| Reviews for Raven (UK)'s Wiped Out |
| The best representation of NWOBHM - 100% |
| Written by Sigillum_Dei_Ameth
on November 4th, 2009
|
| Outside of the genres of black, thrash and doom metal, NWOBHM is the one where I truly believe that will sum up the concrete basis of what makes a metal head a metal head. Oh sure, bands from the other said genres are heavier, faster, more extreme, and whatnot, but NWOBHM is heavy metal at it's finest and gets down to the core of what it really is; music for the working-class outcast that wants some action in his life. You know the story; kid comes from a small town, is generally good, not the most popular in school, has trouble with girls, his family works their asses off...and underneath all of these extremely average and humble background lies the embers of youth-filled energy. The embers that when given the proper spark will ignite something riotous and dangerous. The embers that will help the young man grow from mild adolescence into full-fledged testosterone ass-kicking and name-taking animal. This is where NWOBHM takes it's position; the kick-start of the speed, insanity, more intelligent, more stupid, and definitely more wiser of years to come. Raven were there when it all started. Iron Maiden, Saxon, Motörhead, Def Leppard, Angel Witch, Tygers of Pan Tang, Blitzkrieg, Girlschool, Jaguar, Diamond Head, and Tank, among others. Raven earned their hours of hard work by touring the pubs in New Castle, England and earned their stripes by playing up to 3 or 4 sets in these workingmen's clubs while in between they would serve cheap beer, hold raffles for a simple tray of cold meat or even playing bingo. A lot of the NWOBHM bands had the already now classic image of leather jackets, denim jeans and even a small image, but Raven took it up a notch by donning athletic gear such as hockey masks, shoulder pads, shin gears and the likes that Rob "Wacko" Hunter would take to actually bashing his drum kint creating a frenzied, over-the-top energetic live performance. They would later dub themselves "Athletic Rock". This is how they managed for most of their career and still to this day stick out for the most part from the rest of the metal crowd. Only being a trio that consisted of brothers John and Mark Gallagher and Rob "Wacko" Hunter, they pulled out all the stops. Guitarist John Gallagher could be and actually is in many ways considered one of the many guitarists that would help give rise to the thrash metal guitar sound. Clear-cut UK glam rock riffs from Slade and Sweet played at a punk-like speed with a hint of heaviness from Black Sabbath, he knew what the hell he was doing and I haven't heard too many guitarists that could stand up to his bonafied signature playing. Bassist and vocalist Mark Gallagher is fingering his bass like there is no tomorrow making it throb with ecstasy and his voice...this guy is a fucking maniac! His bass clearly gives his brother's frenzied guitar the warm thick blood flow backed by Rob "Wacko" Hunter's heart-pumping skeletal like drum work. Already Raven had issued a full length LP with 4 singles that was enough to establish them at the forefront of the NWOBHM scene. But their second album "Wiped Out" would be not only their classic album, most refined work, but also the best representation of everything that was going on the UK in the early 80's. "Wiped Out" starts out with the song "Faster Than The Speed Of Light" with a chilling sci-fi/fantasy clip of aliens somewhere in space talking to mission about how "Einstein was wrong" and then BOOM! That opening riff gives into the main song where it sounds like the band is playing at such a manic-like ferocity it sounds like they are about to go supernova. Oh and the lyrics are great "Race with the devil - on your marks, get set go/Hellbent onto getting to where I don't know". Those first two lines roll so easily off the tongue considering the song's stamina. "Bring Down the Hammer" has the boot-scooting hard rock boogie of early Motorhead and a slight hint of Budgie as well with lyrics that will make you extend a close fist in the face of those who want to keep you where you are. "Fire Power" might just be the best main riff that Judas Priest never performed on "Rocka Rolla". "Read All About" is a continuation of that song where "To The Limit/To the Top" begins with a much slower, more melodic cut that shows Raven knows how to throw a bit of variety before going back into their crazy band of NWOBHM. The first six second of "Battlezone" has a warped guitar riff that sounds like something out of a cheesy 80's slasher flick. "Live At the Inferno" is THE Raven anthem. It's the anthem of rivet heads