RAVAGER – The Third Attack

Music scenes evolve. That of course concerns Metal too. Especially as Metal on its own evolves. Here’s an example: if an average Metal fan was asked to list their Seven Wonders of German Metal, they would be very likely to include the three piece called Rage. Everyone who’s into Metal knows who Rage are and probably appreciates them a lot. Rage has been around since the 80s and they’re still raging whenever possible. There once also was a band from England called Rager. Before their split-up back in 2012 they played Thrash/Speed and didn’t make it quite as big as the German trio. But still, there are some Metalheads who remember them. And now back to Germany: since the 2010s there has been a band called Ravager and they have just released their third album with quite an apt title The Third Attack. This album is definitely one of the hottest releases of this year, so here comes the review. By the way, isn’t that a beautiful example of evolution in Metal music? Rage, Rager, Ravager.

It looks like at least one of the guys from Ravager has some dark sense of humor – because having the intro track titled “Intruders” doesn’t sound like a coincidence. Or maybe the guys really like The Number of the Beast by Iron Maiden and wanted to make it sound similar to “Invaders”. After the eerie beginning it’s time for some riffage to strike. That kind of sound is something some lesser known, but still legendary bands such as Sadus or Exhorder wouldn’t be ashamed of. The bass sound is also really good. Definitely enough of a kick to catch the listener’s attention and have them crave more of that Thrash Made in Germany. But the two minutes are over soon and now it’s time for the second track “Planet Hate”. Now there’s a lot going on here. Those high voltage lead parts in the intro could make one think this is where Power Metal meets Thrash Metal. There are plenty of nice melodies, but the lyrics are a lot deeper than those about unicorns and princes. Back in the late 80s bands such as Nuclear Assault would write songs about the Planet Earth dying thanks to humans, while this one is more towards being about humans having to die and suffer thanks to… other humans. And this song definitely is worth moshing to. Who knows, this could be the “Toxic Waltz” of the 2020s. On the album goes… and it’s only getting better. The third song titled “Back to the Real World” has a lot of the East Coast Thrash sound to it and yet there is a lot of catchiness there, and that is not something just any band can pull off.

Of course, reviews are supposed to be objective and unbiased – and that’s just what this one is – but it’s really hard to find any weak points of The Third Attack. Despite the clear similarities to multiple Thrash Metal legends, Ravager do have their own style and they sound anything but 80s wannabe kids. And they probably thought that some diversity wouldn’t do them any harm because the solo in the fourth song “Priest of Torment” has a fairly Glam Metal feel to it, like it was played by someone like Mick Mars. Another cool thing is that if there is a song off this album that doesn’t necessarily make the listener want to bang their head until they bleed, then it gets them into some sort of a Thrash Metal trance. These songs – at least the following one, “A Plague is Born” – even have some atmospheric feel to them. Oh, and all of the above is just a half of this excellent album.

The Third Attack finishes with a song titled Destroyer. The only slightly negative remark could be that it perhaps is a bit too long. But that is the only one that could be given. Well, maybe except this one: why can the guys at Ravager not eliminate that miserable virus so the gigs are back sooner than possible and Metal fans – hopefully across the planet – can experience these songs live. Because if anyone thinks that there is no way for Thrash Metal to evolve or that no German band will ever top the mighty Big 4 of German Thrash… they should give The Third Attack a listen. If that doesn’t make them change their mind… they may need to turn the volume up and bang their heads.