Rage is a German
heavy metal band formed in 1984 by
Peter "Peavy" Wagner. They were part of the
German heavy/speed/power metal scene which emerged in the early to mid-1980s, and have been referred to as one of the country's so-called "big four" of
power metal
Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in contra ...
, along with
Grave Digger,
Helloween
Helloween is a German power metal band founded in 1984 in Hamburg by members of bands Iron Fist, Gentry, Second Hell and Powerfool. Its first lineup consisted of singer and guitarist Kai Hansen, bassist Markus Grosskopf, guitarist Michael W ...
and
Running Wild.
Rage was formed in 1984 under the name Avenger. After releasing their debut album ''
Prayers of Steel'' and their ''
Depraved to Black'' EP in 1985, the band changed their name to Rage because there was another band in England that shared the same name. Originally the new name was meant to be Furious Rage but it was eventually shortened to Rage.
13 musicians have been part of Rage over the years, with the most successful line-up being from the period now known as the Refuge years; this line-up featured
Manni Schmidt and Chris Efthimiadis. The second notable line-up was the one formed with
Mike Terrana and
Victor Smolski.
Through the years, Rage established themselves as a notably successful band and as pioneers of the power metal scene, including in their music elements of
progressive metal
Progressive metal (sometimes shortened to prog metal) is a broad fusion music genre melding heavy metal and progressive rock, combining the loud "aggression" and amplified guitar-driven sound of the former with the more experimental, cerebral ...
and
classical music. In 1996, Rage was one of the first metal bands to write and record an album with a full symphonic orchestra: ''
Lingua Mortis''.
Rage has released 26 albums (counting the "Avenger" and "LMO" releases) over the past 30 years (in total more than 50 releases counting DVDs, EPs, Japan editions, and VHS). A remarkable international success with more than five million records sold, Rage has had more than 40 music chart entries.
History
From Avenger to Rage (1984–1986)
Rage began in 1984 in
Herne when
Peavy Wagner (bass and vocals), along with drummer Jörg Michael and guitarist Jochen Schroeder, first got together under the name "Avenger".
Following the arrival of their debut album recorded in 1984, ''
Prayers of Steel'' released by Wishbone Records, followed by an EP ''
Depraved to Black'' in August 1985, Avenger changed their name and became Rage,
and got a record deal at
Noise
Noise is unwanted sound considered unpleasant, loud or disruptive to hearing. From a physics standpoint, there is no distinction between noise and desired sound, as both are vibrations through a medium, such as air or water. The difference aris ...
releasing their first official LP, ''
Reign of Fear'', on 12 May 1986.
Noise years (1986–1994)
On 11 May 1987 they released the album
Execution Guaranteed under the label
Noise
Noise is unwanted sound considered unpleasant, loud or disruptive to hearing. From a physics standpoint, there is no distinction between noise and desired sound, as both are vibrations through a medium, such as air or water. The difference aris ...
. In the same year they released their first official video clip "Down by Law" as well, introducing the new line-up with
Manni Schmidt and Chris Efthimiadis.
With this new line-up in 1988 the album ''
Perfect Man'' was released, having as a single the song "Don't Fear the Winter" which became a hit in the scene. The band began touring with
Running Wild,
U.D.O.,
Motörhead
Motörhead () were an English rock band formed in London in 1975 by Lemmy (lead vocals, bass), Larry Wallis (guitar) and Lucas Fox (drums). Lemmy was also the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band are often considered a prec ...
and
Saxon
The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic
*
*
*
*
peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country ( Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the No ...
. In 1989 Rage released the album ''
Secrets in a Weird World'', hitting the charts with the single "Invisible Horizons", also a highlight in the career of the band.
The early 1990s: their 1992 album ''
Trapped!
Trapped may refer to:
Films
* ''Trapped'' (1931 film), a crime drama short starring Lina Basquette
* ''Trapped'' (1937 film), an American western starring Charles Starrett
* ''Trapped'' (1949 film), a semidocumentary film noir directed by Richar ...
