RAVEN - All For One - BEAT NEAT 12" Vinyl LP Album

- Three blades, one black sleeve, and Raven’s NWOBHM oath in red vinyl drama

Album Front cover showing Raven's All For One sleeve with three raised arms holding fencing sabres against a deep black background. The blades cross near the centre like a metal pledge, framed by a red and white border. The Raven logo sits at the top with its lightning-bolt V, while the album title All For One stretches across the bottom in angular red lettering.

The cover keeps everything brutally direct: black space, red border, three arms rising from the lower edge, and sabres crossing in the middle like a pact made in a noisy rehearsal room. The Raven logo hangs at the top with that lightning slash through the V, while "All For One" anchors the bottom in sharp red type. No scenery, no clever nonsense, just a bold NWOBHM sleeve doing its job.

Raven hit a proper NWOBHM nerve with "All For One", the 1983 album where their so-called athletic rock stopped sounding like a slogan and started sounding like a three-man demolition crew. This is the band at full sprint: bass grinding like loose machinery, guitar sparks flying off the walls, drums thumping as if Rob Hunter had mistaken the kit for a locked door. "Take Control", "Mind Over Metal", and the title track carry that sweaty fan-favorite charge, loud enough to annoy neighbours and sensible people, which is always a decent recommendation. The Italian Base/Neat pressing adds a nice collector wrinkle without stealing the show.

"All For One" (1983) Album Description:

Raven’s "All For One" comes out of 1983 like a boot through a rehearsal-room door: British, sweaty, stubborn, and not remotely interested in behaving itself. The genre tag here says Teutonic Controlled NWOBHM, which sounds absurd until the needle drops and the trick becomes obvious. Raven still charge like Newcastle street-metal lunatics, but the album has a German grip around the throat, keeping the racket sharp enough to draw blood instead of turning into a lovable bucket of noise.

The tasty part hides behind the production credits. Michael Wagener and Udo Dirkschneider appear under the Double Trouble banner, and that little detail changes how this record should be heard. Not as a polite upgrade. Not as a tidy studio correction. More like two German metal operators standing beside Raven’s runaway machine, tightening the bolts, then wisely moving away before Rob Hunter starts hitting things.

Britain in 1983 was already moving fast, and the NWOBHM crowd had started splitting into tribes. Iron Maiden were building bigger stage machinery and grander drama, Saxon were chasing broader hard-rock muscle, Venom were making ugly noise sound like scripture, Diamond Head still had that clever, doomed elegance, and Motörhead kept proving that speed, dirt, and bad manners were perfectly respectable career tools. Raven sat somewhere else: less majestic, less evil, more physical. They sounded like a heavy metal band who thought sport, volume, and minor injury were all part of the same evening.

The album’s attack is not graceful, and that is half the pleasure. John Gallagher’s bass does not simply sit underneath the songs; it grinds through them, thick and metallic, like loose machinery refusing retirement. Mark Gallagher’s guitar throws hard sparks rather than pretty flames, while Rob Hunter drums with that elbows-out impatience that makes "Athletic Rock" feel less like a slogan and more like a warning label. Subtle? No. Thank God.

The line-up matters because Raven worked best as a three-man pressure system. John Gallagher had the voice and low-end shove, Mark Gallagher supplied the riff damage and electrical bite, and Rob Hunter gave the whole thing its reckless forward motion. Raven had formed back in 1974, so by "All For One" they were not beginners thrashing around for attention. They had already learned how to turn their limitations into character, which is more useful than talent when the amps are hot and the money is probably terrible.

Wagener’s hand can be felt in the way the album holds together. He does not sand Raven smooth; he gives them edges that can be followed. The guitars stay readable, the bass keeps its iron clank, and the drums punch rather than blur. That is the Teutonic control in the thing: not coldness, but focus. Plenty of British records from this period have charm because they sound half-broken. This one has charm because it sounds half-broken on purpose.

Dirkschneider brings a different weight. His Accept background hangs around the album like a steel door: hard phrasing, blunt chorus force, no patience for decorative nonsense. The result does not turn Raven into a German band, which would have been a dreadful little crime against nature. Instead, it gives songs like "Take Control", "Mind Over Metal", and "All For One" a firmer jaw. The madness stays British; the discipline has a German accent.

