During a recent appearance on the Mankato, Minnesota-based radio program “The Five Count,” Raven bassist and vocalist John Gallagher gave fans an exciting update regarding the legendary metal trio’s upcoming studio album. Arriving on the heels of their 2025 EP, Can’t Take Away The Fire, the highly anticipated full-length record is already taking serious shape.
Discussing the overall progress of the songwriting sessions, the frontman revealed that the tracklist is practically finished and recording will begin very soon.
“The EP really points to where the next album’s going to be, which we have pretty much all the songs written. We have an awful lot of songs, and I think we have everything we need. We just have to go through them and see what would be a good starter, what would follow that, what would be a good end and fill in the gaps. And we will probably be recording that in the summer, [around] July, August. So we’ll be able to, in our down moments on the [spring 2026 North American] tour, which won’t be many, we’ll be playing songs and going, ‘What do you think of this one? What do you think of that one?’ But I’m excited. The stuff we’ve got, it’s yet another step ahead — more intense, more melodic, more heavy, more crazy. A little bit of everything.”
Gallagher also confirmed that the group fully intends to hit the road hard in support of the new material once it officially drops.
“Yeah, we’re already planning for 2027. It’s looking really good so far. And I’m just excited to kick it all into gear, get it going.”
Because the band members are currently living in different states—with drummer Mike Heller residing in Texas, while both John Gallagher and guitarist Mark Gallagher live in Florida—the upcoming North American tour will provide the perfect opportunity to finalize the album’s visual details in person.
“We’ll be discussing title and cover idea for the new [album] when we’re out there [on the road]. Because we’re spread a little bit all over the map — Mike‘s [Heller] out in Texas, [Raven guitarist Mark Gallagher and I are] here Florida. But we shall be throwing ideas at each other.”
This massive burst of creative energy follows a terrifying recent health scare for the heavy metal pioneers. Last August, the group was forced to abruptly postpone their European summer and fall touring plans so the frontman could undergo emergency brain surgery.
In a recent interview with “Metal Mayhem ROC,” the musician discussed his recovery from emergency brain surgery following a bleed on the brain. Gallagher also confirmed he is ready to return to the stage, though he acknowledged the severity of the situation.
“I am certainly ready for it, after all our little trials and tribulations. I call 2025 our medical gap year. My brother [Raven guitarist Mark Gallagher] had an ankle replacement and a knee replacement, which were kind of planned, but me getting knocked on the head and being in the ICU for two weeks and bleed on the brain wasn’t planned. I’m just very, very lucky to pull through with it, with very little to show for it. Medically, I’m doing okay,” he said at the time.
He continued: “Well, with my thing, I’m currently still on anti-seizure medication, which is being reviewed later this week. We’ll see how we’re doing. But I was basically given the green light to do whatever only a few weeks after with the caveat that ‘you won’t be strong enough to do any of that.’ And they were right, ’cause [when] you get a head injury like that, it kind of sucks all the power out of your body to try and fix that. So it was humbling, put it that way. It took a hell of a lot out of me. But I’m doing pretty good now.”
He recalled the frightening moment he first tried to pick up the bass after leaving the hospital:
“And it was a little weird, a few strange things. As soon as I got back, I picked up a bass and started trying to play a few of my favorite Montrose riffs, and the fingers weren’t going where they were supposed to go. So I put it down for a day or two and came back and realized I was about 80% of what I should have been. And I just had to work real hard and getting back to where I am — currently a little better than I was before. So I’m happy about that.”
He described the issue as “totally mental,” noting that his fingers were simply “out of sync.”
“[It was] just a brain thing. Compared to a lot of people, I’m incredibly lucky. So it was just a small hurdle to work on, and it did scare me a little bit, but I was getting improvements almost immediately on that. And it only took a few weeks, and I got back to where I was supposed to be.”
He referenced the tragic death of Ace Frehley last October, who passed away following a fall at his home, as a stark reminder of how different his own outcome could have been.
“Believe me, very few moments go by where I’m not reminded [that] I could be where Ace Frehley is, and Ace could be where I am. God bless. I’m very, very lucky. My family, my friends, they’ve all been amazing. The doctors, the nurses, the whole deal.”