'' marked their international breakthrough, hitting the charts worldwide. As a result, the band performed their first major tour in Japan.
Their success was repeated in 1993 with the release of ''
The Missing Link''. This Album turned out to become one of the most successful and influencing of this era.
In early 1994, the guitarist
Manni Schmidt left the band and
Peavy Wagner formed a new line-up with Sven Fischer and Chris Efthimiadis's brother Spiros.
Two guitars years (1994–1999)
After the change in their lineup, in 1994 Rage went on to record their ten-year anniversary album called ''
10 Years in Rage
''10 Years in Rage: The Anniversary Album'' is the ninth full-length album released by the German heavy metal band Rage in 1994. It contains new material and previously unreleased tracks from the band's long career, as well the re-recording of ...
'', which was the last album released by Noise Records, and was not well promoted by the media. Rage signed with
Gun Records the same year and released the breakthrough album ''
Black in Mind
''Black in Mind'' is the tenth studio album by German heavy metal band Rage. Some tracks on the album such as "The Crawling Chaos" are inspired by the works of H. P. Lovecraft.
Track listing
Personnel
;Band members
*Peter "Peavy" ...
'', followed by a world tour and several chart entries worldwide. Especially in Japan and Europe, this album brought the band to a different, much higher level and still is seen as a classic of the genre.
The album ''
Lingua Mortis'', recorded in 1996, was the first album on which a metal act collaborated with a classical symphonic orchestra. Their material was performed live for the first time in late summer 1996 in
Kufstein
Kufstein (; Central Bavarian: ''Kufstoa'') is a town in the Austrian state of Tyrol, the administrative seat of Kufstein District. With a population of about 19,600 it is the second largest Tyrolean town after the state capital Innsbruck. The gr ...
, Austria. Subsequently, Rage and the orchestra embarked on a Christmas tour and played several European festivals.
Still in 1996, they launched one of the best albums of his career, End of All Days. With Higher than the Sky and other songs are considered some of the best Power Metal Album of his career.
In March 1998 Rage released their thirteenth album ''
XIII'' including the Lingua Mortis Orchestra and had considerable success on the charts. ''XIII'' was ranked number 272 in Rock Hard magazine's book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.
After the album ''XIII'', in 1999 Rage continued working with the Lingua Mortis Orchestra for their next album ''
Ghosts''. Shortly before the release of the album, the band went through a major line-up change.
Peavy Wagner reformed Rage once again and the former members formed the Pop band Sub7even.
The millennium years (1999–2015)
Peavy recruited the new members
Victor Smolski on guitar and
Mike Terrana on drums. The trio performed first at
Wacken Open Air
Wacken Open Air (, abbreviated as W:O:A) is a rock music, rock music festival, held annually since 1990 on the first weekend of August in the village of Wacken, Schleswig-Holstein, Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Almost all styles and su ...
in August 1999, and released their Album ''
Welcome to the Other Side'' in 2001. In the following two years, the albums ''
Unity'' and ''
Soundchaser
''Soundchaser'' is the 17th studio album by the German heavy metal band Rage, released in 2003 by SPV/Steamhammer.
This is a concept album featuring a science fiction/horror story about the Soundchaser, Rage's mascot. A biomechanoid creature, ...
'' were released with positive response from critics. Rage toured with
Primal Fear Primal Fear may refer to:
* Primal Fear (band)
Primal Fear is a German power metal band formed in 1997 by Ralf Scheepers (vocals, ex-Gamma Ray) and Mat Sinner (bass and vocals, Sinner). Sinner and Scheepers formed the band after Scheepers was ...
in 2002 and
Helloween
Helloween is a German power metal band founded in 1984 in Hamburg by members of bands Iron Fist, Gentry, Second Hell and Powerfool. Its first lineup consisted of singer and guitarist Kai Hansen, bassist Markus Grosskopf, guitarist Michael W ...
in 2003. The band's 20th anniversary in 2004 was celebrated by the From the Cradle to the Stage tour, where the show in
Bochum was recorded and released under the same name on CD and DVD in 2005.