The record was recorded and mixed at Pineapple Studios in London, then mastered at Utopia Studios, also in London. That London studio setting matters because the album does not sound like a fantasy battlefield, despite the sabres on the sleeve. It sounds boxed-in, hot, and practical: amps in a room, drums under pressure, voices shouted into shape. A metal record should sometimes smell faintly of cables and bad coffee.

There is no major controversy clinging to "All For One", despite the weapons, the shouting, and Rob Hunter looking on the back cover as if the ice hockey shop had been raided for strategic purposes. The lazier misunderstanding is calling it just another NWOBHM album. That misses the fun. Raven were not chasing elegance; they were chasing impact. Where some bands wanted mythology, Raven wanted movement. Preferably at unsafe speed.

The sleeve helps the argument. Three raised arms, three crossed sabres, black space, red framing, and the Raven logo with that lightning slash: it is almost stupidly direct, which is exactly why it works. The Italian Base/Neat pressing adds a neat collector twitch with its local label character and NEAT 1011 markings, but the record itself is still the main event. Paperwork is nice. Volume is better.

Late at night, this is the kind of album that makes the room feel slightly smaller. The bass fills the corners, the guitar scratches at the walls, and the drums keep making sensible furniture seem nervous.

Personal bias, then: "All For One" is not Raven’s most refined statement, and refinement can go stand outside with the smokers. The charm is in the shove, the comic-book bravado, the roughness that survives the German tightening. It is NWOBHM with its shirt stuck to its back, its boots on the monitor, and just enough Teutonic control to stop the whole circus crashing into the PA. Nearly.

References

Album Key Details: Genre, Label, Format & Release Info

Music Genre:

NWOBHM British Heavy Metal

RAVEN, a British heavy metal band formed in 1974, gained prominence during the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. Known for their energetic performances and unbridled enthusiasm, the band fused speed, power, and rough-edged attack into the kind of early-1980s metal that never politely asked permission before kicking the door in.

Label & Catalognr:

Base Record / BEAT Records, Neat Records – Cat#: NEAT 1011

Album Packaging

Standard album sleeve with a printed custom inner sleeve containing band credits, thank-you notes, photos, and printed lyrics.

Media Format:

Record Format: 12" Vinyl Stereo Gramophone Record
Total Weight: 230g

Release Details:

Release Date: 1983

Release Country: Italy

Production & Recording Information:

Producers:
  • Double Trouble – Production alias credited to Michael Wagener and Udo Dirkschneider

    A sly little production mask for two German metal operators who knew exactly how to tighten Raven’s chaos without filing off the teeth.

    Double Trouble, the production alias used here for Michael Wagener and Udo Dirkschneider, brought German studio discipline into Raven’s scrappy NWOBHM engine room. On "All For One", that means the riffs still charge like a pub brawl on wheels, but the drums, bass, and vocals land with more shape. Not polished smooth, thank heaven; just sharpened enough to cut.

  • Raven – Producer

    Raven were not passengers on their own record; they kept the thing sweaty, loud, and gloriously impatient.

    Raven, the Newcastle heavy metal trio built around the Gallagher brothers and Rob Hunter, helped produce "All For One" with the same restless energy they threw into their playing. Their contribution is all over the record: bass clatter, athletic drumming, guitar bite, and that mad forward shove that makes the album feel less recorded than captured before it escaped.

  • Michael Wagener – Producer, Sound Engineer

    The German set of ears that can make a wall of amps sound lethal, not muddy.

    Michael Wagener is the German-born producer/engineer who taught heavy guitars to sound huge without turning into soup. Back in the late 1970s and early 1980s he helped shape Accept's steel-plate punch, then in the 1980s Los Angeles grind he became a go-to set of ears for Dokken—tight, glossy, and still mean. By the late 1980s he was guiding arena-sized hard rock for Skid Row and White Lion, and in the 1990s he kept that balance of bite and clarity alive for bands like Extreme. I can spot his signature fast: drums snapping, guitars spread wide, and reverb kept on a short leash. From his WireWorld room in Tennessee, he mixes like a craftsman: edges sharp, low end disciplined, vocals sitting just forward enough to start trouble.

    Michael Wagener Wiki
  • Udo Dirkschneider – Vocals, Producer

    I still hear his bark in my head whenever "Fast as a Shark" lights the fuse.

