The Raven Age is a melodic metal band from London UK. The band was established in 2009 when founding members and guitarists, Dan Wright and George Harris began developing their vision of a band that combines contemporary heavy music with powerful melodic vocals to create a unique and epic sound. George Harris gave us some interesting facts about music and the way things function in the mighty music world. Check it out...
Hi, this is George Harris from The Raven Age. We're a relatively new band established in 2013 and based in London UK. We've released one self titled EP and since had the privilege of touring with and play alongside bands such as Mastodon, Gojira, Tremonti, Anthrax, Ghost, Delain and obviously we're currently on the Book Of Souls world tour supporting Iron Maiden.
Your first official self titled EP was released two years ago, and only recently you recorded a video for ''Angel in Disgrace''. What took you so long?
We actually released two live cut videos, one for Angel In Disgrace and one for Eye Among The Blind. But as this tour came up we realised it was time we had a professional video out. Before this, budget was a big factor in taking so long. We saved up for quite a while and also managed to get some good deals regarding location etc.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kvb8QPiA6Lk
How would you describe your music, beside that what we can read in bands description?
I think our music is a lot more than just metal or melodic metal. It's very dynamic. Dan and I, as song writers are influenced by not only metal bands but also film score and more theatrical pieces of music. We're open minded when it comes to writing and I think this shows within our sound. Also the length of most of our tracks suggests the influence in more epic/progressive music.
What are your main lyrical themes?
So far, the subjects for everything I have written seem to be based on the power of the mind and what it can do. I find it fascinating what people have done in the past and continue to do to each other all because of conflict in beliefs and traditions. Also, more personal songs, lyrically, are all revolved around my mindset and how things affect me. Which is the best way to attract the audience and how important the lyrics are from that point of view? I think lyrics are a very important part of songs as people can relate them to their own lives, which makes them really feel a connection to a song or band. But personally I believe that the melodies are even more important than the lyrics. You don't necessarily need to know the lyrics to get enjoy a song (Dan Wright is testament to that haha)
What would you single out as the biggest success so far in your career?
It's definitely how well we've been going down on this tour. The comments we're continuously receiving and engagement from fans is far beyond what we'd ever hoped for. This spurs us on and gives us motivation as a band to keep going and reinforces the idea that we can actually do this.
How active are you in terms of social networks, and how do you look at this kind of bands promotion? We're extremely active on social media as we feel it's very important. Simple things like replying to messages from fans go a long way, so we do our best to keep on top of it. Also regular posts and pictures keep people informed and aware of what the band is up to.
Lots of musicians say that the Internet has destroyed the music industry. What is your opinion about it?
I don't think it's destroyed the music industry, it's just made it a lot more difficult for bands to make money. CD sales have obviously dropped significantly as everything is streamed or downloadable. This means that if some bands get to a certain level and don't progress higher, it's extremely difficult to sustain a career because one of the main revenue streams has pretty much been taken away, income is all from touring and merchandise now. On the other hand, it's a brilliant way for up and coming bands to share their music with the world and to get noticed. It makes your band so accessible and you can pretty much build a fan base online. Growing up with the internet around, we're definitely in favour, I don't know how on earth we would arrange anything without it.
What are yours pros and cons regarding illegal downloading of the music?
Again, being a new band, all we want right now is to spread the word and our band to gain attention, so illegal downloading isn't particularly a problem for us it's more of a tool to utilise and hope that the downloads turn into ticket and merch sales. But I can totally understand why established bands have a problem with it, it's essentially stealing people's hard work. How much nepotism is present in music and what are its effects on the careers of young bands. I can only really speak for myself and my band. Obviously we're on this tour because of our connection with Maiden, which has helped us gain profile and progress as a band. But I have no doubt in my mind that we won't just fall off the face of the earth after this tour. We've had to prove that we can stand on our own two feet opening up for such a huge band and I believe we're doing that.
You are currently on tour with Iron Maiden. What are your experiences so far?
We've literally been around the world, mostly flying on Maiden's Ed Force One, which is an experience in itself. We've been to countries that we would never have dreamed of even going to, let alone playing shows to thousands of metalheads. Some places we've played have been a first for Maiden too which is very special to be a part of. We've experienced the crazy South American fans, Surfing in Australia, Ice Hockey games in Canada, the Great Wall of China, Football matches in 8 different countries, Safari in Cape Town and that's about all I can think of right now haha. Basically, it's been an unbelievable tour. Performing with Iron Maiden is surely a big thing, but also it brings a lot of responsibility, is that correct? Definitely. The Maiden fans are renowned for being one of the toughest audiences to please, so we felt a lot of pressure to fill the spot. We've been overwhelmed at how well we've been going down everywhere. I've seen some of my favourite bands get booed, bottles thrown, backs turned to them, middle fingers and all sorts. So the fact that overall we've been received so positively is amazing.
Lauren Harris and her band opened the show for Iron Maiden last time 'Maiden' played in Split Croatia, and now you and your band have that honor. Do you see any symbolic fact in this?
Not particularly. We are our own band, totally different to what Lauren was doing and totally different to Maiden, so apart from the obvious family ties I don't think there is really a connection.
In European leg of The Book Of Souls World Tour you will be opening for Iron Maiden in Croatia also. Do you have any message for Croatian audience?
Make sure you come down early to check us out. I can guarantee you we'll give you plenty of energy on stage. We've never been to Croatia before and can't wait to get there and play for you all! See you on 27th July.
What are your plans after the tour ends?
We're playing Bloodstock Festival in the UK 8 days after we get home. Then, go straight over to Ireland for the first time to support Mastodon. After this our main objective will be our debut album. We've recorded the album already and are in talks with some labels, so we're deciding how release it and when to get it out there but it'll definitely be this year.
Thank you for your time, and see you in Split, Croatia, July 27th!
