Raven rocked Tokyo until it dropped
Raven proved that NWOBHM is still alive and kicking as their 50th-anniversary tour crushed Tokyo.
Raven at Duo Music Exchange, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan on 12th November 2024
“It doesn’t matter if you are wearing a Raven shirt or a battle vest. If you have long hair or no hair. We are all here because we love heavy metal” declared John Gallagher from stage. Raven plays good old heavy metal. There is nothing fancy or trendy about Raven’s music. It is sweaty, honest, full-frontal heavy metal. It is a proper New Wave of British Heavy Metal band. Bloody good heavy metal. The band’s classic power trio set-up with John Gallagher on bass and vocals, his brother Mark Gallagher on guitar and Mike Heller on drums is part of the success formula. John’s voice is intact after all these years and Mark is one of the best-ever classic heavy metal guitarists. Raven is a splendid combination of skill, sweat, stubbornness and perseverance.
This evening in Tokyo they delivered a flawless heavy metal show which mixed the old classics with more recent output. Raven played classic songs from the 80s, such as “Hell Patrol”, “On and On”, “Rock Until You Drop”, “All for One”, “Faster Than the Speed of Light”, “Inquisitor”, “Break the Chain” and “Chainsaw”. The audience loved that nostalgic trip.
But more importantly, the band played a bunch of newer songs from more recent albums. Hearing excellent metal songs such as “Destroy All Monsters”, “The Power”, “Surf the Tsunami”, “Turn of the Screw” and “All Hell’s Breaking Loose” made one thing very clear to me. 50 years after the Gallagher brothers founded Raven, this band is still relevant. They can still do the old songs justice and create fantastic new music.
They have always been working hard and been prepared to make sacrifices for the sake of the band. They left their native England already over four decades ago when they saw opportunities in the US. In the summer of 1983, Raven did the “Kill ‘Em All For One” North American tour with Metallica as the opening act.
In 2024, the Raven lads are still hungry and they love performing. The Tokyo audience loved every second of the show. The fact that they have the best backdrop I have seen in a long time was an added visual bonus.
What is behind the band’s excellence after 50 years? Two brothers that gel musically? Yes. Great songwriting skills? Yes. Bringing in American drummer Mike Heller (ex-Fear Factory) some seven years ago has given Raven a vitamin injection. He is a modern drummer, quite different from Raven’s earlier drummers. Mike has brought a new and more solid foundation to Raven’s music.
This turned into a splendid night of celebrating heavy metal. Judging by the current form of the band I reckon they might have another 50 years in them.
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