    Udo Dirkschneider is the rasping tank-commander who made Accept's choruses feel like steel boots on concrete. I heard him first with Accept (1976-1987), and by the early '80s he was turning "Fast as a Shark" into a riot alarm, then stomping out "Balls to the Wall" and "Metal Heart" with that clipped, unforgiving bark. He quit in 1987, built U.D.O. (1987-1992; 1996-present) to keep the machine running when the business wanted prettier noises, returned for Accept stints (1992-1997; 2005), and later toured as DIRKSCHNEIDER (2015-2016) to give the classics a proper bruising. He doesn't sing at you; he drills through you, like a shout trapped inside a turbine. That voice is half attitude, half armor.

    Udo Dirkschneider Wiki
Sound & Recording Engineers:
  • Michael Wagener – Sound Engineer

    Wagener knew where to put the noise so Raven still sounded dangerous instead of merely loud.

    Michael Wagener, the German producer and engineer later tied to a long run of hard rock and metal records, handled the sound engineering on "All For One". His job here was not to make Raven respectable — dreadful idea — but to keep the attack readable. The guitars bite, the rhythm section stays physical, and the vocals sit forward without drowning the racket.

    Michael Wagener Wiki
Recording Location:
  • Pineapple Studios – Recording Location

    A London studio room where Raven’s racket was caught before anyone could tidy it into something boring.

    Pineapple Studios, London, served as the recording location for "All For One", and the album still carries that closed-room pressure: amps pushed hard, drums snapping, bass elbowing through the middle. The place gave Raven enough studio control to focus the charge, but not so much polish that the record lost its street-corner metal temper.

Mastering Studio & Location:
  • Utopia Studios – Mastering Studio

    The final London stop where the album’s sprinting metal was pressed into shape for vinyl.

    Utopia Studios, London, handled the mastering for "All For One", the stage where Raven’s raw studio assault had to become a playable record rather than a blunt instrument. The mastering keeps the album lean and bright enough for the riffs to cut, while the bottom end still has that early-1980s vinyl punch collectors like to hear through real speakers.

Album Cover Design & Artwork:
  • Maggi – Artwork

    The sleeve keeps it brutally simple: black field, red borders, crossed blades, and no patience for subtle decoration.

    Maggi, credited for the artwork, gave "All For One" a cover that understands heavy metal’s early-1980s grammar without over-explaining it. Three raised arms, sabres crossing, black space, red framing, and Raven’s jagged logo do the work. It is blunt, theatrical, and slightly ridiculous in the best possible way — exactly the sort of sleeve that earns shelf attention.

Photography:
  • Robert Ellis – Photographer

    The guy with the press pass (and the nerve) who lived on rock tours from 1971 to 1993, catching the moments bands never planned to share.

    Robert Ellis is the kind of rock photographer I trust because the shots don’t pose, they confess. Seeing his work, the noise comes back in full color: sweat in the stage lights, backstage grins that last ten seconds, and that split-second where a band looks immortal before the van ride ruins everyone’s posture. Credits tell the timeline clean: he starts out in 1968, then lands at New Musical Express (1971–1975), moves through Melody Maker (1975–1976), and keeps rolling as a freelance gun-for-hire for titles like Sounds and Kerrang! (plus the occasional mainstream giant like Time). The real “band periods” here aren’t membership cards, they’re tour years: Ellis is on the road photographing bands across the rock and metal circuit from 1971–1993, then turns the archive into a home base by founding Repfoto in 1982 and later pushing his own book imprint, The Rock Library, in the 2010s. That’s the job done right: stay invisible, keep the shutter honest, and let the music leave fingerprints on the film.

    Robert Ellis Metal Archives
  • Steven Barnett – Photographer

    One of the credited camera hands behind the sleeve’s rough-and-ready Raven evidence.

    Steven Barnett, credited among the photographers for "All For One", contributed to the album’s visual record rather than the usual soft-focus rock-star nonsense. The photos help sell Raven as a working, sweating, slightly unhinged metal unit: leather, gear, stage attitude, and that early-1980s sense that nobody involved had time for tasteful restraint.

  • Rik Walton – Photographer

    Another credited eye in the sleeve credits, helping catch the band before the chaos cooled down.

    Rik Walton, listed as one of the photographers, adds to the documentary feel of "All For One". The sleeve photography is not trying to make Raven look elegant — mercifully — but immediate and loud. His credited contribution sits inside that black-and-red package, giving collectors the human proof behind the racket: faces, gear, poses, and metal theatre.

