Ryan's Gig Guide - August 2019

We caught up with the band recently crowned “Best Metal/Punk Band” at the Black Country Music Awards... Ross gave us the lowdown of the band...“Dave and I started Eyes of the Raven back in 2009, with the notion of putting some life back into the scene, we knew what we wanted to write, groove laden metal, so we did, and we call it Beer Metal. Eyes Of The Raven are: Dave Horan (vocals) Ross Pickett (Guitar), Craig Preston (bass), Phil Harris (Drums), Luke Simms (Guitar) Luke is the new boy, however he has been involved with the band for many years. Whilst the line-up has changed over the years, we believe this is the strongest to date.We have a great balance of talent, and we all have respective roles to play outside of the studio. I think that many forget that its not just about writing and playing songs, in an unsigned band you need to wear several hats at once, marketing, design, finance, logistics and merchandising to name a few, it becomes a small business. We were all born and raised in the black country so it's hard to deny the past 40 years of influence from the likes of Black Sabbath and Judas Priest, However with that said we draw from a wider array and are influenced by so many iconic musicians that have come and gone, there’s also inspiration from classical, country and blues mixed up with it.We understand that music is what personifies so many people, we like to bring down the walls and make it for all, yeah were a metal band but our music is listened to by all walks of life, music doesn’t discriminate.” Has your music evolved much over time? “With the introduction of new members comes a new set of influences or styles that are brought to the band. Our playing has definitely gotten a lot more technical in the last few years which has been organic growth over conscious writing, we definitely like to keep things grounded and let inspiration take us when it arrives, if it sounds and feels right then we go with it.“ Any new material on the way or planned? “Yes, to be honest we never stop writing, we always have ideas and concepts and jamming sessions.We are planning to play the lovely folks at Bloodstock a new song from the next EP which is due out 2020.” What did winning the BCMA award mean to you? “Winning a BCMA for Best Metal Band couldn’t have come at a better time for us, we have worked hard to get our music in front of the right people, and this award validates our ability to deliver.There are a lot of fantastic Metal bands around us at the moment, most of them consist of friends or people we have shared a stage with over the past decade, some of which were in the same categories “ Any upcoming shows? “In Aug we play the mighty Bloodstock on the 9th and TnT in Nottingham on the 31st, September 13th we play a Bloodstock showcase at the Giffard Arms and of course our annual Deadbangers Ball in October again at Ye Olde Foundry.”  www.eyesoftheraven.com Photo by Crescent Imaging www.crescent-imaging.co.uk Check them out in our Spotify playlist www.ryansgigguide.com/audio  www.ryansgigguide.com rgg Aug 2019 27