In 2006, Rage again featured a symphonic orchestra, this time from
Minsk
Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative stat ...
, Belarus, named "Lingua Mortis Orchestra" that performed on their following album ''
Speak of the Dead
''Speak of the Dead'' is the 18th studio album by German heavy metal band Rage, released in 2006 by Nuclear Blast. The album contains a mix of different music genres, adding symphonic and progressive
Progressive may refer to:
Politics
* P ...
''. It was the last album with Mike Terrana on drums. On first of January 2007 it was announced, that the new drummer would be André Hilgers, formerly the drummer of
Axxis. He was already featured on the 20th anniversary album ''
Into the Light'' of
Nuclear Blast
Nuclear Blast is a record label and mail order record distributor with subsidiaries in Germany, the United States and Brazil. The label was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Germany. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label mov ...
, which was composed, produced and mainly played by Victor, and its lyrics were written by Peavy.
In 2007, the band toured throughout Europe with the orchestra, and their performance at
Wacken Open Air
Wacken Open Air (, abbreviated as W:O:A) is a rock music, rock music festival, held annually since 1990 on the first weekend of August in the village of Wacken, Schleswig-Holstein, Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Almost all styles and su ...
in August in front of 80,000 fans was recorded for a DVD to be included as a bonus to their next album. ''
Carved in Stone'' was released on 22 February 2008. In 2009, the band played at the
Bundesvision Song Contest 2009 on 13 February, which was hosted by
Stefan Raab (''
TV total''), where they reached third place. Their participating song ''Gib dich nie auf'' (Never Give Up) was released on an EP. That year was also the occasion for a 25th anniversary tour, and their Wacken performance—together with guest musicians like
Hansi Kürsch—was released on a bonus DVD of the 2011 album ''
Strings to a Web
''Strings to a Web'' is the 20th studio album by German heavy metal band Rage, released in Europe on 5 February 2010 through Nuclear Blast Records. The American and Japanese editions of the album were released in a special two-disc set, which ...
''.
Rage entered the studio in October 2011 to begin the recordings of their 21st album, appropriately named ''
21'', for an early 2012 release. Two years later, for the band's 30th anniversary, ''The Soundchaser Archives'', was released, featuring rare and demo songs from the last 30 years of the band. An anniversary tour was performed throughout the entire year and ended in January 2015 with their last show in Sofia.
On 4 February 2015,
Peavy Wagner announced that there would not be any further cooperation with Victor Smolski and André Hilgers.
Meanwhile, Peavy renewed contact with his ex-band members
Manni Schmidt and Christos Efthimiadis, and played a secret concert in Peavy's hometown
Herne under the pseudonym Tres Hombres. After this success they have decided to play again together as Refuge, and confirmed several festival dates for 2015.
Present years (2015–present)
The new line-up was announced on 18 June 2015, featuring guitarist Marcos Rodriguez (from the band Soundchaser) and drummer Vassilios "Lucky" Maniatopoulos (vocalist and percussionist of the band Tri State Corner and also a former drum technician and apprentice of Chris Efthimiadis). After the EP ''My Way'' in January 2016, their album, ''
The Devil Strikes Again
''The Devil Strikes Again'' is the 22nd studio album by German heavy metal band Rage
Rage may refer to:
* Rage (emotion), an intense form of anger
Games
* Rage (collectible card game), a collectible card game
* Rage (trick-taking card game), ...
'', was released on 10 June 2016. A tour was scheduled for the end of the year, followed on 28 July 2017 by another album, ''
Seasons of the Black
''Seasons of the Black'' is the 23rd studio album by German heavy metal band Rage, released on 28 July 2017 through Nuclear Blast Records. Videos were made for the singles "Blackened Karma" and "Seasons of the Black".
A bonus disc, ''Avenger Rev ...
''. The next tour took place in January 2018 with
Firewind as special guest.
The 25th studio album ''
Wings of Rage
Rage is a German heavy metal band formed in 1984 by Peter "Peavy" Wagner. They were part of the German heavy/speed/power metal scene which emerged in the early to mid-1980s, and have been referred to as one of the country's so-called "big fou ...
