There is a stream of deep black magma from the South of Australia coming in as Raven Black Night are back with Run With The Raven, their first new take after the 2013 Metal Blade release Barbarian Winter. Originating from the Australian city of Adelaide in 1999, Raven Black Night have been taking the underground scene by storm with their atmospheric live shows and straightforward attitude ever since. Not only did they have the opportunity to play various festivals across Australia and Europe throughout the years, they even got to be supporting act for hard rock legends Uriah Heep that Raven Black Night themselves have often been compared to. With two long-players released prior to the upcoming opus, the band contributes to an already two decades spanning legacy. Whereas Raven Black Night’s early work has been heavily influenced by Black Sabbath, the noticeable impacts have diversified with each output and now emerge into the ode towards doom metal and its traditional roots in blues rock that is Run With The Raven. Picture Muddy Waters almost drowning in thick, heavy lava but kept afloat by Geoff Tate, who set out to introduce the iconic slide guitar to some good old, classic heavy metal. The LP’s first single Sheeba (Queen Of The Ravens) will have both old and new fans thrilled for the upcoming release – sharp vocals in the manner of Paul DiAnno or Ian Gillian accompany the raw, organic production of the song that reminds the listener of the days when overly polished productions were still an oncoming and at times even unpleasant prediction. The mystical road that led band leader and songwriter Jim Petkoff to creating Sheeba also connects his past as a fan and his presence as an inspired musician: “I had this melody in my head for ages and it drove me crazy. I finally put some chords behind it after I got a vision of the North American Indian landscape. See, Sheeba is like a priestess with powers of seduction and wisdom. The first time I heard the word Sheeba, though, was when Jimi Hendrix whispers it on Third Stone From the Sun – an ever so haunting experience. I just wanted to have that haunting stretch out into the future a bit more!” Dealing with the synergies of male and female souls in a highly spiritual manner while diving deep into ancient times of ages long past, Run With The Raven brings familiar emotions to a romantic light by partnering lyrical naturalism with heavy instrumentals that express the feelings of longing and loving just perfectly. It’s doom metal just as it should be: heavy as fuck with a sense of Jim-Morrison’esque spiritualism carved in.