The Raven Age have released their brand new single ‘Serpents Tongue’, the latest song to be taken from the forthcoming album Blood Omen out July 7th via Music For Nations/Sony Music.
Heavy and raging, ‘Serpents Tongue’ is a fiery melodic metal anthem. The epic, self-produced video finds the band performing the song in a ghoulish manor house to soundtrack a demonic dinner party hosted by the Raven King.
“‘Serpents Tongue’ from the off felt like a very special track for us,” says singer Matt James. “It’s that perfect balance between melodic and heaviness. There are so many different styles going on, but they all work and complement each other as a whole.”
Guitarist George Harris continues, “‘Serpents Tongue’ is one of our favourites from the album and we knew it’d be a single straight away. Conceptually, the song is about deceit and lies, how you can only truly trust yourself and the loneliness that comes with that.
“The music video was shot at Revesby Abbey in Lincolnshire, which is an old derelict manor house that was also used to house American fighter pilots during the war. The concept is a play on the title ‘Serpents Tongue’ and is based around the character Medusa. We wanted to create a B-movie horror theme, in a haunted house/Addams Family style and have some fun with it. So that’s where the idea of having other creepy characters like the mummy, werewolf and three eyed man came from. They’re all invited along to a dinner party for the weird and wonderful, Medusa is taking orders from the Raven King and turns the guests to stone.”
‘Serpents Tongue’ follows the highly-praised release of ‘Parasite’, the gargantuan lead single from Blood Omen. And the band’s forthcoming third album pushes everything further than ever before. The choruses are made for arenas, the riffs are taut, direct, and go straight for the jugular. It all makes for a grand musical stage on which the record’s concept plays out.
Following the theme of its two predecessors, 2019’s Conspiracy and the band’s debut Darkness Will Rise in 2017, the raven motif looms large, this time centring on the overthrowing of old masters in Blood Omen, with the band’s Raven King character coming to prominence.
To capture all this on record, the band enlisted the help of long-term producer Matt Hyde (Slipknot, Machine Head, Bullet For My Valentine) to lay down the album’s framework, before setting to recording the rest of the album themselves. The final mastering was put into the treasured hands of Mika Jussila at Finnvox (Nightwish, Children of Bodom, HIM).
BLOOD OMEN TRACK LISITING
Changing Of The Guard
Parasite
Serpents Tongue
Essence Of Time
Nostradamus
Forgive & Forget
The Journey
War In Heaven
Tears Of Stone
Blood Omen is a strong, focussed, and ambitious work from one of the most rapidly rising metal bands in Britain, and live in concert they solidify this status. They have performed over 400 shows internationally across 38 countries including major festival performances such as the main stage at Download Festival, Rock in Rio, Wacken, Hellfest and many more, as well as touring with the likes of Killswitch Engage, Volbeat, Shinedown and Alter Bridge.
With the release of ‘Serpents Tongue’ the band have announced a headline UK and European tour running throughout autumn 2023. Tickets will be available on pre-sale with pre-orders of Blood Omen from 10am Wednesday 12th April. General sale will begin on Friday April 14th at 10am.
Ahead of the autumn tour, The Raven Age will be touring arenas across Europe and the UK with Iron Maiden. They have also been announced to perform at a number of major European festivals this summer including Germany’s Rock am Ring, Belgium’s Graspop Metal Meeting, Return Of The Gods Festival in Italy, Sweden Rock as well as Metal Days in Slovenia.
The band will also play two headline warm up shows ahead of the summer tour. These will take place at The Booking Hall in Dover on May 23rd and Chelsea in Vienna on May 26th. Full tour dates are listed below. Now, watch this raven soar.
THE RAVEN AGE TOUR DATES 2023
May
23rd – Dover, The Booking Hall
26th – Vienna, Chelsea
28th – Ljubljana, Arena Stozice *
30th – Prague, O2 Arena *
31st – Prague, O2 Arena *
June
2nd – Nuremberg, Rock Im Park
3rd – Nürburgring, Rock Am Ring
4th – Tampere, Nokia Arena *
7th – Bergen, Koengen *
9th – Sölvesborg, Sweden Rock
11th – Leipzig, Quarterback Immobilien Arena *
13th – Krakow, Tauron Arena *
14th – Krakow, Tauron Arena *
15th – Dessel, Graspop
19th – Zurich, Hallenstadion *
21st – Hannover, Zag Arena *
23rd – Czech Republic, Basinfirefest
24th – Switzerland, Heavy Load Festival
July
8th – London, O2 Arena *
11th – Amsterdam, Ziggo Dome *
13th – Antwerp, Sportpaleis *
15th – Milan, Return Of The Gods Festival
18th – Barcelona, Palau Sant Jordi *
20th – Murcia, Estadio Enrique Roca *
22nd – Bilbao, Bizkaia Arena Bec! *
25th – Dortmund, Westfalenhalle *
29th – Frankfurt, Festhalle *
31st – Munich, Olympiahalle
August
1st – Lake Velenje, Metal Days Festival
2-5th – Wacken Open Air Festival
*supporting Iron Maiden