'' was announced in April 2019, and released in January 2020.
On 6 May 2020 Marcos Rodriguez left the band due to personal and private reasons, replaced by Stefan Weber (ex Axxis) and Jean Bormann (Angelinc).
Rage's 26th studio album, ''
Resurrection Day
''Resurrection Day'' is a novel written by Brendan DuBois in 1999. In its alternate history, the Cuban Missile Crisis escalated to a full-scale war, the Soviet Union is devastated, and the United States has been reduced to a third-rate power tha ...
'', was released on 17 September 2021.
Side projects
Lingua Mortis Orchestra
The Lingua Mortis Orchestra (LMO) is the name associated with the orchestras who played with Rage since 1996 on the albums or on stage. Rage's tenth studio album, ''
Lingua Mortis'' was the first classical album by a metal act, and a collaboration with the
Prague Symphony Orchestra. Later, Rage worked with the orchestras in some of the band's most known albums, such as in ''
XIII'' and ''
Ghosts''. In 2006, an orchestra from
Minsk
Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative stat ...
, Belarus, that was also named Lingua Mortis Orchestra, recorded with Rage the ''
Speak of the Dead
''Speak of the Dead'' is the 18th studio album by German heavy metal band Rage, released in 2006 by Nuclear Blast. The album contains a mix of different music genres, adding symphonic and progressive
Progressive may refer to:
Politics
* P ...
'' album, and on the next year, Rage did 2007 several shows with the Lingua Mortis Orchestra, and their performance at Wacken Open Air was recorded as a bonus DVD for their next album, ''
Carved in Stone''.
In 2011, it was formed as a side project by the Rage musicians
Peavy Wagner (vocals and bass),
Victor Smolski (guitar and keyboard) and André Hilgers (drums) as a continuation of 1996's ''Lingua Mortis'' album, back then a true piece of pioneering work. They recorded in 2013 the debut album along with Rage ''
LMO'', with two orchestras from Spain and Belarus. The album features
Metalium's ex-vocalist Henning Basse, Jeannette Marchewka and Dana Harnge as additional vocalists.
The first symphonic shows under the band's name have taken place at the
70000 Tons of Metal
70000 Tons of Metal (officially stylized as 70000TONS OF METAL) is an annual heavy metal music festival that takes place on board a cruise ship. The event is a five-day festival, including one shore day at a select Caribbean destination.
Hi ...
festival, followed by several summer festivals, among them Wacken and—still before the album's release—
Masters of Rock. The last one was also recorded, and included as a bonus DVD of ''The Soundchaser Archives.''
At this point, the Lingua Mortis Orchestra name as a "side project" was turn down by Peavy himself and became part of the band as it was originally done back in 1996. For 2019, Rage toured with the Lingua Mortis Orchestra to perform some festival shows and performed the entire ''XIII'' album.
Refuge
In 2014, Peavy reunited with Manni Schmidt and Chris Efthimiadis, and they decided to play a secret show in their hometown,
Herne, under the name "Tres Hombres". From there came the idea of the creation of Refuge, with the same Rage line-up from 1988 to 1993. The name Refuge came from one of the most known songs by Rage, "
Refuge" from the album ''
The Missing Link'', which was recorded by the same line-up. Peavy said in an interview that Refuge is not a professional band as the band members have their regular jobs and families, so Refuge is more like an "extended hobby" for playing special events and festivals.
Peavy also said Refuge would still be co-existing with Rage and the new line-up with Marcos and Vassilios.
In 2015, Refuge played in many festivals around Europe, including the
Rock Hard Festival, which was broadcast live, and was also recorded as a new live album, ''Live at Rock Hard Festival'' for the boxset ''The Refuge Years''.
The band's first album, ''Solitary Men'', was released on 8 June 2018.
