Band:	The Raven Age
Album:	Blood Omen
Style:	Melodic groove metal
Release date:	July 2023

01. Changing Of The Guard
02. Parasite
03. Serpents Tongue
04. Essence Of Time
05. Nostradamus
06. Forgive & Forget
07. The Journey
08. War In Heaven
09. Tears Of Stone

The cake is a lie. 

The Raven Age are a band that have, thus far, made a name for themselves owing to who they know rather than what they play. While this is the price you pay for a foot in the door in the music industry, eventually these projects have to stand on their own two feet (or learn to fly in The Raven Age's case, I guess), and that brings us to the band's fourth and latest effort, Blood Omen. While the group may not yet be soaring, they are slowly gaining more altitude with each release, catching a few gusts that push them to their highest points yet, and making for an enjoyable, if not the most remarkable, record. 

Blood Omen reminds me a lot of rich chocolate cake: a sweet and addictive snack when enjoyed in small portions, but it can quickly become sickly if you overdo it and binge on it. Where The Raven Age err is on the side of diabetic-inducing levels of sweetness with their melodic metal offerings, overdoing it to the point of being off-putting. Still, as mentioned, in small portions, it can be a highly enjoyable snack, and Blood Omen (so red velvet cake, maybe?) is no different. "Nostradamus" and "Forgive & Forget" certainly hit the spot perfectly, offering up two of the band's best work to date, with their mix of melody and power at its apex. "Serpents Tongue" and "Essence Of Time" may not reach the same heights as the two aforementioned tracks, but there is still plenty to sink your teeth into. 

The rhythm section of Patel and Cox provide a solid base upon which the real flavour can be found, namely in the guitar icing. Harris and Gentry are the band's main strengths, to the point that one of the shortcomings of the album is that they aren't allowed to flourish more. "Nostradamus" is as good as it is because they are given a longer leash to work with, nailing the mix between melody and power perfectly. 

Alas, once you have indulged yourselves with those slices, you'll find the rest of the cake hard going. As Def Leppard once sang, "Pour Some Sugar On Me", and damn it if Matt James didn't take that lesson to heart, as his performance and parts are far too saccharine for my tastes. "Tears Of Stone" sees James contrast poorly against a heavy metalcore track with his overly melodic and over-emoted approach. While this ying-yang sonic partnership can work, James isn't able to bring enough to the album to make it work, leaving songs unbalanced for the most part. 

As I've gone so far into the cake metaphor already, I might as well binge on it now. The cake is cooked unevenly, with several slices being undercooked or missing any flavourings. "The Journey" appears to be the chosen slow song, and is not so much a work of inspiration, but of obligation. 

Still, the cake is well presented, with the album having a strong production that fits the sonic aesthetic that the band aims for well. The choruses pop out of the speakers to really push them at the listener, while the guitars have the perfect balance between power and heaviness. If there were to be one shortcoming, it is that the bass is largely lost in the mix, though this is merely the cherry on top rather than a vital ingredient. 

Now, after all that, I'm hungry, so I'm off to have some cake.