Raven frontman John Gallagher has issued a new video message updating fans on his recovery after undergoing emergency brain surgery earlier this year. Less than two months ago, heavy metal trio postponed their summer/fall 2025 European tour so Gallagher could undergo treatment for a subdural hematoma.
In his latest video update shared on Monday (6th), Gallagher expressed:
“Hey, I’d just like to give everyone an update on how I’m doing. But before we get to that, I’d like to put out a huge, huge ‘thank you’ to everyone who wished me well, sent me messages, kept my spirits up, sent me jokes, but basically were there for me through the whole hospital ordeal and all that stuff. So thank you very, very much. Thank you to my family, to my close friends who were right there for me. I couldn’t have done it without you.
But I’m getting better. It’s taking time. I’m still seeing doctors, getting tests done and all that good stuff, but we’re getting there. Unfortunately, not fast enough for us to do the Frost And Fire festival on October 24th in Ventura, California. We’ve had to cancel, and I’m sorry, but I’m just not strong enough to pull off doing what we do at the level that you expect us to do. It’s a shame, and it adds even more debt to what we’ve got from the European tour, but that can’t be helped. If we’re gonna do it, we’re gonna do it right. But, on the positive side, like I said, I am getting better. We’ve got loads of new material that we’ve been putting together before I had the accident, and I’m starting to review it and add to it. We’ll be doing a new album and we will be touring. So 2026 is going to be a banner year for Raven. We’ll be out there and we’ll see you very, very soon to kick your ass in 2026. So watch out.”
The tour postponement was first announced on August 23rd, when the band explained Gallagher had been admitted to the hospital on August 12th with a severe headache. After scans revealed a brain bleed, he underwent two surgeries. While his recovery meant rescheduling the European trek, Raven reassured fans that the band would return “stronger than ever” in 2026.