While John was dealing with his unexpected trauma, his brother and bandmate Mark Gallagher was undergoing long-overdue surgeries to address chronic pain.
“Well, the ankle, Mark needed the ankle for an awful long time. I mean, you guys have seen him running around like a crazy man, but you don’t see him curled up in a ball after the show. He’s been in a lot of pain for many, many years, and this is something he’s wanted to do. And [it was] basically bone on bone, no cartilage, so it really needed to be done. And the other thing that followed from that, of course, is all those years of compensating for the ankle with the other leg, and the knee got shot because of that. So he got both of them done. So he’s a little bit more metal than what he was before.”
“That’s pretty much our attitude, is we gotta make up for that lost time,” he explained. “So we will. This is a pretty extensive tour. We’re going out. It goes right through till May 3rd. Then on, I think it’s May 11th, we fly out to Europe and we’re gonna be doing about a 15-, 16-date run there. And then the second leg of that will start in September. And in between we are planning on recording a new album.”
2026 “Can’t Take Away the Fire” North American Tour Dates:
- March 18 – Louisville, KY @ Goodwood Whiskey Row
- March 19 – St. Louis, MO @ Red Flag
- March 20 – Kansas City, MO @ Westport Brewery
- March 21 – Oklahoma City, OK @ 89th Street Live
- March 22 – Dallas, TX @ RBC
- March 24 – El Paso, TX @ Pending
- March 25 – Mesa, AZ @ Nile Underground
- March 26 – West Hollywood, CA @ The Whisky A Go Go
- March 27 – San Luis Obispo, CA @ Humdinger
- March 28 – San Francisco, CA @ DNA Lounge
- March 29 – Reno, NV @ Club Underground
- March 31 – Portland, OR @ Dante’s
- April 1 – Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theater
- April 2 – Seattle, WA @ The Funhouse
- April 3 – Boise, ID @ The Shredder
- April 4 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Aces High Saloon
- April 5 – Denver, CO @ The Federal Theatre
- April 7 – Lincoln, NE @ 1867 Bar
- April 8 – Cudahy, WI @ X-Ray Arcade
- April 9 – Chicago, IL @ Reggie’s Rock Club
- April 10 – Columbus, OH @ The King of Clubs
- April 11 – Lakewood, OH @ Mercury Music Lounge
- April 12 – Hamtramck, MI @ Sanctuary
- April 14 – New Kensington, PA @ Preserving Underground
- April 15 – Brooklyn, NY @ The Woodshop
- April 16 – Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern
- April 17 – Ottawa, ON @ Rainbow Bistro
- April 18 – Quebec City, QC @ L’Anti Bar & Spectacles
- April 19 – Montreal, QC @ Piranha Bar
- April 21 – Albany, NY @ Empire Underground
- April 22 – Old Town, ME @ Old Town Theater
- April 23 – Manchester, NH @ Jewel Music Venue
- April 24 – Clifton, NJ @ Dingbatz (w/ Scarlet King)
- April 25 – Harrisburg, PA @ HMAC
- April 26 – Richmond, VA @ Ember Music Hall
- April 29 – Raleigh, NC @ Chapel of Bones (w/ Crimson Steel)
- April 30 – Greenville, SC @ Radio Room
- May 1 – Nashville, TN @ Exit/In
- May 2 – Atlanta, GA @ Boggs Social & Supply
- May 3 – Bradenton, FL @ Oscura
2026 European Dates
- May 5 – Herford, DE @ Kulturwerk
- May 14 – Heerlen, NL @ Nieuwe Nor
- May 15 – Lingen, DE @ Alter Schlachthof
- May 16 – Poperinge, BE @ Heavy Sound Festival
- May 17 – Ommen, NL @ Cafe Calluna
- May 20 – Malaga, ES @ Core
- May 21 – Barcelona, ES @ Sala Lennon’s
- May 22 – Valencia, ES @ Sala Zulu
- May 23 – Madrid, ES @ Sala Silikona
- May 24 – Bilbao, ES @ Sala Groove
