There are few labels as important to metal as Neat Records, whose third release was Tygers of Pan Tang’s hugely influential “Don’t Touch Me There”. I saw them support Saxon on the Wheels of Steel tour, and like many teenagers I was soon sending cheques and postal orders to a PO Box in Wallsend to buy their singles as they came out. The next releases were by Fist, White Spirit (featuring a young Janick Gers), Raven, Aragorn, Venom, Bitches Sin and Blitzkrieg, all incredibly important while two of those bands were going to influence the scene more than anyone thought possible at the time. I loved them all, but the band which had the biggest impact on me was Raven, who were producing metal faster than I thought possible, which of course led directly to the thrash scene. Their debut album was the first I purchased from the label, and I still love it today, and as a fan for more than 40 years I can say this new release is as if it is 1980 all over again.
In many ways this is a release for fans, as the first five tracks are from the last two studio albums (in case you missed them), then there is a live version of “Crash Bang Wallop”, which was originally on the 2019 live album ‘Screaming Murder Death From Above: Live…’ which are then followed by six songs recorded over a period of years in different circumstances.
It is strange to think that John Gallagher (bass, vocals) and Mark Gallagher (guitars) formed this band all the way back in 1974, and although they have been through a few drummers (current incumbent is Mike Heller), and even had to take a sabbatical when Mark suffered serious injuries from being buried under a collapsed wall, they are still going in exactly the same manner. There has been no move to soften or change what they are doing, even if the band they took with them on their first ever national tour of America have become a shell of their former selves. Here is a bassist and guitarist who are locked together in the way that only siblings can, with John’s vocals making Geddy Lee and Jon Anderson seem as if they are singing bass, all while running around and playing fast and loud.
Metal without compromise, I remember at one time they were calling it “Athletic Rock” as no-one had yet come up with a term that described them, and all these years down the line the guys are still doing it. If you like your metal raw, fast and loud, then here are the originals who in this set are even taking some classics and turning them into Raven songs. “Space Station #5” and “Bad Reputation” may show the boys slowing it down a little, but they have been brutalised and metalled up, while the closing live cut of “Stay Hard” (apparently recorded by the venue and given to the band on a flash drive) shows a band who are refusing to slow down.
Rating: 8/10
Links:
https://ravenlunatics.com/
https://www.facebook.com/SPVsteamhammer/
