Raven – Walk Through Fire (2010)

Ten years have passed since the band’s last release “One For All” and with “Walk Through Fire” we can’t stop but wonder if the band was cryogenically frozen for the last 10 years and just released their follow up album. Raven is mostly recognized for being a NWOBHM band, and as we can currently listen, they are still a very good one.

Featuring 143 tracks and a cover song, “Walk Through Fire” takes you back in time, when all the NWOBHM bands were at their greatest spotlight and brings back that feeling like no time has passed. Raven has managed to keep their sound intact and their music making abilities are still great.

All songs feature very powerful riffs that have influences in both Speed and Trash Metal, making them super sharp and extra catchy. With this strong foundation, the band’s music is only strengthened by their excellent vocalist John Gallagher, who sounds like he did back in the 80’s and 90’s.

Out of the 14 total tracks in “Walk Through Fire” we can’t find one that is bad. They are all equally well written and brilliantly executed, with that timeless sound that will make you wonder if this release was not made 10-15 years ago. The drums feature legendary musician Joe Hasselvander behind them, they complementing the blasting guitar riffs, furious solos and melodic bass line to perfection creating very solid line-up to belt killer tunes in a very old school fashion.

The only modern thing about this band is that now with the current studio equipment they sound much better than they did before, something that only adds extra value to this release. So if you are a NWOBHM fan, you should not miss “Walk Through Fire” since it will bring back those good old times in a very crushing manner.

Release: March 30th, 2010

Country: UK