METALLIAN - Rage

Reign Of Fear – 1986 – Noise
Execution Guaranteed – 1988 – Noise
Perfect Man – 1988 – Noise
Secrets In A Weird World – 1989 – Noise
Reflections Of A Shadow – 1990 – Noise
Trapped! – 1992 – Noise
The Missing Link – 1993 – Noise
10 Years In Rage: The Anniversary Album – 1994 – Noise
Black In Mind – 1995 – GUN
Lingua Mortis – 1996 – GUN
End Of All Days – 1996 – GUN
XIII – 1998 – GUN
Ghosts – 1999 – GUN
Welcome To The Other Side – 2001 – GUN
Unity - 2002 – SPV
Soundchaser – 2003 - SPV
From The Cradle To The Stage: 20th Anniversary – 2004 – SPV
Speak Of The Dead – 2006 - SPV
Carved In Stone – 2008 – Nuclear Blast
Strings To A Web – 2010 - Nuclear Blast
21 – 2012 – Nuclear Blast
The Devil Strikes Again – 2016 – Nuclear Blast
Seasons Of The Black – 2017 – Nuclear Blast
Winds Of Rage – 2020 – SPV
Live In Poland – February 16th 2016 Warsaw – 2020 – Dr. Bones Lethal Recordings
Resurrection Day – 2021 - SPV
Afterlifelines - 2024 - SPV

Members

Vocals

Mekong Delta, X-Mas Project, Lingua Mortis Orchestra, Refuge>>PETER “PEAVEY” WAGNER>>Mekong Delta, X-Mas Project, Lingua Mortis Orchestra, Refuge

Guitar

Mekong Delta>>Jochen Schroeder>>Mekong Delta – Thomas “Guiness” Grüning – Beast, Warlock>>Rudy Graf>>Joker – Rusty Nail, Votca, Jack Of Hearts>>Manni Schmidt>>Jack Of Hearts, Grave Digger, Ubergas, Refuge - Pyracanda>>Sven Fischer>>Sub7even – Spiros Efthmiadis>>Sub7even, King’s Tonic – Inspector, Mind Odyssey, Kipelov, Lingua Mortis Orchestra, Solo>>Victor Smolski>>Mind Odyssey, Kipelov, Lingua Mortis Orchestra, Solo, Voodoo Gods, Almanac – Torre De Marfil, Soundchaser, Diolegacy>>Marcos Rodriguez>>Torre De Marfil, Soundchaser, Diolegacy – Dirty D’Sire, AngelInc, Rage & Ruins>>JEAN BORMAN>>AngelInc, Rage & Ruins – Rebattered, Regicide, Axxis, Scanner>>Stefan Weber>>Rebattered, Regicide, Scanner

Bass

Bassinvaders, Axel Rudi Pell, Lingua Mortis Orchestra, Refuge>>PETER “PEAVEY” WAGNER>>Bassinvaders, Axel Rudi Pell, Lingua Mortis Orchestra, Refuge

Drum

Metal Sword, Mekong Delta, X-Mas Project>>Jörg Michael [Jörg Michael Musielak]>>Mekong Delta, X-Mas Project, Headhunter, Axel Rudi Pell, Onkel Tom, Siren, Grave Digger, Running Wild, Glenmore, Soulslide, House Of Spirits, Stratovarius, Unleashed Power, Kaledon, Saxon, Heavatar, Living Death – Atlain>>Chris Efthmiadis>>Sub7even, Tri State Corner, King’s Tonic, Refuge – Zillion, Hanover, Beau Nasty, Artension, John West, Roland Grapow, Axel Rudi Pell, Metalium, Tony MacAlpine, Yngwie Malmsteen, Not Fragile, Damir Simic Shime>>Mike Terrana>>Masterplan, Axel Rudi Pell, Artension, Empire, Razorback, Tarja, Not Fragile, Damir Simic Shime, Terrana, Downhell, Emir Hot, Vision Divine, The Ferrymen, Kreyson, Avalanch – Ninja, Bourbon $treet, Vanize, The Sygnet, Mendacious Messiah, Axxis, Silent Force, Empire, Razorback, Sinner>>Andre Hilgers>>Razorback, Singer, Axxis, Silent Force, Lingua Mortis Orchestra, Herman Frank, Bonfire, Sonic Haven, Iron Allies, Primal Fear – Tri State Corner>>VASSILIOS "LUCKY" MANIATOPOULOS>>Tri State Corner

Keyboard

Victor Smolski

History & Biography

Rage was an Avenger between 1983 and 1986 and changed its monicker reacting to the better-known English band of NWOBHM. Avenger had a full-length album and featured singer and bassist Peavey, Jochen Schroeder and Alf Meyerratken on guitar, who was replaced by Thomas Grüning, and drummer Joerg Michael. The new name was supposed to be Furious Rage, but Rage stuck. Supposedly, Peavey and company only discovered their new monicker once they received their copies of Perfect Man from Noise Records. Noise’s Karl Walterbach had unilaterally changed the band’s name. Peavey had grown up with musician parents trying the guitar first.

