Music For Nations (MFN) and Phantom Management have revealed their lofty ambitions for The Raven Age ahead of the band's imminent new album.
Out July 7, Blood Omen is the rock five-piece's third studio LP overall and their first since signing to Music For Nations/Sony in late 2022.
MFN has overseen some of the biggest rock and metal success stories of recent years, including Tool’s Fear Inoculum (42,119 sales, OCC) and Porcupine Tree’s 2022 album Closure/Continuation (20,698 sales), which peaked at No.4 and No,2, respectively. nd label director Julie Weir said achieving a Top 10 record with The Raven Age is a realistic goal.
“If we get a Top 10 record, I’ll be very, very happy,” Weir told Music Week. “If we get higher than that, I’ll be ecstatic. If we don’t get Top 10, we know there’s more building to do and we’re here to build careers, not just smash and grab.
“When I first started in this industry 30 years ago, which is terrifying, it was generally about a two to three-year turnaround for artists to break. Now, it’s about five to seven and a lot of investment. So being able to cut through the noise and be seen, heard and respected is no mean feat. I can’t wait to take this to the next level. I really want to see them get the success that they deserve.”
I wouldn’t call them a metal band, because I think that can pigeonhole acts and they’ve got a lot of possibilities musically
Julie Weir
The Raven Age have released two albums: 2017’s Darkness Will Rise (via BMG) and 2019’s Conspiracy (Corvid), as well as 2021 extended-play Exile (EX1), and have notched up tens of millions of streams worldwide.
The Essex quintet's current line-up is Matt "MJ" James (vocals), George Harris (guitarist) Tommy Gentry (guitar), who joined full-time last year, Matt Cox (bass) and Jai Patel (drums). Speaking in the latest issue of Music Week, Weir stressed that MFN views the group as a rock act rather than a metal act.
“They’re not a metal band by any stretch of the imagination,” she argued. “They’ve got heavier elements, but I wouldn’t call them a metal band, because I think that can pigeonhole acts and they’ve got a lot of possibilities musically.
"Tommy is a classically trained pianist and guitarist, which leans into a lot of stuff and it’s sync gold, and that is a very important part of the industry these days. What I really want to see them doing is writing a soundtrack. That’s what I’ve got in the back of my head.”
Phantom MD Dave Shack said the ultimate objective for the campaign was to elevate the hard-touring group to a new plateau.
“A third album says a chunk about a band already,” he told Music Week. “They’ve been around the world, they’ve got a great partner now in Julie and the guys at Sony, and now is the time for the hard graft, a bit of luck, and to just see these things through. I look at bands and go, ‘Is there a star in the band?’ Well, there are two or three in The Raven Age and that’s good enough for me.”
What has really impressed me is the number of people that have Raven Age tattoos and who also wear their merchandise. That’s when you know you’re onto something
Dave Shack, Phantom Management
Second album Conspiracy even yielded a Top 40 US Radio single in the form of Fleur De Lis, which has almost 14m plays on Spotify. The band have around 242,000 monthly listeners on the platform, and Shack has been stirred by the dedication of the group's fanbase.
“I’m a guy who doesn’t believe that streaming a record makes you a fan - that’s not a transaction that I judge you by," he said. "You’ve got to have bought music, or merch, or concert tickets, then you’re in the game. If you’re just streaming us passively, I don’t think that counts.
"What has really impressed me is the number of people that have Raven Age tattoos and who also wear their merchandise. That’s when you know you’re onto something."
Since forming, the group have played with a host of the biggest names in rock and metal, including Alter Bridge, Killswitch Engage, Mastodon, Iron Maiden, Volbeat, Tremonti and Godsmack. They have also performed slots at festivals such as Download, Rock In Rio, Wacken and Hellfest.
“Live is something that we are going to be concentrating on a lot,” said Weir. “That was one of the things that won me over – seeing them at a show at Shepherd’s Bush and being absolutely gobsmacked at the level of engagement. You could helicopter them onto an alien planet, dump them there and they’d be speaking with the locals in about half an hour. They are so engaging and genuine, and I think that level of authenticity and personality is really important.”
The Raven Age, whose live agent is Sharon Richardson of K2, are in the midst of a slate of summer festival dates, with a support slot on Maiden's The Future Past Tour also to come. A UK and European headline tour, meanwhile, is booked for the autumn at venues like Lafayette in London, La Maroquinerie in Paris and The Legend Club in Milan.
“We’ve got to make sure that this album has got two years in it, minimum,” added Shack. “That means we’ve got to get around the world in two years. The guys have delivered a brilliant record. They make incredible videos, which are way above their station, in my opinion, and now it’s just about whether we can join those dots and really start to move them forward this year, all over the world.”
Subscribers can read the full interview, also featuring the band's James and Harris, as well as co-founder and manager Dan Wright, here.
