Published on Sep 30, 2001
You’ve got to feel sorry for the British metal trio Raven. At
one point, brothers John and Mark Gallagher (with then-drummer Rob
“Wacko” Hunter) were considered one of the leaders of the New Wave
Of British Heavy Metal, yet they never achieved anything other than
cult status in the United States. While so many other bands from
that time have folded (and re-united, and folded again, ad
nauseam), the brothers Gallagher (now with drummer Joe
Hasselvander) have continued slugging it out, recording albums that
keep the same spirit alive that they had in 1981. If only the poor
bastards had an audience – and I mean one of decent size.
One For All, the band’s 2000 effort, continues in the same
path they’ve followed all along, knowing they don’t have to please
anyone but themselves with their music. What’s a shame is that
Raven has always been a band worth following, something I’ve known
since the mid-’80s and their stint on Atlantic. What’s an even
bigger shame is that this disc (the follow-up in title to 1983’s
All For One) is well worth your time.
Time has been quite kind to the band, as vocalist/bassist John
Gallagher and guitarist/vocalist Mark Gallagher sound as fresh as
they did 20 years ago, albeit without the falsetto singing. (No
loss, honestly.) Teaming up with super-mensch producer Michael
Wagener, and with the more complex rhythm patterns of Hasselvander
guiding the band, Raven tear through an album which could have
easily come from their glory days of the early ’80s if one didn’t
know better. (The difference? The production is so much crisper,
and the band has only continued to improve over the years.)
Listen to songs like “Seven Shades,” “Derailed,” “Get Your Motor
Running” and “Roll With The Punches” and try to convince me that
Raven has lost anything over the years. Hell, try to convince
yourself. You can’t. Oh, sure, a kid just getting into metal
might say that Raven is trying to recapture the glory days of
metal. Why not? They lived those days, and have been showing
audiences for 20 years what that whole scene was about. In a sense,
it’s nice to see that Raven has stuck to their principles
musically, even if it might have meant sacrificing greater fame or
wealth.
Ah, but Raven has always had some goofiness factor – remember,
this is the band that used to take the stage wearing football pads
and hockey masks to keep from beating the shit out of each other.
With that in mind, “Kangaroo” sticks out as the only throwaway
track. It’s not terrible, mind you, but it’s hardly up to the same
caliber as the bulk of
One For All. It’s good for a quick chuckle, but quickly
relegates itself to a song you’ll hit the “skip” button on.
Still,
One For All is the kind of album that has the potential to
make Raven a respected name in the field of heavy metal again. All
they need is people to listen and give them that chance. What are
you waiting for?