Raven are an English heavy metal band, formed in 1974 in Newcastle Upon Tyne by the Gallagher brothers, bassist and vocalist John and guitarist Mark. As part of the early- to mid-80s new wave of British heavy metal, the band gained notortiety for its “athletic rock” and its influence and inspiration in the development of thrash metal.

The band first signed with local label Neat Records who released their first two albums Rock Until You Drop and Wiped Out, eventually gaining the attention of Jon Zazula of Megaforce Records. They were signed on in 1983 and played in the United States as the headline act of fellow label mates, and young thrashers, Metallica on their “Kill ‘Em All for One” tour. The label would also release their third record All for One.

Atlantic Records eventually signed the trio to a global contract in 1984 and released their fourth record Stay Hard the following year. At the behest of the label — and to the detriment of their long-time fans — they took on a more commerical sound with their fifth outing The Pack is Back in 1986. They would redeem themselves with the EP Mad and their sixth studio album Life’s a Bitch in 1987. It was after their tour for the album in late 1987 when drummer Rob “Wacko” Hunter would leave to focus on his family.

Joe Hasselvender (formerly of Pentagram) would join the band who self-produced their seventh and eighth studio albums Nothing Exceeds like Excess (1988) And Architect of Fear (1991). They would eventually sign with Japanese label Zero who released their ninth album Glow in 1994. The band toured extensively through much of the mid 90s and recorded two more albums with separate labels: 1997’s Everything Louder and 2000’s One for All.

In 2001, Mark suffered an injury when a wall fell on him and crushed both of his legs. The band would go on hiatus between 2001-2004 while he recovered. After touring between 2005-2006, the band would record their twelfth album Walk Through Fire which was initially released in Japan by King Records in 2009 followed by SPV in Europe and Metal Blade in the United States in 2010. The band made its first full-scale tour of the US since 1989 with headline acts on the East Coast before co-headlining with Diamond Head on the West Coast in 2013. 2014 saw the band on the 70000 Tons of Metal cruise as well as opening for former opening act Metallica in São Paulo in March of that year.

In order to cover recording costs for a new album, the band opened a Kickstarter campaign. During the process, they would record eleven songs for the contributor exclusive album Party Killers. Their thirteenth album, ExtermiNation, would be released in September by SPV and Steamhammer in April of 2015.

Before they were set to embark on an extensive tour of the US and Europe in 2017, Hasselvender suffered a major heart attack. The Gallaghers would enlist the help of multiple drummers to fulfill their tour dates. This included Jimmy Mess for their Chicago concert, Mike Heller of Fear Factory and Malignancy for three dates in the US, and Dave Chedrick for the European leg of their tour. When it became obvious that Hasselvender wouldn’t physically be able to play drums for the forseeable future, Mike Heller was invited to play for their Euro festival dates. The brothers found his playing style to be a perfect fit; Heller would officially join the band in the latter half of 2017 on a 70-date tour of Europe.

The band would release their fourteenth studio album Metal City on September 18, 2020. When restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic began to ease, the band toured the United States to promote the release of Metal City in 2021 before returning to the country in 2022 for the 40th anniversary of Wiped Out. They would open for Metallica on November 6th of that year at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, FL to celebrate the lives of Megaforce Records founders Jon and Marsha Zazula who had passed away in 2022 and 2021 respectively (Jon from multiple health complications and Marsha from cancer).

In 2023, Raven announced they’d signed on to London label Silver Lining Music. They released their fifteenth studio album All Hell’s Breaking Loose on June 30th, 2023.