Formed in Calgary in the Spring of 2016, Ravenous are a power metal 5-piece whose sound hinges on the speed-metal infused intensity of the early days of the genre. Eschewing the more Disneyfied synths and sanded down guitar tones of recent years in favour of thunderous percussion and shredding solos, second album Hubris is a musically accomplished and ambitious step for a band that are only just beginning to make a name for themselves.
‘Carnage in Carthage’ does what any good opening track should do, setting expectations for whats to come with its fast and heavy instrumentation. R.A. Voltaire‘s lavishly layered vocals immediately recall Hansi Kursch of Blind Guardian, though the frontman opts to stay in a comfortably commanding mid-range rather than reaching for glass-shattering highs. Lyrically the track recalls the likes of Sabaton, spinning a gritty tale of ancient warfare that culminates in a doomy but majestic chorus.
The next handful of tracks, including cosmically inspired lead single ‘Astral Elixir’, follow in a similar fashion. Thematically linked by the titular concept of Hubris, they offer a whistlestop tour through space, mythology and mortal combat, all punctuated by truly facemelting guitar solos. The musicianship on display throughout the album is so excellent that its possible to take it for granted within the span of just a few songs, as yet another breakneck drum beat or virtuoso lead line erupts into being. This is perhaps a consequence of the first 20 minutes or so of the album being ever so slightly one-pace, although to be fair that pace is very, very fast.
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So far so good, but its from fifth track ‘Bridgeburner’ onwards that Ravenous really show what they’re made of. The song in question has the feel and structure of a classic heavy metal epic. The vocal melodies are all of a sudden much more dynamic and theatrical, giving a more lively sensibility to the singing that aptly matches the intensity of the instrumentation. The first instance of relative tranquility comes from the customary acoustic break in the middle, but its employed judicously and the change in pace makes things feel even more energetic when they do speed up.
The second half of the record proceeds to display a much wider sonic variety, the balladic ‘March of Hunger’ opens with emotive harmonised lead guitars that immediately evoke Iron Maiden. Lyncanthropic banger ‘Claw is the Law’ incorporates Eastern European sounding melodies alongside a rougher vocal delivery and gang chants aplenty. ‘Onwards, Upwards’ is a soaring piano-driven ballad that just about manages to teeter on the right side of cheesiness, although one can’t help but feel it would have been better placed earlier in the album so as to give some breathing room during the opening salvo of 5-minute bruisers.
Its closing track ‘…Of Beasts and Faust’ though, where the band really flex their creative abilities. Immediately drawing attention with its 10-minute long runtime, this opus manages to hit the sweet spot – containing enough substance and variety to maintain attention and avoid falling into repetition but melding them together deftly enough that it does not feel like a clumsy patchwork of ideas. Building slowly from its acoustic intro across four distinct movements before closing with a fittingly bestial crescendo, it will be interesting to see if Ravenous continue in this vein of epic songwriting in their future endeavours.
From its more meat and potatoes opening to the more expansive and varied material of the latter half, Hubris delivers plenty that fans of old-school power metal will love. Rather than simply taking the easy road and writing 10 similarly structured songs, Ravenous build on their foundations and clearly aspire towards the majestic, the grandiose and the epic – and for the most part they succeed.