Lead guitarist, Ragnar Ravensblood worked with Flight of Odin from December 2020 into September 2021.
Ragnar ‘s combination of perfectionism and diligence served as assets to Flight of Odin’s musical development from 2020-2021.
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Ragnar learned his first three chords on the guitar from his father at the age of nine. He would listen to and learn any music that had a guitar part. Learning entirely by ear, Ragnar honed many tunes his dad had shared with him... from Johnny Cash to Andre Segovia.
As a young teen, he discovered Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck on his own. You can hear the influence of all three guitarists from the Yardbirds in his playing.
Further influences included Randy Rhodes, Santana, Van Halen, Allen Collins, Steve Morse, Gary Moore, Pat Metheny, Satriani, Vaiand many others.
In the late ‘70s Ragnar played gigs in the Philadelphia area with his band, Quest and recorded his first LP in 1980. Soon thereafter, he performed gigs in Philadelphia with a band called Anaerobic Infection, and was often a guest player with other bands.
After a hiatus in music to peruse other interests, he took up the guitar again after moving to Maryland. Bands he played lead guitar for included The Hanging Chads and 50 Years After, gigging in the DC Metropolitan area.
Ragnar brought to Flight of Odin a breadth of experience and style that covered everything from early blues rock to progressive metal shredding. His arsenal of choice included PRS and Gibson guitars, Mesa amplification, D’Addario strings and Dunlop Ultex picks.
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Unfortunately, due to a technical fiasco at Recording Arts Studio, and a 4 hour round-trip commute to rehearsals, Ragnar changed direction and moved away from the album project Flight of Odin had in the works.
Along with bassist, Andrew Cann and drummer, John Wagner, Ragnar added verve and precision to Xyra’s unique compositions, which we still appreciate and remember.
