Raven
New Haven Agora
New Haven, Connecticut
January, 1984
After touring with that upstart band, Metallica, in 1983, Raven was back in the US. The Gallagher brothers and Rob Hunter once again delivered the metal goods. Their stage show was a predictably gonzoid affair with the guys blowing up the place – guitars crashing against amps, drums being kicked about, and John Gallagher’s screeching high notes peeling the paint off of the ceiling. Of course, all three albums were given the spotlight. Highlights included the manic “Faster than the Speed of Light”, “Don’t Need your Money”, and “Run Silent, Run Deep.” It’s a shame that the band opted to go for a more commercial approach with the release of “All for One”, but it was fairly typical for British metal bands to have one eye locked in on the US market. It nearly destroyed Saxon, Leppard cashed in, but the likes of Raven, Diamond Head, and others fell into relative oblivion.