Raven formed in 1975 in Newcastle, England,
by brothers John Gallagher and Mark
Gallagher. Raven quickly set the pace for
the burgeoning metal renaissance in the
United Kingdom at the time.
Raven began creating a sound which was
rooted in British hard rock, with
progressive rock tendencies, and a
willingness to take musical chances. The
band's highly-energized live show and
interaction between band members developed
an image and style of play-the-band,
described as "athletic". They began wearing
guards, helmets, and plates from various
sports (hockey, baseball, etc...), and
incorporating them into the playing of their
instruments (for instance, elbow pads and
hockey masks were used to strike cymbals for
a unique performance angle).
They also opened for punk bands the
Stranglers and the Motors.
Early years
Eventually, the band signed with Neat
Records, the legendary, low-budget metal
label of the Northlands. They
released "Rock Until You Drop" in 1981, and
"Wiped Out" in 1982, making an
impressive showing on the UK charts at the
time.
Sufficient noise was made for the American
market to take notice and New Jersey's
Megaforce Records signed them, issuing
their next recording in the States as "All
for One" in
1983. The band came stateside in 1983, and
toured extensively with Megaforce bands
Metallica and Anthrax, both of whom
would gain a place of prominence in the
growing thrash metal movement.
Raven
Lunatics
Rock Until You Drop
(1981
Wiped Out
(1982)
All for One (1983)
Stay Hard (1985)
The Pack Is Back (1986)
Life's a Bitch (1987)
Nothing Exceeds Like Excess
(1988)
0
Architect of
Fear (1991)
Glow (1994)
Live at the
Inferno (1984)
Commercial success
Manager/Megaforce founder Johnny Zazula
believed that Raven was major-label
material, and kept them touring constantly
until the big labels noticed. The infamous "Live
at the Inferno" recording, released in
1984, was a product of one of those tours.
Atlantic Records signed Raven to a
worldwide contract after a minor bidding war
(major label contracts would follow for
Metallica and Anthrax in the following
year). The band moved its permanent base
from Newcastle to New York.
"Stay
Hard" was released in 1985, and proved a
minor hit on the strength of single/video
"On and On". The Atlantic years proved to be
less-than-stellar for the band. A drastic
shift in a more commercial direction came at
the label's behest, with many die-hard fans
being alienated by the slick, lightweight
production of "The Pack Is Back"
(effectively marketing the band with their
weird musical forays, and confusing image
was likely very difficult). However, the
band recorded two more studio albums and the
"Mad" EP before being let go by Atlantic.
After the tour for "Life's a Bitch",
Rob "Wacko" Hunter left the band in 1988 to
spend more time with his new wife and
family. He would later pursue a career in
audio production and engineering, eventually
working with jazz greats
Branford Marsalis and Harry Connick, Jr..
Later years
Virginian Joe Hasselvander
(ex-Pentagram) joined as drummer in 1988,
and the band dropped the outlandish image
for a more conventional denim-and-leather
look for their 1988 release "Nothing
Exceeds Like Excess". After, the advent
of grunge and the dissolution of their
record label Combat Records led the
band to concentrate on continental Europe
and
Japan, where they retained more of a following
The
band recorded and toured
until 2001, when a wall
collapsed on guitarist Mark
Gallagher, crushing his
legs. Raven went on hiatus
for nearly 5 years, from
2001–2006, while the
guitarist rehabilitated,
though Raven never
officially disbanded. As of
2006, Raven is touring with
a new release in the works.
Raven
recently completed a UK tour
in 2008 with support from
British rock band Lost In
Vegas. A new album is due
out in Spring 2009 with
rumours of a follow up UK
tour to promote the album.
