Living musical connective tissue between the British NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) of the ’70s and the nascent thrash movement of the ’80s, England’s Raven are nearly as important to the heavier ends of metal as Mötörhead or Mercyful Fate. All three dealt in musical economy, and utterly unforgettable riffs and choruses, and all were very influential to the early East and West Coast thrash acts of the 1980s, particularly a certain breakout act called Metallica. Raven’s image was equal parts Mad Max and Slapshot as a nod to the physicality of their music. Album covers and band aesthetic blended the sublime and ridiculous, but who really cared if the cover art comes off dated when those streamlined outsider anthems are so goddamn catchy? They’re playing a last-minute show at Will’s with young up-and-comers Rhythm of Fear and Cave of Swimmers, so if you want to catch some living history and lose some hearing, there you are.
with Rhythm of Fear, Cave of Swimmers | Sunday, Dec. 2, 9 p.m. | Will’s Pub, 1042 N. Mills Ave. | willspub.org | $13-$15
This article appears in Nov 28 – Dec 4, 2018.