Raven vocalist and bassist John Gallagher has opened up about the severe health scare that forced the band off the road last year. In a new interview with “Metal Mayhem ROC,” the musician discussed his recovery from emergency brain surgery following a bleed on the brain, a condition that led to the postponement of the band’s 2025 European tour.
With a North American tour scheduled to launch on March 18 in Louisville, Kentucky, Gallagher 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 (as transcribed by Blabbermouth).
While Gallagher is eager to perform, the road back to playing shape wasn’t immediate. He admitted that the neurological impact of the injury initially affected his ability to play his instrument.
“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.”
The gravity of his survival is not lost on Gallagher. 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.”
With both brothers ready, Raven plans to make up for lost time with an aggressive touring schedule and plans for new music.
“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.”
Last year in August, After being hospitalized with a subdural hematoma, John Gallagher released a video message for the fans, announcing the postponement of the band’s upcoming European tour.
“Hey there, everybody,” Gallagher said at the time. “Not the video I wanted to make, but here we are. So, as you can see, I’m in the hospital and there’s my metal horns.” He reassured fans that he is recovering well, but admitted he wouldn’t be able to handle the rigors of a tour. “I’m just not strong enough, and as you know, our show is all about strength,” he said.
Raven‘s tour postponement was first announced in a joint statement from John, guitarist Mark Gallagher, and drummer Mike Heller. They described John‘s condition as a subdural hematoma, which is a brain bleed that requires surgery.
The statement concluded with a promise to fans that Raven would return “Stronger than ever!” John echoed that sentiment in his video, saying: “Once I’m ready, we will come back better than ever. So thank you all and we will see you very soon. Rock until you drop.”
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
