Proceeding directly after the events of “Year Of Our Lord”; “The Raid” tells of the Yavapai-Apache men who kill the adults in the farmstead after gaining word from the watcher. They take only the weapons and the children, so that the Yavapai-Apache people can raise them as their own to help during the Yavapai Wars. In the attack, they take a five year old Miguel O’Brien. Soundtracking the attack is a rowdy, triplet-filled spaghetti western instrumental with reverb crackling (most likely a Danelectro Spring Pedal used to similar effect on “Hot Wax”) and the sounds of metal clanging. According to a Happy Magazine article with Broderick Smith, Miguel O’Brien’s kidnapping was based on Comanche raids in the 1800s. “I based [the story] on that and that’s what they wanted.” The song is a springy rock track with notable tremolo picking, upbeat drums, and a variety of sound effects. While we don’t know a lot about the specifics behind Eyes Like the Sky’s creation, the 2018 liner notes state that chapter one was written by Broderick the same day the band sent him early versions of “Fort Whipple” and “The Killing Ground.” It was released on February 22nd, 2013.
The first known performance of “The Raid” was on 2013-10-16 at Red Bennies in Naarm (Melbourne) which was featured on the third episode of the show ABABCd. The band would play the song again a few days later on 2013-10-19 at the Corner Hotel also in Naarm. These performances of the song do not feature Broderick Smith’s narration and are instrumental renditions of the track. During a performance on Triple R Radio on 2013-11-13, Broderick joined the band for “The Raid” and provided narration. Five years later on 2018-12-01 during Gizzfest at the Royal Melbourne Showgrounds, Broderick Smith returned to the track for what would be his final performance of the song. The band played it on 2023-06-21 at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles as a tribute to Broderick, his narration played over the PA.