Band members
Current members
*
Peter "Peavy" Wagner – lead vocals, bass (1984–present)
* Vassilios "Lucky" Maniatopoulos – drums, backing vocals (2015–present)
* Jean Bormann – guitars (2020–present)
* Stefan Weber – guitars (2020–present)
Former members
* Jochen Schroeder – lead guitar (1984–1987, died 2021)
* Alf Meyerratken – rhythm guitar (1984)
* Thomas Grüning – rhythm guitar (1985–1986)
*
Jörg Michael – drums (1984–1987)
* Rudy Graf – rhythm guitar (1986–1987)
*
Manni Schmidt – lead guitar (1987–1994)
* Chris Efthimiadis – drums (1987–1999)
* Sven Fischer – rhythm guitar (1993–1999)
* Spiros Efthimiadis – lead guitar (1994–1999)
*
Victor Smolski – guitars, keyboards (1999–2015)
*
Mike Terrana – drums (1999–2007)
* André Hilgers – drums (2007–2015)
* Marcos Rodriguez – guitars, backing vocals (2015–2020)
Rage Oefenbunker2015 21.jpg, Peavy Wagner
Rage MHP2015 018.jpg, Vassilios "Lucky" Maniatopoulos
Rage MHP2015 032.jpg, Marcos Rodriguez
Timeline
Discography
Studio albums
* ''
Prayers of Steel'' (as Avenger) (1985)
* ''
Reign of Fear'' (1986)
* ''
Execution Guaranteed'' (1987)
* ''
Perfect Man'' (1988)
* ''
Secrets in a Weird World'' (1989)
* ''
Reflections of a Shadow'' (1990)
* ''
Trapped!
Trapped may refer to:
Films
* ''Trapped'' (1931 film), a crime drama short starring Lina Basquette
* ''Trapped'' (1937 film), an American western starring Charles Starrett
* ''Trapped'' (1949 film), a semidocumentary film noir directed by Richar ...
'' (1992)
* ''
The Missing Link'' (1993)
* ''
10 Years in Rage
''10 Years in Rage: The Anniversary Album'' is the ninth full-length album released by the German heavy metal band Rage in 1994. It contains new material and previously unreleased tracks from the band's long career, as well the re-recording of ...
'' (1994)
* ''
Black in Mind
''Black in Mind'' is the tenth studio album by German heavy metal band Rage. Some tracks on the album such as "The Crawling Chaos" are inspired by the works of H. P. Lovecraft.
Track listing
Personnel
;Band members
*Peter "Peavy" ...
'' (1995)
* ''
Lingua Mortis'' (1996)
* ''
End of All Days
''End of All Days'' is the twelfth studio album by the German heavy metal band Rage
Rage may refer to:
* Rage (emotion), an intense form of anger
Games
* Rage (collectible card game), a collectible card game
* Rage (trick-taking card game), ...
'' (1996)
* ''
XIII'' (1998)
* ''
Ghosts'' (1999)
* ''
Welcome to the Other Side'' (2001)
* ''
Unity'' (2002)
* ''
Soundchaser
''Soundchaser'' is the 17th studio album by the German heavy metal band Rage, released in 2003 by SPV/Steamhammer.
This is a concept album featuring a science fiction/horror story about the Soundchaser, Rage's mascot. A biomechanoid creature, ...
'' (2003)
* ''
Speak of the Dead
''Speak of the Dead'' is the 18th studio album by German heavy metal band Rage, released in 2006 by Nuclear Blast. The album contains a mix of different music genres, adding symphonic and progressive
Progressive may refer to:
Politics
* P ...
'' (2006)
* ''
Carved in Stone'' (2008)
* ''
Strings to a Web
''Strings to a Web'' is the 20th studio album by German heavy metal band Rage, released in Europe on 5 February 2010 through Nuclear Blast Records. The American and Japanese editions of the album were released in a special two-disc set, which ...
'' (2010)
* ''
21'' (2012)
* ''
The Devil Strikes Again
''The Devil Strikes Again'' is the 22nd studio album by German heavy metal band Rage
Rage may refer to:
* Rage (emotion), an intense form of anger
Games
* Rage (collectible card game), a collectible card game
* Rage (trick-taking card game), ...
