Hailing from the European country of Portugal, Raven Soul is a band that has aspects of 80’s gothic rock and modern goth metal. While I don’t have too much of a background in 80’s gothic rock, I can say this band is quite enjoyable. They come on in a fury with some melodic moments. There are moments where I can hear influences of bands like Him, Type O Negative, Lacuna Coil and many others in similar styles.
The band consists of Marcio 'Mac' Caetano (vocals), Carlos “Jamaika” Moreira (bass), Giancarlo “P.E.“ Rosa & Hugo Costa (guitars), Ricardo “Desga” Duarte (drums) and Nelson “Prigo” Gomes (keyboards). Together this band creates some very enjoyable high energy music.
100 Bleeding Hearts is a short yet a perfect length for this style of music. So you get 35 minutes of music, which wets your palate for more. I certainly hope that this band’s future is a very bright one. I have a feeling they’ll be playing all the great festivals in Europe and become a household name like the aforementioned bands. There is one song that I really enjoy on this album, the last track, “Chaos” (5:32) which is more in tune with the goth-metal element I fondly enjoy.
So in closing, if you like gothic rock or metal, Raven Soul is the band for you. I can’t wait for what’s next from this band. I know it’ll be on my radar. While this isn’t progressive in any sense, it is an important new band with endless possibilities. I would recommend this for those that like the darker side of music.
Reviewed by Ron Fuchs on October 6th, 2010
