10

Stark Raven Excellent

Whilst Raven's brand of straight up battle metal may have been more suited to the friday lineup, a large number of fans gathered at the Bloodstock main stage, and straight from the off they were provided for. Guitarists Mark and John Gallagher leap on stage and immediately begin the battle, powerful and varied vocals being delivered well via head microphone by John Gallagher. The use of this headset means he's free to move around the stage, which is important as by only having three members, the stage is looking a little bare.

Thankfully though, Raven's dedication to giving the crowd a damn good time shines through. The band play a strong set, borrowing tracks from all over their extensive discography, going right back to their 1981 album "Rock Until You Drop", and still finding time to play some of their more modern tracks, right up to 1999's "One For All".

The sound quality is reasonable throughout, although at certain points the bass and drums seemed to overpower Gallagher's vocals, until all we could hear was the occasional grunt over some rather simple drum work, But these problems are negliable, and overall Raven deliver an incredibly varied and professional set to a receptive audience. A total success.