'Live at the Inferno' marks the last of the true 'Raven' albums for a while as remarkably they jumped on the commercial bandwagon after this release. Fortunately this is a good overview of their first three albums and E.P.s with a decent set list that includes nearly all of their classic NWOBHM cuts, 'Seek & Destroy', 'Inquisitor', 'Lambs to the Slaughter' and 'For the Future' are disappointingly absent though. Production wise 'Live at the Inferno' comes across fairly flat which takes the edge away from what are very good performances. The usual thunderous sounds seem to be tamed by filtering out the powerful sounds you associate with 'Raven' which leaves a damped down rawness that can get tiresome over nearly 80 minutes.

After a dramatic intro we are gifted a short burst of 'Live at the Inferno' which is also used to close the album, this in turn gives way to 'Take Control', not one of my favourites from 'All for One' and this live rendition doesn't convince me any further with it's disjointed flow and repetitive lyrics. Improvements are quickly made as they breeze though 'Mind Over Metal' which gives way to a faultless version of the title track from their EP 'Crash Bang Wallop'. Material from their first album is introduced byway of the title track, a little more rowdy than the studio rendition and despite 'Mark Gallagher's' superb vocals it doesn't better the original. The pace is further lifted for the punishingly brisk 'Faster than the Speed of Light' a very strong version with blazing guitar, relentless rhythm and screeching vocals. Plenty of Audience participation announces 'All for One' and they fail to disappoint with a thumping rendition which concludes with a screeching guitar solo entitled 'Forbidden Planet'. Next up is 'Star Wars' which doesn't come across as strongly as it might, which I put down to the production and inconsistent recording levels. Improvements are made with the double punch of 'Tyrants of the Airways / Run Silent Run Deep' which flow together seamlessly and match their studio counterparts in power and energy. Two surprise inclusions follow, that of the 'B' side 'Crazy World' and 'Let it Rip', the former is a decent effort but there are better 'Raven' songs they could have included, while the latter is a strong cut of a song which never made it onto an album. A mostly instrumental number titled 'I.G.A.R.B.O.' continues but this bass heavy effort doesn't impress. Thankfully the excellent single release 'Wiped Out' follows and flow and rips like the original and is complimented by superb screeching vocals especially on the chorus. The pace is lifted further for the thumping rocker 'Fire Power' one of the best tracks on 'Wiped Out' and this rendition lives up to expectations. Continuing in fine form is 'I Don't Need your Money' a cracking track from the debut and while it doesn't flow quite as well as the original it's still a fine offering. The quality continues with 'Break the Chains' which pulsates with energy throughout while 'Hell Patrol' is played fast and frenzied just as it should be. The album winds down with 'Live at the Inferno', personally I would have liked to of heard 'Seek & Destroy' here but this is a still strong cut.

Had the production been crisper this would have been a superb live album, as it stands it's a solid overview of an excellent yet overlooked band who should have found the same level of sucess as 'Iron Maiden', 'Saxon' and 'Def Leppard'.