bashing out aggression in the clubs. It's the anthem of rivet heads bashing out aggression in the clubs. "Heavy metal mayhem - Let me hear the tremble of that guitar - one more battle scar - The faces will glow/the army will grow - Into the fire and out/and we're blazing". This is the one of the many warnings from Metal before the lesson in violence Exodus would speak to us about. "Star War" is total Black Sabbath heaviness. "UBX" has is a mixture of galloping riffs and total Raven craziness. "20/21" is an instrumental that is purely Spanish acoustic guitar that again proves that Raven are not only talented musicians but are able to keep things from not getting too boring or predictable. "Hold Back the Fire" is perfectly placed at the end of the album seeing that just FITS there, but also as a last minute warning to the ending track "Chainsaw" which is another Raven classic that is up there with "Faster Than the Speed of Light" and "Live At the Inferno". The lyrics take a more sinister tone of a chainsaw-welding maniac at large. Also features the most gritty guitar lead/solo on the whole album. "Wiped Out" is one of the many classics released in 1982 alongside "Black Metal", "Restless & Wild", "Filth Hounds of Hades", but unfortunately was so damn over-shadowed by the metal masterpieces by both "Number Of The Beast" and "Screaming For Vengeance". The fact that Raven started out at the forefront and were caught up in the middle of the fire that spread not only through the UK but soon over on the opposite of the Atlantic is a clear testament to what metal god Lemmy once said "If you aren't doing the right thing at the right time, you're not going anywhere". Well, fortunately for Raven, they helped introduced an up-and-coming band to their own country in the form of Metallica. It's ironic how they took the back seat but this was due to after their next album "All For One" they basically sold out and wanted to become more commercial and pop-friendly in the form of the homoerotic album "Stay Hard" and the Huey Lewis & the News "The Pack is Back", but for now, in 1982, they were doing pretty damn good. Must have for any devout follower of NWOBHM. |
| One of the BEST NWOBHM albums ever released - 100% |
| Written by Metal_Thrasher90
on March 21st, 2009
|
| The title of my review says it all. "Wiped Out" is such an excellent display of killer metal by the most underrated, but the greatest NWOBHM band around by 1982. Nobody did it like them by that time,their music was the most intense, aggressive and outrageous, and "Wiped Out" is probably their wildest album along with the masterpiece "All For One". Featuring the legendary trio John-Mark Gallagher and Rob Hunter, the record was released in 1982, when the NWOBHM was definitively consolidated and on its finest moment. Albums like this laid the groundwork for what would become known as thrash metal, and showed the way to the future giant thrash bands (Metallica, Slayer or Kreator know their roots!) "Wiped Out" is plenty of raw speed metal tracks, but it also includes awesome long tracks with great instrumental parts, such as "Faster Than The Speed Of Light" or "To The Limit, To The Top"(that last one is probably from the best stuff Raven has ever recorded). "Bring The Hammer Down", "Fire Power", "Battle Zone" or the classic "Live At The Inferno" are filled with outstanding riffs and killer solos by Mark Gallagher(why is he so underrated?) and also feature the brilliant and definitively craziest NWOBHM vocals ever by John Gallagher and the great work on drums by the outrageous drummer Rob "Wacko" Hunter. This is definitively METAl at its best. I also highlight "Star War", which includes a really cool dark riff that reminds me of Black Sabbath, "20/21", a beautiful acoustic instrumental short tune and the hyperactive "Hold Back The Fire" and "UXB". About "Chainsaw" what can I say? Another essential NWOBHM anthem that will definitively make you jump from your sit. The 2002 remaster includes the "Crash, Bang, Wallop" Ep,that features the essential and crazy title track, "Rock Hard" featuring Mark on vocals, and "Run Them Down",also a remarkable song. Well, to be honest I would just say that EVERy track on this album is AMAZING!, there's no weak point or boring moment on it! In conclusion, "Wiped Out" is an essential album for any NWOBHM maniac or "Raven lunatic" (as the band fans are known), and also for for those who are interested on the true roots of thrash/speed metal. This one can't be missed in their collection! Unfortunately for some reason, Raven CD's are quite hard to find and after listening to this album it makes you wonder why...but that's another part of the story. |