BLACK RAVEN – The Day Of The Raven

Black Raven consists of five young Italians who have played together a mere few years, but if one would hear them unannounced you’d be forgiven for mistaking them for an obscure, largely undiscovered and forgotten early to mid-1980’s German band. Black Raven must be among the best this side of Metal Inquisitor of capturing the early spirit of bands like Accept, Running Wild, and Warlock. What you have here are five really good songs that purify the spirit at hand, with even a couple gems among them. This is all fist-pumping, anthemic Heavy Metal. The thing is; it works, though this style obviously developed and thrived in a certain era, and it never seems to get old. It may have been out of style for years, but its just so darn fun!

Necks are obliged to be snappin’ and feet will be stompin’ to an up-tempo number like “Riders Of The Grave.” There certainly is no need to bring back zebra-styled spandex – the music marks the entertainment here alone. And, of course, the vibe that goes along with it. The delivery isn’t always as tight or as spot on as can be, but therein lies some of its charm, and there isn’t much of a world class production on this demo to be heard, which is hopefully a concept the band continues on future recordings to fully go hand-in-hand with the direction of the actual material on offer.

“Black Raven” boasts of riffs like many bands used to come up with, but stopped writing for whatever reasons — a mystery in itself. Apparently the members of Black Raven share this notion, compelled as they are to fill this void. “Soldiers Of The Light” takes a slight epic stance reminiscent of Manilla Road and Night Of The Stormrider-era Iced Earth, to join in on the German vibe that encompasses the entire duration of this promotional CD. It will be interesting to hear the full-length debut when it, hopefully, arrives. It would probably only be a matter of time before this bunch takes to the stage at Germany’s infamous Keep It True festival as well. Until then, pay ém a visit on-line, and enjoy the wonderful combo of two of man’s best creations: the internet, and Traditional Heavy Metal.