Released by: SPV/Steamhammer
Release Date: Out Now!!!
Genre: Heavy Metal
Links: http://www.ravenlunatics.com/
Line Up:
John Gallagher – bass, lead vocals
Mark Gallagher – guitar, backing vocals
Joe Hasselvander – drums, backing vocals
DVD 1 track listing:
Documentary (approx. 190 min)
The whole story feat. Live Concert footage, interviews and photos
* Featuting 14 songs from 1982 up to present: “Tyrant Of The Airways”, “Faster Than The Speed Of Light”, “Crash Bang Wallop”, “Take Control”, “On And On” and many more
* Exclusive interviews with: Lars Ulrich (METALLICA), Michael Wagener (producer), Dee Snider (TWISTED SISTER), Chuck Billy (TESTAMENT), Dave Ellefson (MEGADETH) and many more
* Slideshow
* Photos throughout the years
DVD 2 track listing:
Extras (approx. 90 min)
* 7 extra songs
* 5 full edits of songs: “Crazy World”, “Hellpatrol”, “Lambs To The Slaughter”, “Architect of Fear” and many more
* 19 minutes of extra footage, interviews and studio outtakes
NTSC
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Region Code: 0 (All)
Sound: 2.0 Dolby Digital
Length all: approximately 280 minutes
Since stumbling upon the album Life’s A Bitch all those years ago, Raven have been a band near and dear to my heart. NWOBHM legends Raven are one of the most unique and rocking bands in my music collection and one that I have spent hours taking in their music, yet one of those bands whose history has been mostly unknown to me. That is until now with the release of their first ever documentary DVD collection entitled Rock Until You Drop: A Long Day’s Journey. I damn near forgot about this coming out until I started seeing posts about it being released on John Gallagher and Joe Hasselvander’s Facebook pages. As soon as I was reminded I went online and ordered it.
I felt like a kid in the candy store the day it arrived in the mail. I was as excited about this DVD as I was when I first got to see Anvil: The Story of Anvil when it came out. Ironically, both bands tend to go hand in hand for me. Though neither band sounds anything at all alike, for whatever reason they both are in the same spot in my heart in regards to being favorites. Just like their music, neither movie compares to the other. Whereas Anvil’s story was bittersweet, Raven’s tale, though full of some crushing lows, is an upbeat story. Another difference was Raven went for the more pure attack with Rock Until You Drop where it’s as raw as the band are. I so appreciated this approach to it. Some people may not like it, but I found the way the interviews were done and intermingled with some rare live footage made for a more enjoyable viewing. I tend to watch movies and stuff while doing other things, but this time I was completely drawn in by the story of their meager beginnings, their rise to popularity, and hearing their story not just from their mouths but from those who, for whatever reason, rose to greater prominence in the industry like Lars Ulrich, Dee Snider, as well as fans of the band whose love of their music is so evident on the screen. I absolutely loved watching this set. My only complaints was for whatever reason (and it may have been my screwy player) the “Play All” feature never seemed to really work, so after each chapter it went back the menu, and I would have to navigate to the next section. Also, after years of major abuse to my ears at loud heavy metal shows I typically rely on subtitles to catch some of the lower dialogue, and there were no subtitles available (and that really isn’t much of a complaint as I just used it as an excuse to crank up the volume a little more.) The first disc is the movie, and there is a second disc with extra live footage and interviews. I devoured both in one night.
Raven fans, if you haven’t added this DVD to your collection, then what the hell are you waiting for? Buy the damn thing already! Sheesh! Seriously though, much love to Joe, John, and Mark for the years of awesome music, and for getting this out to the public. It was such a pleasure learning the history of this incredible band- a band that I hold very dearly in my heart.
Written by Chris Martin
Ratings Chris 9/10
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