15.06.2023 The Raven Age

Graspop Metal Meeting

Dessel (Belgium)

And on it went inside the tent. After the heavy sounds of the two Butcher Babies front women, it was time for something much more melodic. The Raven Age from Great Britain were now set to conquer the smaller Metal Dome. They brought along very melodic metalcore, and their stage presence was immediately on a completely different level compared to the previous band. The atmosphere in front of the stage kicked in right away, and you could see on the faces of all five guys just how much fun they were having.
What always comes up quickly with The Raven Age is their guitarist George Harris, son of legendary Iron Maiden bassist Steve Harris. But the band doesn’t actually need that fact to justify having one of the better slots. Musically, they can fully convince on their own. Vocalist Matt James moved effortlessly through the songs, switching between growls (even if they weren’t very frequent) and clean vocals with ease. The remaining band members Tommy Gentry on second guitar, Matt Cox on bass, and Jai Patel on drums all contributed to the excellent performance. Cox repeatedly supported James vocally, providing a strong counterpart. Although the band has only existed since 2009, they already have a solid output, and so they worked their way through their released material. Since the new album is still pending, their latest record Conspiracy formed the core of the setlist. And it really pushed forward with catchy energy. Arms were flying through the air, people were clapping and singing along which, given the hooklines, comes as no surprise.
All in all, a really solid performance by the Brits that was simply a lot of fun. They didn’t reinvent the wheel, but they delivered genuinely good music, the kind you should definitely catch live if you get the chance.