The Raven Age - Blood Omen (8789191) LP
Having established their name as one of the finest in modern British metal, thanks to two brilliant albums, 2019’s Conspiracy and Darkness Will Rise debut in 2017, The Raven Age have garnered over 75 million streams worldwide and have toured heavily across the globe with the likes of Killswitch Engage, Anthrax and Tremonti. On February 14th, The Raven Age will announce their highly anticipated third album Blood Omen. Out July 7th, it is their first record with Music For Nations/Sony Music.
Blood Omen pushes everything further than ever before. The choruses are made for arenas, the riffs are taut, direct, and free of fat. It all makes for a grand musical stage on which the record’s concept plays out. ‘Forgive & Forget’ rushes in on a scalding lead guitar riff, while the epic ‘Nostradamus’ is a tale of the great prophet. The heavy, raging ‘Serpents Tongue’, meanwhile, deals with “deceit, and never knowing if you’re being told the truth,” according to George.
This motivation is written into the album’s concept. Following the theme of its two predecessors, the raven motif looms large, this time centering on the overthrowing of old masters, with the band’s Raven King character coming to prominence. Even in the artwork, things are bolder, a close up of The Raven King, says George, “taking his rightful place on the throne.”
Blood Omen is a record of several firsts for The Raven Age. With the metal end of the operation firmly nailed down, this time around the band were finally able to realise their ambitions of using real strings. Working with noted British cellist arranger Audrey Riley (Foo Fighters, Muse, Coldplay) at the ICMP [Institute of Contemporary Music Performance] studios in London. “Watching a quartet play along to our songs was a whole new experience,” says George. “They just made everything more dramatic.”
1. Changing of the Guard
2. Parasite
3. Serpents Tongue
4. Essence of Time
5. Nostradamus
6. Forgive & Forget
7. The Journey
8. War in Heaven
9. Tears of Stone
Blood Omen pushes everything further than ever before. The choruses are made for arenas, the riffs are taut, direct, and free of fat. It all makes for a grand musical stage on which the record’s concept plays out. ‘Forgive & Forget’ rushes in on a scalding lead guitar riff, while the epic ‘Nostradamus’ is a tale of the great prophet. The heavy, raging ‘Serpents Tongue’, meanwhile, deals with “deceit, and never knowing if you’re being told the truth,” according to George.
This motivation is written into the album’s concept. Following the theme of its two predecessors, the raven motif looms large, this time centering on the overthrowing of old masters, with the band’s Raven King character coming to prominence. Even in the artwork, things are bolder, a close up of The Raven King, says George, “taking his rightful place on the throne.”
Blood Omen is a record of several firsts for The Raven Age. With the metal end of the operation firmly nailed down, this time around the band were finally able to realise their ambitions of using real strings. Working with noted British cellist arranger Audrey Riley (Foo Fighters, Muse, Coldplay) at the ICMP [Institute of Contemporary Music Performance] studios in London. “Watching a quartet play along to our songs was a whole new experience,” says George. “They just made everything more dramatic.”
1. Changing of the Guard
2. Parasite
3. Serpents Tongue
4. Essence of Time
5. Nostradamus
6. Forgive & Forget
7. The Journey
8. War in Heaven
9. Tears of Stone