  • Kevin Hodapp – Photographer

    A credited contributor to the album’s photo material, where the band look exactly as unruly as the record sounds.

    Kevin Hodapp, credited for photography on "All For One", forms part of the visual crew behind the sleeve and inner-sleeve material. His contribution belongs to the album’s collector appeal: the red-framed photos, the performance grit, the band-member portraits, and the general impression that Raven were not posing for elegance but for impact. Quite right too.

Record Company:
  • BASE RECORD Bologna – Record Company

    The Italian manufacturing credit gives this Neat release its extra collector twitch.

    BASE RECORD Bologna, credited on this Italian pressing, handled the local record-company side of "All For One" under the Neat Records banner. That small “Made in Italy” detail matters to collectors, because it places this copy outside the plain UK trail. Same Raven fury, but with Italian label print, S.I.A.E. marks, and NEAT 1011 doing its little paperwork dance.

Collector’s Note: German Steel Inside Raven's Athletic Rock

Raven’s "All For One" sits right in that 1983 moment when British heavy metal had stopped politely knocking and started putting boot marks on the door. Newcastle gave Raven their working-band impatience, and the wider NWOBHM scene was already crowded with sharper elbows: Saxon going broader, Venom making filth sound like doctrine, Diamond Head carrying cleverness like a curse, and Motörhead still reminding everyone that speed and volume did not need a permission slip. Raven were different. Less heroic. More like three blokes trying to win a pub fight with bass pedals, fencing masks, and too much electricity.

The interesting bit is what happened when Michael Wagener and Udo Dirkschneider got near that chaos under the Double Trouble production credit. Open the sleeve credits and the story gets better: this was not German polish sprayed over a British racket, thank heavens. It was more like someone tightened the bolts on a runaway machine, then wisely stepped aside before it took their fingers off.

Wagener’s practical contribution was control. Not softness. Not studio perfume. Control. His engineering gives "All For One" a clearer attack than Raven’s earlier scrapes: the bass still clanks like loose metal in a van, Mark Gallagher’s guitar still throws sparks, and Rob Hunter’s drums still sound as if subtlety owed him money. But the record breathes enough for the violence to register. That matters. Noise is easy; readable noise takes a set of ears.

Dirkschneider brought a different kind of discipline, the Accept-hardened kind where choruses are not decorated, they are driven into the floor. His presence does not turn Raven into a German band, and that is the blessing here. Instead, the album gets a firmer jaw. "Take Control" punches forward, "Mind Over Metal" has that blunt rallying cry nonsense that somehow works when played loud enough, and the title track carries the gang-oath mood of the sleeve without becoming theatre school with guitars.

The album was recorded and mixed at Pineapple Studios in London, then mastered at Utopia Studios, also in London. The exact recording dates are not stated in the supplied page material, so the honest line is simple: it was recorded before its 1983 release, not pinned to a tidy month unless proper studio paperwork turns up. Collector pages are full of people pretending guesswork is fact. Miserable habit. Better to leave the hole visible than fill it with wet cardboard.

No great scandal seems to hang around this release, despite the swords, the shouting, and the general impression that adult supervision had failed. The common misconception is more subtle: people sometimes treat "All For One" as just another NWOBHM charge from the pile. It is rougher, funnier, and more physical than that. Where Iron Maiden were already building grand architecture and Accept were forging clean steel, Raven were still dragging the gear across the floor and calling the damage character.

Handling the Italian Base/Neat pressing, the thing has that lovely small-label stubbornness: black sleeve, red border, cream label, the whole package looking as if it has survived record-shop bins, damp cardboard, and several owners with questionable shelving habits. Late at night, this is not an album to admire politely. It is one to put on when the room needs waking up and the neighbours have had it too easy.

Band Members / Musicians:

Band Line-up:
  • John Gallagher – Vocals, Bass

    Raven’s throat and low-end engine, armed here with vocals, eight-string, four-string and trem basses, plus Taurus pedals.

    John Gallagher, Raven’s founding singer-bassist, has always been the band’s iron boiler room: voice, bass attack and stage nerve in one sweaty package. On this album he does not merely hold the bottom end; he drives the whole contraption with vocals, eight-string, four-string and trem basses, plus Taurus pedals, giving the record that thick, slightly unhinged forward shove. Even the back-cover pose says it: keep your hands off the rig.

