Raven: Screamin’ Down The House (1985-1988), 4CD REVIEW

So here’s the thing about Raven. You either get it, or you’re one of the poor bastards who think metal peaked with The Black Album. The world’s got no shortage of posers, but if you know, you know.

Raven were never ones to sit still. Too heavy for the mainstream, too wild for the purists, they tore through the ’80s like a runaway train—sometimes crashing, sometimes flying, but always moving. Screamin’ Down The House (1985-1988) is a 4CD testament to what happens when a band’s got the chops but the industry wants to dress them up in plastic. You get glimpses of absolute insanity—the speed-fueled riffage, John Gallagher’s banshee wail, that reckless energy that made them kings of the underground—but also the creeping stink of major label meddling.

Stay Hard and The Pack Is Back:  The production’s cleaner than a dealer’s nose at a posh London club, and some of those tracks sound like they’ve been dipped in commercial gloss. But don’t let that fool you—underneath, the heart of Raven is still pounding like a speed freak’s pulse. Mad solos, hooks sharp enough to rip flesh, and moments of sheer unhinged joy.

Then there’s Life’s a Bitch—a return to the dirt, the filth, the Raven that makes you want to break things just for the fun of it. “Overload,” “Pick Your Window”—it’s like they woke up, dusted off the bullshit, and decided to out-thrash half the scene.Screamin’ Down The House (1985-1988) is the band at their weirdest, wildest, and occasionally most compromised. But even at their worst, they were louder, faster, and meaner than the industry could handle.

This collection isn’t just nostalgia—it’s a document of a band refusing to be boxed in. It’s a reminder that, no matter the trends, Raven always played like their lives depended on it. Loud, fast, and full of attitude—just as metal should be.
Score 8/10