In the early years of Spitfire Records existence they began to bring back some of Heavy Metal's most popular releases from some of the world's most interesting artists. One band who brings back Metal's early years was Raven and this remaster of All For One is a fantastic take on the band. Those who were fans will tell you that this is probably the bands magnum opus or most favored release. The music of Raven was pure and solid and from a time when Heavy Metal was not Hard Rock and still a far cry from some of what would follow in the path (Glam Rock, Thrash Metal, Death Metal etc). The group was made up of the Gallagher Brothers (Mark and John on guitar/vocals and bass) who were supplemented by the maniacal drumming of Rob "Wacko" Hunter. Hunter was most known for his donning of a hockey mask for shows and he also was prone to slamming his head into the drums during performances. Mark Gallagher was a good guitarist by the standards of some others and had a scream that would break glass if you had it too loud. The album itself is full of the best head banging material that one could find from this era in the genre. Among the standout tracks are "All For One", "Run Silent Run Deep", and "Mind Over Metal". It's incredibly tame by today's standards of the form but without the early adventurers the artists of today would not have anything to inspire them. Raven was one of those groups that had a larger cult following back then and would continually do shows with Anthrax and Metallica. Talk about a triple bill and listening to this stuff once again many years later does take you back to when Metal was a lot less complex to define and classify. It was a good journey. There are three bonus tracks on the album and while I did not care for the bands take on the classic "Born To Be Wild" there is a cool track with Accept front man Udo in "Inquisitor" as it mixes the styles of both groups to some good effect. The remaster also comes with all lyrics in the enclosed booklet. There are band photos as well which seem to be taken from the original album artwork. If you never heard of Raven before or if you hold that falling apart slab of vinyl still you should grab this album as it's a great reminder of Metal from the past. For an album released in 1983 this is a good piece of history for any discriminating fan.
Track Listing
Take Control
Mind Over Metal
Sledgehammer Rock
All For One
Run Silent Run Deep
Hung, Drawn & Quartered
Break The Chain
Take It Away
Seek And Destroy
Athletic Rock
Born To Be Wild – bonus
The Ballad Of Marshall Stack – bonus
Inquisitor - bonus
Added: January 25th 2006 Reviewer:Ken Pierce Score: Related Link:SpitFire Records Hits: 4113 Language: english
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In the early years of Spitfire Records existence they began to bring back some of Heavy Metal's most popular releases from some of the world's most interesting artists. One band who brings back Metal's early years was Raven and this remaster of All For One is a fantastic take on the band. Those who were fans will tell you that this is probably the bands magnum opus or most favored release. The music of Raven was pure and solid and from a time when Heavy Metal was not Hard Rock and still a far cry from some of what would follow in the path (Glam Rock, Thrash Metal, Death Metal etc). The group was made up of the Gallagher Brothers (Mark and John on guitar/vocals and bass) who were supplemented by the maniacal drumming of Rob "Wacko" Hunter. Hunter was most known for his donning of a hockey mask for shows and he also was prone to slamming his head into the drums during performances. Mark Gallagher was a good guitarist by the standards of some others and had a scream that would break glass if you had it too loud. The album itself is full of the best head banging material that one could find from this era in the genre. Among the standout tracks are "All For One", "Run Silent Run Deep", and "Mind Over Metal". It's incredibly tame by today's standards of the form but without the early adventurers the artists of today would not have anything to inspire them. Raven was one of those groups that had a larger cult following back then and would continually do shows with Anthrax and Metallica. Talk about a triple bill and listening to this stuff once again many years later does take you back to when Metal was a lot less complex to define and classify. It was a good journey. There are three bonus tracks on the album and while I did not care for the bands take on the classic "Born To Be Wild" there is a cool track with Accept front man Udo in "Inquisitor" as it mixes the styles of both groups to some good effect. The remaster also comes with all lyrics in the enclosed booklet. There are band photos as well which seem to be taken from the original album artwork. If you never heard of Raven before or if you hold that falling apart slab of vinyl still you should grab this album as it's a great reminder of Metal from the past. For an album released in 1983 this is a good piece of history for any discriminating fan.
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