  • Mark Gallagher – Guitar

    Raven’s guitar spark-plug, credited here with guitar, heterodynes and Megatrem, because ordinary noise clearly was not enough.

    Mark Gallagher, Raven’s co-founding guitarist, is the brother who turns riffs into sparks, wires, warning lights and mild public disorder. On this album his guitar is joined by heterodynes and Megatrem, which sounds like a repair bill before the first chorus even lands. His playing adds the bite and metallic weirdness around John’s bass charge, all sharp edges and electrical mischief, like the amplifier was encouraged to misbehave.

 
  • Rob Hunter – Drums

    Rob “Wacko” Hunter brings the drums, the “Ultra Wacko” percussion credit, and the athletic chaos Raven wore like battle gear.

    Rob Hunter, better known in Raven folklore as “Wacko,” was the drummer who made the band’s athletic-metal circus feel less like a pose and more like a health-and-safety incident. On this album he supplies the drums and the wonderfully daft “Ultra Wacko” percussion credit, battering the songs forward with elbows-out energy. The hockey-gear image on the sleeve is no accident; subtlety had packed its bags and left.

Complete Track-listing:

Tracklisting Side One:
  1. Take Control (3:21)
  2. Mind Over Metal (3:28)
  3. Sledgehammer Rock (3:58)
  4. All For One (3:31)
  5. Run Silent, Run Deep (5:37)
Tracklisting Side Two:
  1. Hung Drawn and Quartered (5:17)
  2. Break the Chain (3:46)
  3. Take It Away (3:36)
  4. Seek and Destroy (3:49)
  5. Athletic Rock (4:42)

Disclaimer: Track durations shown are approximate and may vary slightly between different country editions or reissues. Variations can result from alternate masterings, pressing plant differences, or regional production adjustments.

I like this set because it still smells of the old metal rack: black fields, red borders, and that slightly bossy Raven typography trying to kick the sleeve off the table. The front cover is almost stupidly simple—three arms, three blades, no scenery—and that is exactly why it works. The back gives you the band in proper early-’80s combat dress, with Rob “Wacko” Hunter looking as if the ice hockey shop lost a bet. The inner sleeve is better still: red type, small photos, credits crammed in like roadies into a Transit van. Then the Italian Base/Neat label turns up with its cream paper, yellow bolt, S.I.A.E. marks and NEAT 1011 print. The real collector dirt is lower down, where the label text and sleeve quirks start talking.

Album Front Cover Photo
Front cover of Raven's 'All For One' album, featuring three raised arms each holding a fencing sword, with the blades crossing against a black background. The band's name 'RAVEN' and album title 'ALL FOR ONE' are styled in red and white heavy metal typography within a red border.

The album cover of "All For One" by Raven is a stark and powerful image set against a matte black background. Three muscular arms rise up from the bottom of the frame, each gripping a silver fencing sabre. The swords intersect at their pointed tips, forming a dynamic triangular clash that dominates the center of the artwork.

The hands and arms appear from the bottom of the cover—left, center, and right—each emerging slightly offset, as if in mid-duel or pledge. The arms are rendered in realistic detail, with visible veins, musculature, and natural skin tones, suggesting strength, unity, and aggression.

Encasing the scene is a bold red-and-white border. At the top center, the band’s name, RAVEN, appears in stylized all-caps font, outlined in red with a lightning bolt slicing down from the "V"—a signature visual of the band's branding. At the bottom, the album title ALL FOR ONE is rendered in the same angular font, emphasizing the unity theme of the image while reinforcing the NWOBHM aesthetic.

The overall composition is both minimal and intense—communicating loyalty, brotherhood, and metallic energy with visual force fitting for an early-1980s heavy metal release.

Album Back Cover Photo
Back cover of Raven's 'All For One' LP featuring photos of band members Mark Gallagher, Rob 'Wacko' Hunter in hockey gear, and John Gallagher, with red-outlined track listing and logo on black background.

The back cover of "All For One" by Raven is presented in a high-contrast black and red layout, consistent with the album's aggressive NWOBHM visual style. Dominating the top half are three rectangular photo portraits of the band members, framed in bold red borders.

