Space Raven
Space Raven (CD) 2005 None
I have no reason to doubt that Space Raven is Tasmania's only doom band. Apparently they're named for an as-yet-publicly-unheard 40 minute space drone tune, and although these days they strive for more of an early Electric Wizard doom/space/sludge mix, the rather poor production and amateurish playing cuts them off at the knees. Sadly, this adds some unintentional humour to their efforts at dark sonic voyages. Still, they're not afraid to stand alone, financing this release out of their own pockets, so props for that. 'Battles, Heroes, Witches and Women' starts out with a vocal sample that sounds kind of like Burgess Meredith before launching into the body of the song, which can best be characterized as a flailing trainwreck, with primitive drums barely keeping the whole thing together. The claustrophobic vocals sound like early Penance/Dream Death. 'Phased Spiral of Anti-Matter' is a low-key break that might be played at a space rock festival, but unfortunately it's too long. 'Black Trance Dream' is the most successful track on the album, coming closest to that sludgy doom holy grail. The cover of this release is a cool line drawing recalling the lysergic 70s days of Europrog, kind of reminiscent of the 2066 and Then album cover. And although this disc rates an overal "try again," it is not without it's moments. If you're into the above-mentioned E. Wiz. or Ramesses, YOB or old Hawkwind, then you may hold out hope for their next effort, which will hopefully benefit from a bit of spit n' polish. Contact: metal_liege (at) yahoo.com.au	1. Battles, Heroes, Witches and Women 2. Phased Spiral of Anti-Matter 3. Black Trance Dream Approx. 15 minutes
Reviewed by: Kevin McHugh