The Raven Age's 'Blood Omen' - Album Review

I would like to think that, over the years, I have learnt not to completely write off a band whom initially do not impress. There are a number of bands whom I have warmed to over time despite not initially falling for them - and I would hope that I generally remain open-minded when it comes to reappraising bands. There a number of reasons why I have grown to like a band that initially did little for me - sometimes it down to the band themselves changing and improving and other times it is down to my tastes changing. When it comes to the UK-based metalcore-adjacent five-piece The Raven Age, I think the former of the two aforementioned reasons applies. The Raven Age are a band whom I have run into occasionally over the years, but I only started to gain an appreciation for them last year when I saw them open for Tremonti in Bristol. That was, I think, my third time seeing the band - and I first came across them back in 2014 when they opened for Steve Harris' British Lion side project locally in Plymouth. I did not think much at all of the band at the time, and concluded that they were only on the bill as they were formed by George Harris - Steve's son. The fact that they then went on to support Iron Maiden quite a lot over the next few years after limited exposure only cemented my opinion that they were driven by nepotism - and seeing them again open for Alter Bridge in 2019 did little to change my mind. Bands grow all the time, though, and when I saw them last year I felt as if things had been taken up a notch. Current frontman Matt James was in place by 2019, but he seemed to have come into his own when I saw the band last year - and he was a big step up from what I can remember of Michael Burrough's Plymouth performance nearly 10 years ago. Last year, though, the band welcomed the well-travelled Tommy Gentry (Zico Chain; Gun; Voodoo Six) on guitar alongside Harris. I enjoyed Gentry's playing whenever I ran into Gun, and his contributions to Voodoo Six's most recent album Simulation Game (which I reviewed here) were welcome. He perhaps gave me an 'in' when it came to The Raven Age, then, and I quite enjoyed the band's set with Tremonti last year - which was a pleasant surprise. I resolved to check out the band's previous album, 2019's Conspiracy, but for whatever reason it seems almost impossible to find anywhere for a reasonable price. It seems strange that an up-and-coming band's last album is already out-of-print, but that is perhaps telling of modern physical media production runs - so I somewhat forgot about them again until I saw that their third album, Blood Omen, was available to pre-order. I decided to take the chance, remembering the decent Bristol show, and I have been listening to the album since it dropped at the beginning of last month. I am glad that I decided to pre-order the album, too, as it has turned out to be rather enjoyable. It is certainly not going to be troubling my Albums of the Year list come December, or converting me into a life-long The Raven Age fan, but as a slice of modern alternative metalcore-adjacent music Blood Omen is enjoyable. It ticks all of the boxes of that still-popular genre: heavier riffs, pop-punk chorus hooks, the occasional shredded solo, and the occasional burst of harsh vocals.

Blood Omen seems to have been written during a transitional time for the band. Gentry replaced former guitarist Tony Maue last year - and Maue is credited with co-writing all of the material here. Despite this, though, the album feels cohesive - and the band's core sound which appears to have been established in recent years thrives throughout the album's nine songs. Opening things up is the relatively short instrumental Changing of the Guard, which is pretty typical of other such opening tracks - complete with plaintive classical guitar melodies, dense strings, and occasional synths. It is a subtly dramatic piece, and not as bombastic as some instrumental scene-setters - and it reminds me of the sort of quiet instrumentals often favoured by melodic death metal bands to provide a change of pace. It works well to set the tone, though, and by the time the band launch into Parasite the album feels truly underway. Parasite does not career off at pace, though, at least early on. It opens with a couple of aching harmony guitar leads, which give way to a mid-paced crunchy riff - which is pretty heavy in tone. There is plenty of snappiness throughout the album, but this mid-paced riff has quite a big impact - and it allows the faster-paced verses to feel more urgent. James shines during the verses, his gritty voice sounding strong against the metalcore-esque riffing and drummer Jai Patel's double bass work. The chorus is more overtly-melodic, and sees James pushing himself vocally - reaching a few higher notes. He has one of those voices which can handle gritty metal and pop-fused choruses with ease - and the chorus here, which features the strident mid-paced riffing returning, is pretty memorable. The closing section of the song sees this riff return again, this time much slower, giving the track a doomy bent as it comes to a relatively heavy end. Serpents Tongue follows, and the track is faster overall and feels much more metalcore-esque in nature. There are occasional harsh vocals here, which I assume are performed by bassist Matt Cox as he did some harsh vocals live when I saw them, but they are used sparingly - with James really getting plenty of space to shine with some excellent pop hooks during a stadium-ready chorus. Elsewhere, the guitar playing here is much busier. The song's opening features lots of knotty guitar leads, which often resurface throughout the song to act as bridges between the different sections - whilst a slow-burning solo section later sees the song's pace slowed somewhat for a busy, yet aching, solo. This leads into an emotional bridge - before a big roar heralds a massive reprise of the chorus. For me, this chorus it the album's hookiest moment - and the song is my favourite cut here.

