20 Best Metal Albums Of 2017 (So Far)
15. The Raven Age - Darkness Will Rise
If you took the growls and breakdowns out of metalcore, you'd basically get The Raven Age: an entirely clean, modern callback to the classic New Wave of British Heavy Metal.
The band's full debut, Darkness Will Rise, dropped back in March, almost three years after they released their self-titled EP. However, despite the length of time it took for it to hit shelves, the album proved worth the wait, continuing what the EP started by expanding on massive melodies, powerful guitars and fast rhythms.
In a move that will surely be loved by rock n' roll traditionalists, Michael Burrough's wholly clean lead vocals drive the album out of the almost cliched realm of the metal growl. However, the instrumentals are anything but old, keeping up with the ferocity of modern metal with magnificent drumming and masterful work on the six strings.