Raven

Sometimes, things just speak… or scream, roar, shout, maim, wound, beat, pulverize and destroy… for themselves. Exhibit A? All Hell’s Breaking Loose, the 15th studio album from Newcastle-born Heavy Metal pioneers Raven, set for release on June 30th 2023 on Silver Lining Music. Their history as vanguards of that early ‘80s scene, of being label-mates in those early ‘80s with the likes of Metallica and Anthrax, is already legendary. It is a story of early success, a major label US deal a few years later, flurries of mainstream popularity followed by years of struggle, and the battles through personal misfortunes such as fires, theft, and injury. Ultimately, Raven’s history is testimony to the enduring power of music when it is absolutely what you are as a human being… which makes the fresh, new, and vital roar from All Hell’s Breaking Loose all the more triumphant, as well as an album which serves to propel Raven into 2023 with ear-shattering relevance. It is no understatement to say these are 10 incessant, relentless modern Raven classics (11 if you’re lucky enough to get your hands on the Japanese edition), each with tantalizing flurries of twisting, explosive full metal riffery. Yet equally, it is far from just a blur, catching your ears with bespoke barbed hooks and consistently freshening, and shifting, the tempos. Produced expertly by the band themselves at Mike’s Heaven And Heller Studios, All Hell’s Breaking Loose is as furiously committed as Raven have ever been.