Raven

Born in Newcastle upon Tyne in England around brothers John Gallagher (bass and vocals) and Mark Gallagher (guitar), Raven formed in 1974 and took on a trio lineup in 1979 with drummer Rob “Wacko” Hunter, later replaced by Joe Hasselvander. Associated with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, Raven developed a fast, taut heavy metal style marked by nervous riffs, syncopated rhythms, high-pitched vocals and an approach the band often described as “athletic rock”, at times foreshadowing speed metal. The early albums Rock Until You Drop (1981), Wiped Out (1982) and All for One (1983) established this identity, before an active period in the United States, notably the “Kill ’Em All for One” tour with Metallica in 1983. In the mid-1980s Raven evolved their sound on Stay Hard (1985), The Pack Is Back (1986) and Life’s a Bitch (1987), and continued with Nothing Exceeds Like Excess (1988), Architect of Fear (1991), Glow (1994), Everything Louder (1997) and One for All (2000). After a hiatus following Mark Gallagher’s accident in the early 2000s, Raven resumed live performances and released Walk Through Fire (2009), ExtermiNation (2015), Metal City (2020) and All Hell’s Breaking Loose (2023), confirming the continuity of a career that began in the 1970s.