THE RAVEN AGE, the U.K.-based melodic metal band featuring IRON MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris's son George Harris, will release "Exile" on September 17 via Explore1 Music Group/EX1 Records. The album is a beautifully curated selection of songs featuring 11 tracks, including two new original songs, plus fan favorites from their 2019 release "Conspiracy" as well as hand-picked live tracks from tours in front of massive audiences in Chile, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States.
"The concept for 'Exile' is something we had been toying with for a while," says vocalist Matt James. "We had done alternate acoustic style versions of songs before and the response was so positive it made us think about doing a whole album this way! Obviously, THE RAVEN AGE is first and foremost a metal band but due to the melodic nature of our songs they can lend themselves to this kind of treatment. We were pleasantly surprised how great so many of the songs sounded stripped back to their bare bones."
He continues: "Each reimagined song has now taken on a new life of its own and gives the listener a completely different perspective from them. The two new tracks, 'Wait For Me' and 'No Man's Land', were a homage to this project's concept and we hope it shows people the band's versatility and different dimensions. 'Exile' is a passion project for our fans in between albums and with the current climate of the planet, it gave us the perfect excuse to roll with it!"
Track one and lead single "No Man's Land" is out now with an accompanying lyric video. George Harris recalls on writing the track: "'No Man's Land' is a song reflective of the mental state I was in when everything hit at the start of 2020. The band had a huge couple of years touring wise and had built up so much momentum, the morale in the camp was higher than ever before. Our last gig of 2019 was at the London O2 arena alongside ALTER BRIDGE and SHINEDOWN, so to go from those heights to nothing was devastating for us."
"We're at the stage in our careers where we rely on that momentum and buzz to keep us reaching forward, and to have the rug pulled from underneath us left us in a state of limbo where we suddenly didn't know if everything we'd built so far and worked so hard for was all for nothing."
THE RAVEN AGE has also announced a streaming event, "The Year The World Stood Still". The show will take place on Thursday, September 16 in celebration of "Exile"'s release. With the ongoing pandemic complicating travel plans, the band wanted to ensure that fans all around the globe could experience the "Exile" premiere first-hand. The band will be accompanied by a string quartet and pianist and the night will include a live question-and- session with THE RAVEN AGE. Tickets for 'The Year The World Stood Still' are available now here.
"Exile" track listing:
01. No Man's Land
02. Wait For Me
03. Fireflies
04. As The World Stood Still
05. A Look Behind The Mask
06. Dying Embers
07. Hold High The Fleur De Lis
08. Seventh Heaven (Live In Santiago)
09. Angel In Disgrace (Live In Los Angeles)
10. Surrogate (Live In Vancouver)
11. Forgotten World (Live In London)
THE RAVEN AGE is:
Matt James (vocals)
George Harris (guitar)
Tony Maue (guitar)
Matt Cox (bass)
Jai Patel (drums)
Photo credit: John McMurtie