'' (2016)
* ''
Seasons of the Black
''Seasons of the Black'' is the 23rd studio album by German heavy metal band Rage, released on 28 July 2017 through Nuclear Blast Records. Videos were made for the singles "Blackened Karma" and "Seasons of the Black".
A bonus disc, ''Avenger Rev ...
'' (2017)
* ''
Wings of Rage
Rage is a German heavy metal band formed in 1984 by Peter "Peavy" Wagner. They were part of the German heavy/speed/power metal scene which emerged in the early to mid-1980s, and have been referred to as one of the country's so-called "big fou ...
'' (2020)
* ''
Resurrection Day
''Resurrection Day'' is a novel written by Brendan DuBois in 1999. In its alternate history, the Cuban Missile Crisis escalated to a full-scale war, the Soviet Union is devastated, and the United States has been reduced to a third-rate power tha ...
'' (2021)
EPs
* ''
Depraved to Black'' (as Avenger) (1985)
* ''
Invisible Horizons'' (1989)
* ''
Extended Power'' (1991)
* ''
Beyond the Wall'' (1992)
* ''
Refuge'' (Japan) (1994)
* ''
Higher than the Sky
''End of All Days'' is the twelfth studio album by the German heavy metal band Rage.
Track listing
Personnel Band members
*Peter "Peavy" Wagner
Peter "Peavy" Wagner (born 22 December 1964) is a German heavy metal musician best ...
'' (1996)
* ''Live from the Vault'' (1997)
* ''In Vain - Rage in Acoustic'' (1998)
* ''
Gib dich nie auf / Never Give Up'' (2009)
* ''
My Way'' (2016)
* ''
Spreading the Plague'' (2022)
Live albums
* ''Power of Metal'' (1994)
* ''
From the Cradle to the Stage'' (2004)
* ''
Full Moon in St. Petersburg
''Full Moon in St. Petersburg'' is a live music album by German heavy metal band Rage, recorded in SKK, St. Petersburg, Russia on 25 May 2006. The album was also released on DVD, separately from DVD only in Russia and Argentina. On other cou ...
'' (2007)
* ''
Live in Tokyo'' (2012)
Compilation albums
* ''
The Best from the Noise Years'' (1998)
* ''Best of – All G.U.N. Years'' (2001)
* ''
The Soundchaser Archives
Rage is a German heavy metal band formed in 1984 by Peter "Peavy" Wagner. They were part of the German heavy/speed/power metal scene which emerged in the early to mid-1980s, and have been referred to as one of the country's so-called "big fou ...
'' (2014)
Box sets
* ''
The Lingua Mortis Trilogy (The Classic Collection)'' (2002)
* ''
The Refuge Years'' (2015)
Videography
* ''
The Video Link
''The Video Link'' is a live concert video album by German heavy metal band Rage
Rage may refer to:
* Rage (emotion), an intense form of anger
Games
* Rage (collectible card game), a collectible card game
* Rage (trick-taking card game), a ...
'' (1994)
* ''
Metal Meets Classic Live
''Metal Meets Classic Live'' + ''All G.U.N. Bonustracks'' is a live concert recording by German heavy metal music, heavy metal band Rage (German band), Rage, released as a DVD in November 2001 under name Rage & Lingua Mortis Orchestra.
The DVD ...
'' (2001)
* ''
From the Cradle to the Stage'' (2004)
* ''
Full Moon in St. Petersburg
''Full Moon in St. Petersburg'' is a live music album by German heavy metal band Rage, recorded in SKK, St. Petersburg, Russia on 25 May 2006. The album was also released on DVD, separately from DVD only in Russia and Argentina. On other cou ...
'' (2007)
* ''
Live at Wacken '09'' (2009)
Music videos
References
External links
*
*
Nuclear Blast – Rage site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rage (band)
German speed metal musical groups
German power metal musical groups
German progressive metal musical groups
Musical groups established in 1984
Participants in the Bundesvision Song Contest
German musical trios
Nuclear Blast artists
Noise Records artists
GUN Records artists