On the left is Mark Gallagher, wearing a black leather jacket with a white V-shaped insert, striking a serious pose with hands clasped in front of him. In the center is Rob 'Wacko' Hunter, dramatically outfitted in a black leather vest and a full white hockey helmet with a faceguard. He grips a pair of drumsticks like weapons, amplifying the “athletic rock” image. To the right is John Gallagher, sporting a white vest over a Raven t-shirt, his long black hair framing a stern expression.

Beneath the portraits, the track listing is split into two columns in heavy red font. The left column includes: Take Control, Mind Over Metal, Sledgehammer Rock, All For One, Run Silent Run Deep. The right column lists: Hung Drawn & Quartered, Break the Chain, Take It Away, Seek & Destroy, Athletic Rock.

At the bottom is the Raven logo and album title ALL FOR ONE, styled in the same angular red-and-white font as the front cover. In smaller print: “Made in Italy by BASE RECORD Bologna.” Production credits note Michael Wagener and Udo Dirkschneider under the pseudonym Double Trouble.

First Photo of Custom Inner Sleeve
Inner sleeve of Raven's 'All For One' album featuring band credits, thank-you notes, and six black-and-white band photos framed in red against a black background.

This inner sleeve of Raven’s “All For One” album presents a classic heavy metal layout—black background, red framing, and gritty black-and-white imagery. The entire design is anchored by a central block of red text crediting band members, production, and a long list of thank-yous to friends, crew, and fans worldwide.

At the top are bold red titles for each band member: Mark Gallagher (Guitar, Heterodynes, Megatrem), Rob Hunter (Percussion with Ultra Wacko), and John Gallagher (Vocals, Eight String, Four String & Trem Basses, Taurus Pedals). A humorous line credits them as “The Fresh Fish Choir.”

Six black-and-white photographs, each bordered in red, are arranged along both sides of the sleeve. These images include live performance shots, studio sessions, and behind-the-scenes moments. Highlights include Rob “Wacko” Hunter behind the drum kit in a full live setting, Mark and John playing their instruments, and the band members gathered around a mixing console with engineers.

The text section includes extensive shout-outs to road crew, producers Michael Wagener and Udo Dirkschneider, various fan clubs, and supporters from the UK, Netherlands, USA, and Italy. A special thanks is extended “to ALL RAVENLUNATICS EVERYWHERE!”

The bottom credits the artwork to "Maggi" and photos to Robert Ellis and others, with costume thanks humorously directed to Rock City Music, Bazaar Costumes, and even a drum store. The design is functional but full of character, capturing the chaotic, community-driven spirit of the band’s NWOBHM ethos.

Second Photo of Custom Inner Sleeve
Inner sleeve of Raven's 'All For One' album featuring the full printed lyrics in red text for all tracks across four columns on a black background, framed by a red border and the Raven logo at top.

This inner sleeve from Raven's “All For One” album is a no-nonsense visual archive of the entire album’s lyrics. It features red text printed across a matte black background, divided into four tight columns that cover the full tracklist from beginning to end.

At the top center is the RAVEN logo in stylized white and red, with a lightning bolt slicing through the letter “V.” Below it, each song title is clearly marked in uppercase, followed by its full lyrics in compact red type. Tracks included are: Take Control, Mind Over Metal, Sledgehammer Rock, All For One, Run Silent Run Deep, Hung Drawn & Quartered, Break the Chain, Take It Away, Seek and Destroy, and Athletic Rock.

The text is surrounded by a sharp red rectangular border, which adds structure and emphasis to the minimalist yet aggressive layout. The aesthetic perfectly matches the band's heavy metal energy—clean, focused, and direct. There are no images or credits, only lyrics—presented like a lyrical war manual for fans to shout along with.

This sleeve is both practical and atmospheric, emphasizing the band’s straightforward, high-energy ethos while giving fans a way to engage deeply with the music’s content.

Side Two Close up of record’s label
Raven 'All For One' Italy vinyl LP Side Two label with yellow lightning bolt graphic, black text listing five tracks, production credits, and label logos for base record and neat records.

This close-up photo shows the Side Two label of Raven's 1983 LP "All For One", issued in Italy by Base Record under license from Neat Records. The label has a cream-colored background overlaid with a bold yellow lightning bolt that slashes across the center, reinforcing the band’s raw NWOBHM energy.

