RAVEN – Screamin’ Down The House 1985-1988 [HNE / Cherry Red 4 CD Box Set] (2025), MP3+FLAC

Here’s in exclusive at  the new Hear No Evil / Cherry Red Box Set “Screamin’ Down The House 1985-1988” from mighty rockers RAVEN, comprising 4 albums and an EP from the English band who were very much part of the NWOBHM movement of the late 1970s and early 1980s.

So here’s the thing about Raven. You either get it, or you’re one of the absent-minded person who think metal peaked with The Black Album. The world’s got no shortage of posers, but if you know, you know.
Raven were never ones to sit still. Too heavy for the mainstream, too wild for the purists, they tore through the ’80s like a runaway train – sometimes crashing, sometimes flying, but always moving.
”Screamin’ Down The House (1985-1988)” is a 4-CD testament to what happens when a band’s got the chops but the industry wants to dress them up in glitter. Yeah, it was 1985, and you needed to sound ‘glam metal’. While early fans of the band hate this second half of the ’80s Raven era, they produced some darn good albums and catchy songs.
On the first two discs we have ‘Stay Hard’ (1985) and ‘The Pack Is Back’ (1986) where the production’s cleaner than a dealer’s nose at a posh London club. But don’t let that fool you – underneath, the heart of Raven is still pounding like a speed freak’s pulse. Mad solos, hooks sharp enough to rip flesh, and moments of sheer unhinged joy. We love these albums, especially ‘Stay Hard’.

Completing CD 2, there’s Raven’s ‘lost’ EP titled “Mad” (1986). The band recorded the EP in a few days with a much rawer sound than ‘The Pack Is Back’ released a few months earlier. “Mad” was done with songs Atlantic didn’t approved for ‘The Pack Is Back’, and to show the fans that Raven still was a wild metal band.
“Mad” has never been re-released on standalone CD, only appeared as bonus tracks on other Raven CD reissues. It’s really nice to have it here in this Box Set.

On Disc 3 is placed “Life’s a Bitch” — a return to the dirt, the filth, the Raven that makes you want to break things just for the fun of it. “Overload,” “Pick Your Window” – it’s like they woke up, dusted off the bullshit, and decided to out-thrash half the scene.
Finally on CD 4 we have the quite unheard for many ”Screamin’ Down The House” (1985-1988). This is the band at their weirdest, wildest, and occasionally most compromised. But even at their worst, they were louder, faster, and meaner than the industry could handle.

This collection isn’t just nostalgia – it’s a document of a band refusing to be boxed in. It’s a reminder that, no matter the trends, Raven always played like their lives depended on it. Loud, fast, and full of attitude – just as metal should be.
Highly Recommended

DISC ONE / STAY HARD (1985)
1 Stay Hard
2 When The Going Gets Tough
3 On and On
4 Get It Right
5 Restless Child
6 Power And Glory
7 Pray For The Sun
8 Hard Ride
9 Extract The Action
10 Bottom Line

 

DISC TWO / THE PACK IS BACK (1986)
1 The Pack Is Back
2 Gimme Some Lovin’
3 Screamin’ Down The House
4 Young Blood
5 Hyperactive
6 Rock Dogs
7 Don’t Let It Die
8 Get into Your Car
9 All I Want
10 Nightmare Ride
MAD EP (1986) ✔
11 Speed Of the Reflex
12 Do or Die
13 How Did Ya Get So Crazy
14 Seen It on The T.V.
15 Gimmie Just a Little

 

DISC THREE / LIFE’S A BITCH (1987)
1 The Savage And The Hungry
2 Pick Your Window
3 Life’s A Bitch
4 Never Forgive
5 Iron League
6 On The Wings of An Eagle
7 Overload
8 You’re A Liar
9 Fuel to the Fire
10 Only the Strong Survive
11 Juggernaut
12 Playing with the Razor

 

DISC FOUR / NOTHING EXCEEDS LIKE EXCESS (1988)
1 Behemoth
2 Die for Allah
3 Gimme A Break
4 Into the Jaws of Death
5 In the Name of The Lord
6 Stick It
7 Lay Down the Law
8 You Got a Screw Loose
9 Thunderlord
10 The King
11 Hard as Nails
BONUS TRACK:
12 Kick Your Ass

John Gallagher – basses, lead vocals
Mark Gallagher – guitar, backing vocals
Rob Hunter – drums
Joe Hasselvander – drums, backing vocals (disc 4)

MP3 FLAC