{"id":118848,"date":"2023-08-03T15:00:43","date_gmt":"2023-08-03T20:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/?p=118848"},"modified":"2023-08-03T08:58:53","modified_gmt":"2023-08-03T13:58:53","slug":"all-hells-breaking-loose-raven","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/all-hells-breaking-loose-raven\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Raven &#8211; All Hell&#8217;s Breaking Loose"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"fb-root\"><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Raven flies again!<!--more--><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Veteran new wave of British heavy metal group, <\/span><b>Raven <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">defied the odds on June 30th, 2023 and dropped one of the most fun, hardest hitting and most enjoyable records of the year. Almost fifty years into their career, they show yet again why they are regarded as heavily influential and also have some tricks up their sleeve. Released via <\/span><b>Silver Lining Music,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> their 15th studio album <\/span><em>All Hell&#8217;s Breaking Loose<\/em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0is an absolute thrill ride with a multitude of standout tracks that will please old fans and new.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One element that stands out right away is the cohesion between the band members. The Gallagher brothers (no not the \u201cWonderwall\u201d guys) over the years have demonstrated that their familial bonds extend to their locked-in playing style. This is bolstered even more by maybe their finest drummer yet. Mike Heller (Ex-<\/span><b>Fear Factory)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, who joined the group in the studio for their previous 2020 record \u201cMetal City\u201d works brilliantly with the Gallaghers. His long tenured stick work for many bands and session drumming career lend credence to his talent, and it&#8217;s on full display here as he has many keynote moments on the record. John Gallagher&#8217;s bass work is thick, groovy, chunky and adds an extra layer of muscle to the band&#8217;s sound. He does this all while helping keep their speed metal style uniformly aerodynamic. His lead vocal delivery is still strong and he projects a commanding and enthralling presence on the record. His higher range reminds me personally of another comparably influential icon, <\/span><b>King Diamond<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Mark Gallagher&#8217;s guitarwork is akin to a swiss army knife. He can do it all and has a riff or change up ready for any situation. From shredding solos to anthemic riffs, his presence is felt and is a part of why this album is such a wild ride.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\"  style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto;\"  id=\"_ytid_73875\"  width=\"320\" height=\"240\"  data-origwidth=\"320\" data-origheight=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Eaalge-ZiMQ?enablejsapi=1&#038;autoplay=0&#038;cc_load_policy=0&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;modestbranding=0&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=1&#038;autohide=2&#038;theme=dark&#038;color=red&#038;controls=1&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  epyt-is-override  no-lazyload\" title=\"YouTube player\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cMedieval\u201d is a solid opening to the track and reaffirmation of the tried and true Raven sound. The drums have a furious old speed metal vibe that compliment the excellent bass and guitar work fabulously. The backing vocals are a highlight as well. The track isn&#8217;t very lyrically complex but it&#8217;s a fun bruiser of an opener. This track transitions brilliantly into the signal that initially caught my attention, \u201cSurf The Tsunami\u201d<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. There&#8217;s this classic energy to the song that conjures up nostalgic sound pallets of metal days long gone by, that make it such a treat to hear. It&#8217;s brawny, dumb fun for everyone. Bonus points for the King Diamond-esq vocal parts. \u201cTurn of The Screw\u201d, is an absolute highlight. From the moment I heard its stunning opening riff, I knew the record found its stride and blasted off from there. This is a far more focused cut than the first two tracks. The bass work in particular is phenomenal.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cAll Hell&#8217;s Breaking Loose\u201d, is a worthy title track. Its high octane energy, badass gang backing vocals, thunderous drums and sick interlude and guitar solo make this a thoroughly enjoyable cut. It&#8217;s a silly and chaotic number in the best way possible. To bring back the comparison from earlier, this track is how King Diamond would sound if he was the lead vocalist for <\/span><b>Deep Purple<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. \u201cThe Far Side\u201d is an absolute ear worm. From it&#8217;s chorus, fantastic shredding and powerful drumming, it&#8217;s an all around awesome track. \u201cDesperate Measures\u201d kicks off with one of the most memorable opening sections. The track builds well to its gang centric chorus and fully carries through as one of the most entertaining cuts on the whole record. \u201cVictory&#8217;s Call\u201d another high octane ripper with enough moments and changes to keep you engaged. Raven, is in top shape, and carries the momentum of the last few tracks and continues striding through the runtime briskly. This is where I realized it&#8217;s not just a series of really well constructed songs, but also a superbly put together record.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cEdge Of A Nightmare\u201d, has one of the best Melodies on the entire record. This is the track I have found myself returning to the most. It really harkens back to that classic NWOBHM Sound. It&#8217;s such a fun listen. Can&#8217;t recommend this cut enough. With the album getting close to its end, the screeching guitar and cranked bass of \u201cInvasion\u201d keep the energy high. \u201cGo For The Gold\u201d is a fitting, high octane finale. All the elements of the record are present here. The great backing vocals, ripping guitar, and destructive rhythm section haven&#8217;t let up for the entire runtime of this album, and this track is by no means an exception.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\"  style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto;\"  id=\"_ytid_99186\"  width=\"320\" height=\"240\"  data-origwidth=\"320\" data-origheight=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/wcqjpoovpKI?enablejsapi=1&#038;autoplay=0&#038;cc_load_policy=0&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;modestbranding=0&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=1&#038;autohide=2&#038;theme=dark&#038;color=red&#038;controls=1&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  epyt-is-override  no-lazyload\" title=\"YouTube player\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Raven proves time and time again on this record why they&#8217;re so legendary. It&#8217;s not a group of veteran rockers past their prime taking a victory lap, it&#8217;s a tribe of legends riding a wave of resurgence and perseverance to continued praise and prominence. While there might not be much staying power to some of these tracks, and it&#8217;s a pretty straight forward release, it&#8217;s a hell of a good time. For those who love the early innovators of metal&#8217;s European expansion and evolution in the late 70s this is for you. For those who fell in love with the likes of <\/span><b>Saxon, Diamond Head, Mercyful Fate, Angel Witch, <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&amp; <\/span><b>Mot\u00f6rhead <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and hold reverence for this sound, <em>All Hell&#8217;s Breaking Loose<\/em> is a must listen for you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Standout tracks: \u201cEdge of a Nightmare\u201d, \u201cVictory&#8217;s Call\u201d, &amp; \u201cTurn of the Screw\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Raven&#8217;s<em> All Hell\u2019s Breaking Loose<\/em> gets 4.5 Flaming Toilets ov Hell out of 5<\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/NEW_TOILETSCALE_4-5_of_5.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-38031\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/NEW_TOILETSCALE_4-5_of_5.jpg?resize=1024%2C234&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"234\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/NEW_TOILETSCALE_4-5_of_5.jpg?resize=1024%2C234&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/NEW_TOILETSCALE_4-5_of_5.jpg?resize=300%2C68&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/NEW_TOILETSCALE_4-5_of_5.jpg?w=1249&amp;ssl=1 1249w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>All Hell&#8217;s Breaking Loose<\/em> is out now via <a href=\"http:\/\/sl-music.net\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Silver Lining Music<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Raven flies again!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":136,"featured_media":119047,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[12,39,403,70],"tags":[216,1966,1965,12058],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Raven-All-Hells-Breaking-Loose.jpg?fit=710%2C375&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118848"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/136"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=118848"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118848\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":119041,"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118848\/revisions\/119041"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/119047"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=118848"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=118848"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=118848"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}