Book of Covetous Souls

High Roller Records releases “Book of Covetous Souls”, the only studio album by Austrian thrashers Ravenous, which was released in 1991, in a remastered edition with four bonus tracks.In the late 1980s, the Austrian metal scene was small and traditionally oriented. “When we started, there were actually no thrash metal bands,” recalls frontman Jochen, who switched from drums to guitar in 1985 and co-founded Ravenous (named after Voivod’s ‘Ravenous Medicine’). After expanding to a quartet, Ravenous opened shows for Sodom, Bolt Thrower and Coroner, who were among their influences alongside Anthrax, Metallica and Sepultura.“Book of Covetous Souls” was produced by Mekong Delta’s Ralph Hubert, who was impressed by the band’s live performance after seeing their show. The artwork was the first record cover by the now renowned artist Joachim Luetke, while the music was also to make an international impact: “Since our reunion, people have been telling us how awesome they think the album is,” says Jochen. “We’ve even had positive feedback from Japan, Portugal and Brazil.”In fact, Ravenous have remained active since their reunion at Kaltenbach Open Air 2014. “Right after we had performed, we received requests for further shows.” The forgotten thrash gem “Book of Covetous Souls” is the perfect way to bridge the gap while the band works on new material – including tracks originally intended for their second album in the 1990s.