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In Part Two of four delightful boxset releases from Cherry Red, we look at Raven Faster Than The Speed Of Light. For true music fans, streaming falls short. We long for something tangible and tactile, and these four boxsets allow us to immerse ourselves in a bygone era, escaping the stresses of modern life.

Faster Than The Speed Of Light

Words: Paul Monkhouse

Like Hanoi Rocks, Raven are another band much-feted by the likes of Sounds and Kerrang! At the time, Raven spearheaded the catchily-titled Athletic Metal, playing their instruments harder and faster than anyone else around.

Their thrash stylings soon caught the attention of punk fans and a young generation of Metalheads seeking their next rocket-fuelled fix. Having toured America with Metallica for the Kill Em All for One jaunt in 1983, they were firing on all cylinders and disc one of this set, Live At The Inferno from 1984, shows them at their feral best.

The trio of bass player/vocalist John Gallagher, guitarist Mark Gallagher and drummer Rob Wacko Hunter were masters of their craft, the Geordies making enough racket to flatten city blocks and soon found themselves a must-see band.

Delirious lumps of super-speedy Metal like Crash! Bang! Wallop!, Rock Until You Drop, and All For One were played with such intent that whiplash caused by headbanging was a certainty, local hospital wards surely full up and down the country whenever they played.

Skipping forward to 1995, Destroy All Monsters Live in Japan saw the band just as intent to wreak destruction as ever. Now with John Hasselvander on drums, their own brand of Thrash with melody had seen them rise up the ranks, and whilst the super-big leagues may have eluded them, there were still rabid audiences queuing around the block to absorb every last face-melting note.

Break The Chain and Inquisitor see Raven in full flight, and theres a roaring menace here that crackles with electricity. The final disc in the set is covers album Party Killers, and its a turbo-charged tribute to bands theyve loved and been influenced by.

Featuring tracks originally by Deep Purple, Thin Lizzy, Budgie, Queen and Status Quo, amongst others, it does exactly what it says on the tin and is made for blasting out in the car or at home with a few bottles of Newcastle Brown, soaking up its pneumatic charms.

Hanoi Rocks The Days We Spent Underground 1981-1984

Raven Faster Than The Speed Of Light

Oliver/Dawson Saxon Screaming Eagles : The Complete Works

Magnum Great Adventures : The Jet Years 1978-1983

To read about each at MetalTalk, visit https://www.metaltalk.net/tag/cherry-red-boxset

DISC ONE LIVE AT THE INFERNO (1984)1 I Dont Need Your Money2 Break the Chain / Hell Patrol3 Live at The Inferno / Crazy World4 Let It Rip5 I.G.A.R.B.O.6 Wiped Out7 Fire Power8 All for One9 Forbidden Planet10 Star Wars11 Tyrant of The Airways12 Run Silent Run Deep13 Intro14 Live at The Inferno15 Take Control16 Mind Over Metal17 Crash Bang Wallop18 Rock Until You Drop19 Faster Than Speed of Light

DISC TWO DESTROY ALL MONSTERS LIVE IN JAPAN (1995)1 Victim2 Live at the Inferno3 Crash! Bang! Wallop!4 True Believe5 Medley: Into the Jaws of Death Hard as Nails Die for Allah6 Guitar Solo7 Medley: Speed of The Reflex Run Silent, Run Deep Mind Over Metal8 Gimme A Reason9 Inquisitor10 For the Future11 Bass Solo12 Architect of Fear13 White Hot Anger14 Drum Solo15 Break the Chain

DISC THREE: PARTY KILLERS: THE COVERS ALBUM (2021)1 Fireball (Deep Purple)2 Bad Reputation (Thin Lizzy)3 Hes a Whore (Cheap Trick)4 In for the Kill (Budgie)5 Is There a Better Way (Status Quo)6 Ogre Battle (Queen)7 Queen of My Dreams (Edgar Winter Group)8 Too Bad So Sad (Nazareth)9 Cockroach (Sweet)10 Tak Me Bak ome (Slade)11 Hang On To Yourself (David Bowie)

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The Cherry Red Boxsets / The Feral, Athletic Metal Of Raven - MetalTalk