ALBUM REVIEW: Exile – The Raven Age

Periods of reflection allow the creative minds to explore new avenues and discover new passions. Nothing could be more true for British metal band THE RAVEN AGE. Vying to show another facet of themselves, the band release their passion project Exile on September 17th.

On paper, Exile is an amalgamation of new and reimagined material bound together by the haunting beauty of the acoustic treatment. As well as seven studio tracks, THE RAVEN AGE offer up the sweet nectar of four live tracks to the stop the gap between shows. While these inclusions show the incredible momentum this band had going for them before their last shows opening for ALTER BRIDGE, this feels unnecessary and confuses the album.

With this in mind, the main focus here is the alternate version of this metal band. Reanimations of songs is nothing new, with bands such as LINKIN PARK and HALESTORM paving the way, yet THE RAVEN AGE make this prospect their own. The bulk of Exile lies with reimagined versions of fan favourites from 2019’s Conspiracy. There is a trepidation that the original incarnations of these songs haven’t had their moment in the spotlight. Considering this, THE RAVEN AGE welcome us to Exile with two brand new tracks.

Melancholy No Man’s Land takes the dejection the band felt about the cessation of live shows and imprints it onto a bare bones tale of woe. “They clipped my wings now I cannot fly” Matt James laments over lusciously morose guitars. A state of limbo would normally feel flat and empty, but the addition of vocal harmonies and a subtle electric guitar opens up this world and encourages to bloom beyond purgatory. This flows into the magnificent Wait For Me. Subdued vocals blend seamlessly with whispered guitar to create a bountiful soundscape of loss and devastation.

Devastation rules the thematic roost with the eight minute saga Fireflies. Moving away from the typically sad nature of acoustic renditions, Fireflies fills us with the same dread of the original. This expansive story of escaping a war torn home feels poignant now considering current events.

The sense of emptiness and rumination Fireflies leaves us with drives the album forward to introspection. A Look Behind The Mask examines a mind lost in anguish. Small elemental wind sections blow this soundscape apart, leaving us vulnerable to sown seeds of existential dread. Dragging us further into the ruminating rabbit hole, Dying Embers fuels the fire of overthinking. Brooding vocals paint the picture of living in isolation “surrounded by the weeping of the sea”. This isn’t an alien picture to us, but the reminder of solitude batters our tender souls.

At its crux, Exile is a passion project created for fan service. If you’re familiar with THE RAVEN AGE’s material and crave the other dimension, Exile is one for you. The inclusion of the live tracks at the end of the album may open up a window into the typical energy of this band, but they feel tacked on to fill space. They’re amazing renditions of their original material but don’t fit the concept of Exile. Excluding those, this is a record guaranteed to help you appreciate what it means to reflect on yourself.

Rating: 7/10

Exile is set for release on September 17th via EX1 Records.

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