At the top, the base record logo is printed in serif font, above the stylized RAVEN band logo featuring a bolt through the "V." Below the album title are the track listings for Side Two:

  • Hung Drawn and Quartered – 5:17
  • Break The Chain – 3:46
  • Take It Away – 3:36
  • Seek and Destroy – 3:49
  • Athletic Rock – 4:42

To the right, the speed and catalog info reads 33 RPM stereo NEAT 1011. At the bottom, production credits name Michael Wagener and Udo Dirkschneider as producers under “Double Trouble.” The text confirms the record was made in Italy.

The large neat records logo curves along the bottom edge, and surrounding the perimeter is a copyright warning in small print. This label design delivers a clear, functional layout while maintaining Raven’s visual aggression and collectible appeal.

All images on this site are photographed directly from the original vinyl LP covers and record labels in my collection. Earlier blank sleeves were not archived due to past storage limits, and Side Two labels are often omitted when they contain no collector-relevant details. Photo quality varies because the images were taken over several decades with different cameras. You may use these images for personal or non-commercial purposes if you include a link to this site; commercial use requires my permission. Text on covers and labels has been transcribed using a free online OCR service.

The Ultimate Gallery and Discography of RAVEN's Vinyl LP Albums in the NWOBHM Genre

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Newcastle speed freaks turn French vinyl into a glorious metal fistfight

RAVEN - All For One

Raven's "All For One" lands like three lads from Newcastle trying to win a bar fight with amplifiers. Released in France by Bernett Records in 1983, the band's third album pushes NWOBHM into faster, nastier territory, mixing speed, aggression and enough battered melody to keep the whole racket dangerously memorable. Not subtle, thank heavens, and all the better for it.

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Three blades, one oath, and Raven running loose on Italian Neat vinyl

RAVEN - All For One

Raven’s 1983 "All For One" is NWOBHM with the brakes cut: John Gallagher’s bass clanking like loose machinery, Mark Gallagher throwing sparks, and Rob Hunter hammering away as if subtlety owed him money. Produced under the Double Trouble banner by Michael Wagener and Udo Dirkschneider, this Italian Base/Neat pressing adds a fine collector twitch.

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A live NWOBHM furnace where Raven turn sweat, speed and chaos into vinyl

RAVEN - Live at the Inferno

Raven’s "Live at the Inferno" catches the Newcastle trio in full 1984 flight: fast, sweaty, sharp-edged NWOBHM with no patience for polite behaviour. This Dutch RoadrunneR double LP throws "Take Control", "Mind Over Metal" and "Rock Until You Drop" into the fire, with Raven producing their own glorious stage racket.

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Atlantic Gloss, NWOBHM Bite, And One Gloriously Loud Locker-Room Disaster

RAVEN - The Pack Is Back

Raven’s "The Pack Is Back" catches the band in full Atlantic-era mutation: still powered by NWOBHM sweat, but now pushed through Eddie Kramer’s bigger, shinier 1986 production. The title track charges hard, "Gimme Some Lovin’" gets a cheeky metal makeover, and the whole thing sounds like Raven trying to outrun the polish machine.

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Raven Bares Its Teeth Again On A Nasty Atlantic-Era Metal Slab

RAVEN - Life's A Bitch

Released in 1987 on Atlantic, "Life's A Bitch" catches Raven clawing back grit after the glossy wobble of "The Pack Is Back". Produced by Raven and Chris Isca, this late-eighties NWOBHM/hard rock LP bites hardest on "The Savage and the Hungry", the title track, and "On the Wings of an Eagle".

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Raven Goes Atlantic, Sweaty, Shiny, and Still Dangerous

RAVEN - Stay Hard

Released in 1985, Raven's "Stay Hard" catches the Newcastle NWOBHM trio at their Atlantic Records turning point: cleaner, louder, and shamelessly aimed at the bigger metal market. Produced by Michael Wagener and Raven, it keeps the athletic metal charge alive through "Stay Hard", "On and On", and the reworked "Hard Ride". Polished, yes. Tame? Not quite.

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Raven go full-voltage on this Italian Neat Records blast

RAVEN - Wiped Out

Raven's "Wiped Out" captures the Newcastle trio tearing NWOBHM into faster, nastier speed-metal territory. This 1982 Italian Neat Records LP, complete with its bonus 7" single, has the raw Keith Nichol production, frantic sleeve artwork, and collector bait that makes a crate-digging hand suddenly stop behaving normally.