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The Broken Ravens – M2TM 2026

The Broken Ravens – M2TM 2026

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Band name: The Broken Ravens

Location: Stornoway, Isle of Lewis

Genre(s): Metal
Inverness Heat: https://www.eventim-light.com/uk/a/64e4bd9fe21f656bd75a0c93/e/694896a2f8f7324019a2c947

One of the most remote acts of this year’s M2TM Scotland, The Broken Ravens bide in the North West Isle of Lewis. As you can imagine, it isn’t the epicenter of heavy music, but they have made it work.

“We’ve all been in bands for years and Lewis is a small place” the band states.

“Getting the band together was easy as we were all good friends. We never had any intention of playing any gigs, just jam covers we’d never get away with on the local pub circuit. We’d practice religiously every week just to hang out. A local promoter asked us to support a visiting band, and we were then asked to showcase in Inverness and the rest is history.“

“Our only challenge is our location, good in the fact we have our own rehearsal space- Shabbey Road – a garage at my house in Stornoway. Bad- costs a fortune to leave the island before we even plan a tour, and at the mercy of the ferry.“

But this rugged location hasn’t stopped them from getting out and about. Indeed, they’ve trekked further than many of their home country contemporaries.

They enthuse: “Touring the States is incredible!“

“The band is very well received and we have so many great friends there now. Derek and I spent a lot of time in LA with a previous band many years ago, and I’d always kept in touch with people we met there in the industry. I reached out to a few venues and we played covers gigs and sold a lot of t shirts to fund our adventures.“

“People in the islands are amazing and support us even though heavy metal isn’t the most popular genre. Local businesses supported us too and once we did the first trip, we’ve been fortunate enough to return 5 times, playing bigger venues and topping the trips before. It’s much easier to get shows in LA than in Scotland!“

The US seems to have become somewhat of a second home to the band. Not only have they graced its stages, but they even set about recording across the water. Most recently, they put together their upcoming single, Blood.

“The song Blood is loosely based on the novel Interview with the Vampire” they explain.

“It’s one of the very first songs we wrote and never recorded, but is always a live favourite and it’s more accessible. We’ve been asked countless times over the years why we have never recorded it!“

“Recording in LA was pretty amazing, one of four songs we put down in Treehaus Studios. Our first time working with a producer which was a real eye opener as he had us try out ideas that we wouldn’t normally have tried. We recorded in Laurel Canyon a few years ago, and that totally shaped the songs when we had a reality check of the studio we were in and the history surrounding the area.“