enjoy being in this monster we’ve created – as well as knowing how incredibly lucky we are to do this – and doing it at a high level. It’s humbling to look back at 48 years of this band, and we uphold our legacy by giving 100 percent 100 percent of the time!"
Read the complete an interview here.
Raven recently released a new single and lyric video, for the song "Rock This Town". The song is taken from the new compilation album, Leave 'Em Bleeding, available now. Watch the clip below.
Experts agree: Without Raven, neither thrash nor speed metal would exist in their current form. The British trio around the Gallagher brothers John (bass, vocals) and Mark (guitar) not only released some of the most important albums of the NWOBHM era, but they also had a lasting influence on an entire generation of musicians in the early 1980s.
Much has changed since then, often either becoming vestigial or vanishing completely. Raven, however, have persevered, immortalizing themselves in the annals of music history with an imposing presence that continues up to this day. Not least through two studio albums that perfectly represent the recent works of the group: ExtermiNation (2015) and Metal City (2020). To the great delight of their fans, Raven will be touring again in the foreseeable future - performing their new album Leave ´Em Bleeding, featuring the best of the past seven years plus some red-hot bonus tracks.
“In a way, this record is a retrospective on the past seven years, which were hugely important to us, even if they haven’t always been easy”, is how John Gallagher describes their songs "Top Of The Mountain", "Metal City", "The Power", "Destroy All Monsters" and "Battle March/Tank Treads". The first three tracks mentioned are from Metal City, the following two from ExtermiNation. This glimpse into the past is rounded off by a live version of "Crash Bang Wallop", found in its original version on the 2019 concert album Screaming Murder Death From Above: Live..., a special testimony to the boundless power of this band, which - in addition to the Gallagher brothers - is completed by drummer Mike Heller.
As a special gift to their large crowd of followers, Raven treats us to six bonus tracks one shouldn’t miss out on. It starts with "Necessary Evil", one of the first three Raven songs after Mark Gallagher's serious accident in November 2001, when the guitarist was half-buried by a six-meter wall and had to undergo several surgeries to treat his severe injuries. Although the band was back on stage mere two years later, it wasn’t until 2009 that they could start working on their comeback album Walk Through Fire, with "Necessary Evil" as its spectacular finale.
Second bonus track is their Montrose number "Space Station #5" (Mark Gallagher: “During the early years, we often ended our shows with this song”), followed by "Malice In Geordieland", a superb outtake from the session for ExtermiNation.
Second cover song on Leave ´Em Bleeding is their Thin Lizzy number "Bad Reputation". Gallagher comments: “We`ve always been total Lizzy fans. I`ve never seen them live, unfortunately, but their influence on us and many others is huge.”
Rounding off the list of bonus tracks are "Rock This Town" and "Stay Hard" (Live); both come with exciting back stories. Gallagher: “’Rock This Town’ was produced by Michael Wagner in Nashville in March 2018 and features us as a trio live in the studio. The recording is just too powerful to have it sit in a drawer and collect dust. The live version of ‘Stay Hard’ is a 2017 recording from The Vanguard in Tulsa, Oklahoma. An employee of the club recorded the show and gave it to us on a flash drive. We haven't played ‘Stay Hard’ too often, so in that sense the release is a little special.”
Six bonus tracks in perfect balance to the six “regular” songs, meaning twelve Raven highlights in total that leave you wanting more, especially regarding the concerts that will hopefully be taking place very soon!
Leave 'Em Bleeding will be released on September 30 via SPV/Steamhammer as CD DigiPak, LP version, bundle version with shirt (only at the Steamhammer shop), download and stream. Pre-order here.
Tracklisting
"Top Of The Mountain"
"Metal City"
"The Power"
"Destroy All Monsters"
"Battle March / Tank Treads"
"Crash Bang Wallop" (live)
"Necessary Evil"
"Space Station #5"
"Malice In Geordieland"
"Bad Reputation"
"Rock This Town"
"Stay Hard" (live)
"Rock This Town" lyric video:
Raven's tour schedule is available below.
September
27 - El Paso, TX - Rockhouse Bar & Grill
28 - Glendale, AZ - 44 Sports Grill
29 - Santa Ana, CA - La Santa
30 - Fresno, CA - Stummer’s
October
1 - San Francisco, CA - Eli’s Mile High Club
3 - Everett, WA - Tony V’s Garage
4 - Portland, OR - Dante’s
8 - Salt Lake City, UT - Aces High
9 - Ft. Collins, CO - The Coast
11 - Chicago, IL - Reggie’s Rock Club
12 - Grand Rapids, MI - Pyramid Scheme
14 - Toronto, ON - Lee’s Palace
15 - Detroit, MI - Sanctuary
17 - Cleveland, OH - No Class
18 - Ottawa, ON - Brass Monkey
20 - Portland, ME - Geno’s
21 - Brooklyn, NY - Market Hotel
23 - Philadelphia, PA - Kung Fu Necktie
26 - Piedmont, SC - Tribbles
27 - Knoxville, TN - Brickyard
Raven:
John Gallagher - lead vocals, bass, 12-string bass
Mark Gallagher - guitar, vocals
Mike Heller - drums
