10 Great Rock Music Acts Who Were Too Far Ahead Of Their Time

Uniquely (and most unfortunately), Max Raptor seem to have been both too early and too late to capitalise on the right audience for their brand of punk rock. The Burton-on-Trent punk group formed in 2006 but didn’t put out a full release until 2011’s ‘Portraits’. Officially viewed as a debut album but sometimes referred to as an EP, this brutal Brit-punk release should have put the world on notice with its cutting political connotations and raw delivery. Unfortunately, it came out in the middle of a large lull period for UK punk, just after the hardcore scene of the mid-2000s had died down and a few years before the punk revival was championed by the likes of Soft Play (F.K.A Slaves) and IDLES. Had 'Portaits' come out three years prior or later, it may have been a different story. 

Looking back now, Max Raptor had quite the resume, making their struggle to break the glass ceiling all the more heartbreaking. The band made their Download Festival debut in 2010, while also sharing a stage with the likes of The Stranglers, Billy Talent, and Cage the Elephant. However, these victories never strung together and they couldn't catch the mainstream eye.

Max Raptor released their third and latest/final album in 2016, before disappearing off the face of the earth in 2018. They never officially broke up, but for each day their absence persists it becomes less likely we will hear from them again. A truly unworthy ending for such a great band.