British/American metal trio Raven released a new single and lyric video for the song Top Of The Mountain today. The track is taken from the band’s upcoming album, Metal City, out September 18th through SPV/Steamhammer as a CD digipak, LP, bundle version with shirt (only at the Steamhammer shop), download and stream.
It’s often small things that can give powerful impetus to a musician’s creativity. In the case of USA-based metal trio Raven, featuring the English brothers John (bass, vocals) and Mark Gallagher (guitar), it was the unanimously positive reactions to their 2015 release ExtermiNation, and, of course, the arrival of drummer Mike Heller (he joined the fold in summer 2017 to replace Joe Hasselvander, who had left the band due to health issues), which has resulted in an awesome new album.
“Our initial goal was just to raise the bar once more. We did a good job on ExtermiNation and decided we just wanted more of everything next time,” John Gallagher says. “However, things changed once we got Mike on board. Attitude and tempos got revved up a lot! Mike is a ball of energy. He has a good ear and is a big fan of the early albums, especially the crazy feel. He’s kicked us into a higher gear where we feel that we can play anything and everything we write with no restrictions.”
Metal City track listing:
1. The Power
2. Top of the Mountain
3. Human Race
4. Metal City
5. Battlescarred
6. Cybertron
7. Motorheadin’
8. Not So Easy
9. Break
10. When Worlds Collide
2 Responses
Great NWOBHM band. Their brand of “athletic rock” was a huge influence on the origins of thrash music. Rock Until You Drop!
When I first posted this, I had to check to make sure the video worked, properly. So, I only listened up to the chorus, and my initial thoughts were, “this isn’t half bad.”
Now, re-listing for a second time, I know why, it reminds me of Skid Row’s Slave To The Grind. I have always really liked that song.