Upcoming RAVEN show

[big mouth]

RAVEN are gonna make their return at the upcoming KIT fest... what kind of set do you expect? Wouldn't be killer to have them performing the first 3 albums AND nothing else?
I'm still under the shock to see that J. PANZER are gonna perform the whole "ample" album...after having ignored most of the songs from the album that built their legacy over the years....

[Guest_Kiss of Death]

I will not be able to be there, however I hope they will play a selection from ALL their albums ! Why only the first 3 ? There are some killer songs on Nothing exceeds...., everything louder, Architect of Fear, even on Stay hard and Life's a bitch. Like SAXON, RAVEN is one of the few metal bands who never disappointed in their whole career. Athletic rock forever !!!
and they're even more killer live than in the studio

[EricStav]

I have always loved RAVEN, but let's face the facts; the first 3 RAVEN albums are by far their best work and they will never come close to matching these moments of brilliance. To say that RAVEN have "never disappointed" is a ridiculous statement as the "Stay Hard" and "The Pack Is Back" era was a TOTAL SELL-OUT! Hell, even RAVEN themselves have admitted this. However, the "Mad" ep, "Life's A Bitch," "Nothing Exceeds Like Excess," and "Architect Of Fear" were pretty darn good. "Glow" SUCKED BIG TIME, and the following records were just ok. I really wish RAVEN would go back to their roots and release a KICK-ASS record! Tho I have been disappointed by RAVEN several times, I still have not given up hope on them....

[Hugin]

Veto...

Actually I agree 100% with those who say that Raven never did disappoint them. Even "The Pack Is Back" was damn cool. Well, it for sure had a massive glam touch, but so fookin' what. If they do Glam Metal better than 95% of the Glam Metal bands around, then I'm perfectly fine with that. I also liked Priest's "Turbo", so I don't have any problem with that. Also, I made an interview with John, and while he indeed admitts, that the direction they took with that album was a mistake, he still seemed to be proud of some of the songs from that era. At least that was my perception, and I think he can be proud of that. About "Glow"... well, it had a massive Alternative-touch, but also in a good way IMO. And it contains one of the best Metal ballads EVER in my humble opinion: "Far And Wide", that is. The albums after that actually were "back to the roots" IMO, however, not quite the level they used to have. Still quite good for me, in the end.

But one thing's for sure: They never disappointed as a live act. Hell, I have seen them twice live and once on their homevideo, and man those guys kick ass live. One of the best live acts that I've ever seen. No doubt about that.

EDIT:

And about the question of the thread: Well, no, I don't hope they'll make a pure nostalgia-trip. They had some massive kick-ass-tracks on ALL of their albums, so I really do hope that they won't only play #1-#3. More classics than new tracks, of course, but not only the old stuff. And I'm quite confident they will also play newer songs, as the guys seem to be really proud of their newer material.

About the Panzer, well, they have enough time to play enough new songs, too, so I can live with that. Just as Agent Steel last year. As much as I like "Ample Destruction" or "Skeptics Apocalypse", I also love a lot of their new stuff, partly even more than some of the old songs, so I don't like it when "living" bands play a pure retro-show. That's the difference between working, active bands and some (thoroughly appreciated, yet mostly nostalgic) reunion bands. The ones have past, present and future to be proud of, while the others are relics from the past. I love those reunion-shows, don't get me wrong, but for active and vital bands, I prefer them doing a decent mix of all eras, maybe with a stronger focus on the classics for an old-school-occasion like the K.I.T.-festival.