Rage is one of the more prolific and consistent heavy metal bands anywhere. This makes them very suitably German given the popularity of the genre and home-grown bands there. With that said, Rage has not been immune to diversions, flights of fancy and idle endeavours. The band has released multiple compilations, live albums, acoustic outings, EPs come regularly and of course there is the orchestra record, namely Lingua Mortis, and tours.

Avenger had released music on the Wishbone label, but Rage began life on Noise, which was working with the likes Of Helloween and Celtic Frost. The debut is called Reign Of Fear and out in May 1986. The band quickly established a pattern of working hard and having annual releases. The band toured with Kreator and Destruction in 1987. Manni Schmidt and Chris Efthimiadis joined in 1987. They would become something of mainstays for the next decade. Similarly, Victor Smolski would be a mainstay guitarist beginning 1999. He would produce Delirious’ Time Is Progress of 1999. The band was popular in Germany and toured with Running Wild (in 1990) and UDO. Perfect Man alone sold 30,000 copies in Europe upon release. Trapped! was supported through a tour of Japan. Exciter opened for Rage in Europe. The band also opened for Saxon and Motörhead on the Eagles & Bombers tour. This album featured a cover version of Accept’s Fast As A Shark. The Missing Link was supported through a tour with Gamma Ray and Conception.

The band signed with G.U.N. in 1995 having left Noise in tandem with multiple other acts. Black In Mind did reasonably well and the band toured Europe and Japan. The band was part of the seven dates of the Summer Metal Meetings alongside Glenmore, Gamma Ray, Iced Earth, Running Wild and Grave Digger. The aforementioned Lingua Mortis featured Rage songs rearranged for the orchestra and the band played several European shows with the accompaniment of the Prague Symphony Orchestra. Peavey liked the work so much he used the orchestra again and again. Members left in 1999. A couple formed a rock band called Sub7even. Peavey, guitarist Victor Smolski and Mike Terrana on drums played at the Wacken festival in 1999 and 2001. Terrana had left Metalium after that band’s debut. Straight To Hell was featured in the German film Der Schuh Des Manitu. Rage continued touring and played with acts like Helloween and Primal Fear. The Cradle To The Stage 20th anniversary tour became the CD and DVD of the same name. Victor Smolski was working on a new solo album, tentatively entitled Majesty & Passion in 2004. The band and Freedom Call played together in 2006. More orchestra stuff followed in 2007, this time with musicians from Minsk, Belarus. The band played a 25th anniversary show at Wacken as well. Guest musicians on stage included Hansi Kürsch of Blind Guardian. The Song Gib Dich Nie Auf was their first German song, which was recorded to qualify for the Bundesvisionsongcontest in 2009. They were the lone heavy metal band performing there. Rage managed to attain third spot. 21, which was the band’s 21st album obviously, featured a bonus CD called Live In Tokyo with certain limited editions. 21 was recorded at Twilight Hall Studio in Grefrath, Germany with Charlie Bauerfeind in 2011, but the instrumental intro was taped in the USA and incorporated casino sounds and Belarussian instruments. The Soundchaser Archives of 2014 was a compilation album of rare and unreleased material. Rodriguez joined in 2015 after his band Soundchaser opened for Rage. He left in 2020. Victor Smolski and André Hilgers were not with Rage as of February 2015 anymore. The band and Firewind toured in 2018. The band returned to SPV. Rage’s new line-up with two guitarists, namely Jean and Stefan, who had joined in 2020 released a new album, entitled Resurrection Day, through SPV/Steamhammer on 17.09.2021. The new line-up released a version of the song The Price Of War to show its capability. Touring for the album was cancelled due to the pandemic. Still, the band appeared at Rock For Animal Rights in 2021. The band was booked at the Sweden Rock Festival 2022 alongside Guns N’ Roses and others and for the Metalfest Plzen 2022 alongside Hypocrisy, Kreator and others. Brainrage Over Europe Tour 2022 was announced for late 2022 with Brainstorm. Saxon and Rage were touring continental Europe in March 2023. The band was booked for Helloween’s Hello-feast in Slovakia alongside Helloween, Freedom Call and Induction in August.