Essence of Time opens slowly, with some clean guitar melodies, which James soon starts to croon over in a rawer manner than is typical for him. He is less expressive here than usual, but the more downplayed performance works given the slower melodies - but the song soon kicks into a higher gear with the arrival of a crunchy mid-paced riff and a pointed guitar lead which acts as a big hook after the more emotional opening moments. The song generally then remains a crunchy mid-paced track, and it mixes strident classic rock vibes with something akin to modern In Flames. The verses feel pretty old-school, with a swagger right out the 1970s, whilst the chorus is more radio-friendly with In Flames-esque pop melodies and a subtle underpinning guitar melody. An explosive guitar solo later gives the guitar-heavy song another kick - and the amount of lead work and strong riffing here gives both Harris and Gentry plenty to do. I really like the song's overall attitude, and the hard rock vibes are welcome given the general more modern approach taken to riffing and melody throughout the album. Nostradamus also opens somewhat slowly, but the quieter section is much less key this time - as the song soon explodes with another knotty guitar lead and bark of harsh vocals. As such, the opening draws to comparisons to Killswitch Engage, but the lack of significant harsh vocals throughout roots the song in that more melodic and alternative rock world in which The Raven Age inhabit. There are plenty of strong hooks here, too, with a mid-paced chorus taking on something of a more cinematic approach, whilst the approach to guitar leads here tends to be very focused on note selection - with the exception of the flurry of notes which opened things up. There is a later brief reprise of the song's slower opening, acting as something of a bridge, but the arrangement generally remains pretty full-on - with a reprise of the big chorus never too far away. Forgive & Forget ups the pace somewhat, opening with some harmony guitar leads, and in general the song is pretty energetic overall with plenty of double bass drumming and harsh vocal harmonies to fill out the verses. I like Patel's approach to the drumming here, with occasional double bass patterns used to create groove early on - whilst other sections see him laying into his kit to create something faster and heavier. Harris and Gentry enhance this groove, with a good mix of chugging and brief melodic runs, whilst James showcases his talent with a great mix of grit and melody - before the chorus explodes with a poppier overall sheen. The song is a strong representation of the album's overall core sound, then, and it is another memorable cut thanks to its mix of strong riffing and groove.

The Journey is another standout cut for me, and it is another that starts out slowly - with acoustic guitar melodies which James soon starts to sing over, returning to his lower register somewhat. Whilst the song is not exactly a true ballad, it is certainly the song here which comes the closest to such. It is slower overall, but there are enough crunchy and harmony guitar moments to keep the song on the heavier side. Parts of the verses are slower, building off the song's intro, but it is the chorus where the track really comes into its own - and it is another which could be considered the album's best. It feels very strident and anthemic, and it is certain to go down well should the band choose to play it live. The melodies are easy to latch onto, and it feels bigger thanks to how much slower overall the rest of the song is. The song's guitar solo is appropriately-melodic, too, as it builds on the chorus hooks - setting the scene for a final reprise of the chorus. War in Heaven also opens slowly, with some distant pounding drums and dense synths setting a darker tone. James does sing over this intro, but it feels different from the other slower intros featured here, and it is not long before the song truly kicks in and morphs into a pretty fast-paced metalcore-esque piece with snappy riffing and some busy Patel drumming. Patel's performance mixes precise double bass grooves, prominent ride cymbal work, and punky attitude - and everything comes together to make the heavier track feel weighty, even though another pretty hooky chorus adds a pop sheen. Some of the heavier sections again recall bands like Killswitch Engage, but there remains a strident hard rock approach during some of the poppier sections - and a shredded solo builds off some of the busy melodies which back another big chorus. The song is a welcome kick of heaviness following the slower previous song - showcasing the band's overall approach to riffing nicely. The album then comes to a close with Tears of Stone, which again opens slowly - with the classical guitar and strings of the album's intro reprised. Much of the track is pretty heavy overall, though, but the string-heavy intro creates a welcome diversity - and the song overall feels a bit more expansive which is fitting given it's status as an album closer. It feels like the sort of song which contains a bit of everything which has come before - with pointed guitar leads joining together sections propelled by fast double bass drumming - whilst James ties everything together with a powerful vocal performance. The verses bring out his grit, thanks to some faster riffing, whilst another pretty big chorus adds plenty of melody. The song does nothing overtly different from the rest of the album, but everything feels a little bigger in general - with the classical guitar once again reprised as the song comes to a close. Despite my reservations relating to the band over the years, Blood Omen is a strong album containing plenty of memorable songs. It very much occupies a certain space and does little to venture out of that metalcore-adjacent sound, but there are enough riffs and melodies here to appeal to metal fans and those who prefer something more hooky alike. It has been good to see the band grow in recent years, and I am sure I will get more out of this album as the months go on.

The album was released on 7th July 2023 via Music for Nations/Sony Music. Below is the band's promotional video for Serpents Tongue.