RAVEN Frontman Discusses New Album

Pat Prince of Powerline A.D. recently conducted an interview with bassist/vocalist John Gallagher of the legendary British/American heavy metal trio RAVEN. A few excerpts from the chat follow below.

Powerline A.D.: In your opinion, what makes this new album, "Walk Through Fire", different from the others?

John: We took a lot longer to get this one done... and usually after you record an album, you mix it quick and its done. We had the chance to sit with it and tweak it, if needed. I don't think we have ever had that luxury before, so it's got the good songs that were worked on over years in some cases — but recorded in a burst of lunacy — and then listened to and polished to a fierce shine. This album just rocks from start to finish and sounds and feels fresh — it's the real deal. It's varied but it's all 100% RAVEN!

Powerline A.D.: Right now the new album has only been released in Japan. Are there distribution deals for North America and Europe in the works?

John: Yeah, working on it — the record biz as you know is not what it was — but we should have this sussed shortly.

Powerline A.D.: MONTROSE's "Space Station #5" is a great pick for a cover? Why that song for that album?

John: We used to do it back in the clubs in the northeast of England. It seems we always come up with a fun cover and this one was cool to do. The middle part is nuts with the crime jazz/surf guitar and fretless bass, but overall it's pretty brutal.

Powerline A.D.: Let's talk about your classics? Is it true you were not happy with the outcome of "Wiped Out"? It was so raw, I loved it. Personally, that was one of my favorite metal albums of all time. I think a lot of your fans share that same feeling.

John: It was just that the final mix was never used. The vocals are not loud enough...but it is crazy and raw. That album and the crash bang wallop songs were all done in one week...some of the songs were written on the spot ("To the Limit" for one). The energy was just ... out there!! The most fun we had was doing "All For One" ... in a real studio with a real producer (Mike Wagener) and just taking our game to the next level.

Powerline A.D.: Do you ever miss your old drummer, Rob "Wacko" Hunter? Does he regret leaving? Is there ever a chance of a reunion? Or is drummer Joe Hasselvander just as much of a piece of RAVEN as Wacko was?

John: I don't know if he regrets leaving but its something he had to do — he wanted to be with his family and was not enjoying it anymore. He just upped and left, telling a roadie to tell the manager he'd quit. Never spoke to him after that until about eight years later. Rob was with us seven years, Joe's been with us 22 years. So he's certainly part of the furniture.

Powerline A.D.: Is it true that an Elektra A&R man confused you with METALLICA? If so, that is a weird footnote in metal history.

John: That's the story I've heard.... Mike Alago (legendary '80s A&R guy) dragged his boss to the Roseland New York City show in 1984 which was us with ANTHRAX and METALLICA opening. The boss loved us and was very drunk. All three bands got signed, but, supposedly, when the boss finally met METALLICA he did a double take and said, "I thought there was three of you?" Ha!

Powerline A.D.: Has your brother, Mark, fully recovered from that serious accident a few years back?

John: He was recovering from a car accident — some guy was driving with no lights in the dark and hit him at a T-junction. So Mark's head hit the side window...bruised up...so he goes to visit a friend at a construction site and its real windy — the wind blows his baseball cap off..he chases it..the wind blows again..he chases it further... then a 100-foot long five-foot deep wall falls on him, crushing his legs, a piece of metal rebar goes through his calf. Both feet are dislocated and facing the wrong way. The other calf is disconnected from his leg... bad. Its only because he was so fit and is such a stubborn bugger that he pulled through. Many would not have made it, never mind being able to walk. He's actually skiing again. We did not play for over three years and when we did, he was in a wheelchair.

Read the entire interview from Powerline A.D..

"Walk Through Fire" was released on March 25 in Japan through King Records. The CD was recorded at the Assembly Line Studios with engineer/mixer Kevin 131 (PROJECT: FAILING FLESH, DECEASED, DYSRYTHMIA, GARDEN OF SHADOWS).

John Gallagher previously stated about the new CD, "It's the right combination of spontaneous lunacy captured with the sounds we've always wanted."

"Walk Through Fire" track listing:

01. Intro
02. Against The Grain
03. Breaking You Down
04. Under Your Radar
05. Walk Through Fire
06. Bulldozer
07. Long Day's Journey
08. Trainwreck
09. Grip
10. Running Around In Circles
11. Hard Road
12. Armageddon
13. Attitude
14. Necessary Evil (Japan-only bonus track)
15. Space Station #5 (MONTROSE cover)

Check out the cover artwork below.

RAVEN performed on August 22, 2008 at Rockit Room in San Francisco, California. Also on the bill were STONE VENGEANCE and HELLHUNTER. Watch fan-filmed video footage from the concert below.