The Raven Age, one of UK metal’s most exciting young bands, have released their third album, ‘Blood Omen’, with strings recorded at ICMP’s Queen’s Park campus.
Jai Patel, ICMP Drums alumnus, is a member of the band and studied with ICMP tutor Audrey Riley who worked on the arrangements.
The group, who feature George Harris (guitar), Matt Cox (bass), Matt James (vocals) and Tommy Gentry (guitar) alongside Jai, have released two critically acclaimed albums to date, including debut ‘Darkness Will Rise’ and ‘Conspiracy’.
Commenting, Jai said: "I do a lot of the arrangements at home, just working with a midi keyboard, then I showed a few things to the guys in the band and sent some ideas to Audrey. She would change some elements, and there are some bits that she kept the same - which is good to know - she taught me well!”
Audrey said: "The band came to me and asked me if I could orchestrate them, work on them, expand them and record them."
It’s been really amazing, a lovely circle to join up, for a student who studied how to do this to come back and for us to work on a project now that Jai is out in the professional industry with his band."
"ICMP is very good at making that connection between teaching, learning and academic research and the industry."
'Blood Omen' was released on 7th July and is already picking up rave reviews with Kerrang! Magazine saying: “'Blood Omen' isn’t simply a rehash of this masterfully tight metal band’s first two releases. It forges ahead, introducing better melodies, finer songs, and more than anything, a real sense of emotion.”
The five-piece's third studio album is their first since signing to Music For Nations/Sony in late 2022 and you can catch the band on tour across the rest of the summer.
Visit their website for more details:
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We've been developing and delivering contemporary music education for over 30 years – longer than any other music school in the UK. With a proven track-record, countless music industry connections and unrivalled access to facilities, it's easy to see why hundreds of students choose ICMP each year.
To completely immerse yourself in your music career, chat with our friendly Admissions Team via email enquiries@icmp.ac.uk or give them a call on 020 7328 0222.