(written by Islander)
Ravenmocker will be a new name for most of you. They are a melodic death metal band founded in Southern California just this year by guitarist/vocalist Tom Tierney (formerly of Thrown Into Exile), joined by guitarist George Patmas (ex‑Dianthus), drummer Dylan Suierveld (Levinia), and bassist Will Buckley (Levinia, Anubis).
The band preview their music by identifying influences that include Children of Bodom, Insomnium, Amon Amarth, Kalmah, and Dark Tranquillity, but they also identify unexpected flavors brought into their collaborative songwriting process by each member — including aspects of country, jazz fusion, blues, funk, and classical choral music. And they were motivated in part by “a desire to carve out a culturally rooted identity inspired by Native American lore”.
To introduce themselves to the global metal community Ravenmocker will be releasing two singles — “Infallible” and “Where the Raven Flies” — that lead into their first EP, and what we’ve got for you today is an official video for the first of those songs, “Infallible“.
From L R: Dylan Suierveld, George Patmas, Tom Tierney, Will Buckley (photo by Kim Moran)
Tom Tierney drew from his own personal experiences in writing the song, and he describes its themes in these words:
“Infallible” tells the story of a man who has spent too long in darkness, giving everything to an entity that never gave anything back. The track captures the moment he finally walks away, choosing growth, clarity, and self‑determination over turmoil. Musically, the song is energetic and uplifting, while lyrically, it remains cold, rigid, and emotionally raw. This contrast reflects the duality of stepping into a new future while still carrying the weight of resentment, anger, and frustration.
The single’s cover art by Tullius Heuer mirrors those themes: “A lone figure stands in the ruins of a devastated city, surrounded by collapsed towers and shattered structures. Amid the destruction, a statue of a raven remains standing, wings spread, defiant, symbolizing resilience, rebirth, and the courage to rise from ruin.”
In this song Ravenmocker set the hook immediately with a vibrantly darting melody that will quickly remind listeners of Finnish melodic death metal greats, and every time that high-flying (and very catchy) melody line reappears it’s an electrifying experience. But so’s the rest of the song.
It’s driven by hard-charging, head-hammering drums and nimble bass lines, and by riffing that both channels a feverish pulse (one that’s a variation on that opening melodic motif) and delivers slashing savagery. The vocals magnify the song’s ferocious intensity, venting the words in an intersection of cutthroat snarls and raging screams.
This will get your blood pumping, and to repeat: it’s damned catchy too.
“Infallible” was produced by Tom Tierney and Alex Nasla, and it was mixed and mastered by Alex Nasla at Waveform Studios. To pre-save the song, and for more info about Ravenmocker and their activities, check the links below.
SPOTIFY PRE-SAVE:
https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/ravenmocker/infallible/
MORE INFO:
http://www.ravenmocker.net/
http://www.instagram.com/ravenmockerofficial
http://www.facebook.com/ravenmockerofficial