Jochen Schroeder died in 2021. Refuge is the name of a song from The Missing Link album of 1993, and a 1994 EP, and performs music from the earlier days of the act. Former members Manni Schmidt and drummer Chris Efthimiadis are members alongside Peavey. Lingua Mortis Orchestra is another side-project with the orchestra in tow. Peavey sang for Mekong Delta using the Jake Jenkins alias. Drummer Michael is on a quest to be in every German band out there. Having accomplished that he is out to complete his tour of every European metal band. No slouch himself, Mike Terrana competes for the nomadic lifestyle with his colleague. A fierce debate is ongoing in German, art, mathematics and statistics circles about how many bands each is in at any given moment. Andre Hilgers (Mike Terrana’s replacement) tried to compete, but fell behind only managing to be in one new band a month. The Efthmiadis’ are brothers. Chris joined the band for Perfect Man of 1988 and Spiros joined for 10 Years In Rage: The Anniversary Album. The two brothers left Rage in 1999 apparently not getting along with Peavey or heavy metal. Stefan Weber, who had joined on guitar in 2020, was out in 2023. Rage, C.O.P. UK and Secret Rule were touring the UK in November and December 2023. Rage announced a new album called Afterlifelines for March 29th, 2024. The double album consisted of 21 songs with different musical approaches: The first CD was called Afterlife and comprised of songs that were recorded as a trio, while the material on Lifelines also included classical orchestral arrangements, The band was to tour Canada in the spring before covering Europe and Wacken festival.

Reviews

RAGE - WELCOME TO THE OTHER SIDE - GUN
Relocating its wares from Gun Records over to Drakkar, sporting a revamped line up and (if memory serves correctly) coming off of three trendy orchestra/symphony-oriented albums, it was anybody's guess how the new Rage album would have turned out. Rage's latest album has turned out better than previously anticipated. During the course of a long album Peavey and hires manage to deliver an album comprised mostly of nothing but good old glorious heavy metal. I say almost because the Tribute To Dishonour four part story includes pianos and is surprisingly reminiscent of Savatage. Otherwise the album holds good metal drumming, solid riffs and Yngwie-esque solos and a very front and centre vocal performance. Peavey is not the world's best vocalist and perhaps he might consider lowering his presence in the mix. Still with a solid performance like on Paint The Devil On The Wall, a stormer like No Lies and other tracks, Rage 2001 prove they still know what heavy metal is and more importantly are still up to delivering it. TUR hopes Rage will maintain this course and put the shameful classical music molestation behind. - Ali "The Metallian"

RAGE - UNITY - SPV
The new Rage album, quite appropriately, begins with a march which leads to a growl and then the listener is well into the core of opener All I want. The relatively young Rage line-up has obviously taken the musicianship to a new level. Consequently, Peavey Wagner has pushed his vocals up one notch. The results are somewhat mixed though. Obviously for a band like Rage which for nigh on twenty years has roamed somewhere near the median, Unity is an impressive endeavour which - thank guitarist Victor Smolski, drummer Mike Terrana and producer Chalie Bauerfiend - sets a new milestone in achievement for Peavey and company.
A song like the heavy Insanity or the meticulously-crafted and phrased Down (in spite of the Pantera-ish start the band's best in a long time) prove that Rage is more vital now than at any time in its history. That, in itself, is something that can be rarely said for a veteran band. Things do fall apart though. Apparently under the influence of the newer members, Unity meanders from heavy metal into 'progressive' mode somewhere in its middle. As a result, the vocals, the chord progressions and, most ominously, the synthesizers take a turn towards Dream Theater and Threshold. Discussion is more of a slippery slope than an entire entity at this juncture. Yet, the development is worrisome - especially hearing what the trio can achieve when it puts its mind to its metal body. As things stand, Unity is a fast-paced album ready to tumble with any of its competition anywhere. - Ali "The Metallian"

RAGE - SPEAK OF THE DEAD - NUCLEAR BLAST
Rage has never quite been able to make it to the top despite twenty years of touring, two dozen releases and support from companies like Noise and Nuclear Blast. The late '80s held some hope for the band to achieve a breakthrough with albums like Perfect World and Secrets In A Weird World, yet Rage did not quite have the vocals or the music needed to rise to the top. Speak Of The Dead is not helping Peter Wagner’s ever-changing cadre of musicos.
Speak Of The Dead is not going to help. The album’s confusing pitch for the progressive, the symphonic and the heavy is exactly what the band does not need and over which the fans remain confused. The album begins with an eight-part progressive rock/symphonic/film score piece called Suite Lingua Mortis. Latin always managed to impress. Past that boring mishmash of nonsense the album’s second part (thankfully) sees a marked improvement. The track No Regrets already bore some similarities with Blind Guardian earlier in the album, but now the album becomes a metal one with good songs like Full Moon with some great guitars or Kill Your Gods, which not only picks up the pace and heaviness but also adds a very positive message. It is this second half of the album that rescues Rage and perhaps even gives some breathing room to the German trio. - Ali “The Metallian”

Interviews

Rage