This is the debut cd from German Hard rockers Red Raven and it’s a most impressive start.
The first track, ‘Too Late’, has a good bass intro and a chunky, catchy riff. It also features some nice harmony guitar parts and well delivered vocals. Next up, ‘Planet Fear’ has plenty of tempo changes, a mix of a heavy, menacing riffs and melodies. Moreover, the rhythm section is pretty tight and the singing impressive. ‘Silent World Of Mine’ slows things down a little before getting heavier, both musically and lyrically. There’s also a decent, longer solo on this track. ‘Foolsland’ has more catchy guitar riffing and melodies whilst the lyrics are imaginative, with some interesting social commentary .There’s good interplay between the drummer and guitarist and a fast and furious guitar solo too. Moving on, ‘Famous’ is funky in places, with some nice bass lines, some hard hitting drumming and a variety of tempo changes and guitar riffs. There’s a good vocal range apparent here and on many tracks. The song also features some clever lyrics about how short lived fame can be!
‘Faraway’ has a classic heavy rock riffs, and is very enjoyable. There’s plenty of tempo changes again which is impressive. There’s a nice sustain and guitar tones throughout this track. ‘If You Don’t Know’ starts with hard hitting drums, but soon changes tempo, slowing down, before getting heavier again with another heavy riff. This track has a slightly more commercial edge in places, with a catchy chorus. It’s still an enjoyable track. ‘Walls around My Chairs’ has a fast paced start, with good interplay between bass, guitar and drums. There’s a few slower sections, but, this is the fastest track on the cd so far. As on most tracks the solo is short and sweet and there are good guitar melodies throughout. ‘Another Little While’ has another good vocal performance, highlighting Frank Beck’s impressive range. The rhythm section Martin Reichart and Sascha Waack (great name for a drummer) is energetic and I was impressed with the guitar playing of Patrick Fay.
‘I Don’t Care’ is a ballad with emotive singing and a good solo to make it more bearable whilst ‘Everyday’ is a mid paced rocker. This track is more straight forward with fewer tempo changes and is less impressive than many of the earlier tracks. It’s still a good track though with more impressive guitar playing. The final track, ‘Angel Of Your Life’ is a disappointingly sloppy ballad (for me anyway) which closes the album on a low note, unfortunately.
Overall, the production is a little muddy and a little too bottom ended / bassy in places and it tails off for me towards the end. However, there are a lot of catchy riffs, impressive vocals, good musicianship and plenty of variety and tempo changes to keep you entertained. The first eight tracks are very good and overall it’s an impressive debut.
Review by Chris Greenwood
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