An early and influential band in the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement, Raven are a group whose lean, tough sound helped anticipate the rise of thrash metal, though they preferred to describe their energetic and physical sound as "athletic rock," inspired in part by their habit of wearing sports gear on-stage. Emerging in the late 1970s, Raven rode the crest of the NWOBHM movement with their 1981 album Rock Until You Drop, which is considered a classic of the genre. The band struggled to adapt to the '80s pop-metal scene, and eventually returned to the no-frills sound that first won them favor. Despite experiencing injuries, lineup changes, and shifting popular music tastes, the group endured well into the next century, issuing their 13th studio LP, ExtermiNation, in 2015, and followed with Screaming Murder Death from Above: Live in Aalborg in 2019.