Rage

Rage emerged from Herne, Germany in 1984 under the moniker Avenger, evolving into one of the most influential German metal institutions. Following their debut Prayers Of Steel and the EP Depraved To Black in 1985, legal conflicts with an English band of the same name forced the rechristening to Rage. Their first album under the new identity, Reign of Fear (1986), launched four decades of uncompromising metal excellence.

The early nineties delivered international breakthrough with Trapped! (1992), marking Rage's first Japanese expedition. The Missing Link (1993) consolidated this success permanently. A revolutionary step followed in 1996 with Lingua Mortis - the first symphonic metal album by any German act. The premiere in Kufstein, Austria, and subsequent Christmas tour with full orchestra established Rage as pioneers of orchestral metal integration.

XIII (1998) achieved recognition at position 272 in Rock Hard's "500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums," demonstrating the perfect fusion of metal aggression and classical orchestration. This era under Peavy Wagner, Victor Smolski, and Mike Terrana produced classics like Unity (2002) and Soundchaser (2003). The soundtrack contribution "Straight To Hell" for the German comedy Der Schuh des Manitu (2001) brought Rage unexpected mainstream attention.

2015 marked a renaissance with newcomers Marcos Rodriguez and Vassilios "Lucky" Maniatopoulos. The Devil Strikes Again (2016) and Seasons Of The Black (2017) proved the band's enduring creative force. The 2020 expansion to quartet format with Stefan Weber (ex-Axxis) and Jean Bormann revived the classic dual-guitar formation of the Black In Mind era.

Rage continues touring major European festivals, with their Wacken Open Air performances becoming legendary spectacles. Their influence on the German metal scene remains unparalleled, bridging traditional heavy metal with symphonic sophistication across multiple generations of metalheads.

Discography

1986 - Reign of Fear (Noise Records)
1987 - Execution Guaranteed (Noise Records)
1988 - Perfect Man (Noise Records)
1989 - Secrets in a Weird World (Noise Records)
1990 - Reflections of a Shadow (Noise Records)
1992 - Trapped! (Noise Records)
1993 - The Missing Link (Noise Records)
1995 - Black in Mind (GUN Records)
1996 - Lingua Mortis (GUN Records)
1997 - End of All Days (GUN Records)
1998 - XIII (GUN Records)
1999 - Ghosts (GUN Records)
2001 - Welcome to the Other Side (GUN Records)
2002 - Unity (Steamhammer)
2003 - Soundchaser (Steamhammer)
2006 - Speak of the Dead (Nuclear Blast)
2008 - Carved in Stone (Nuclear Blast)
2010 - Strings to a Web (Nuclear Blast)
2012 - 21 (Nuclear Blast)
2014 - The Refuge Years (Nuclear Blast)
2016 - The Devil Strikes Again (Nuclear Blast)
2017 - Seasons of the Black (Nuclear Blast)
2020 - Wings of Rage (Steamhammer)
2021 - Resurrection Day (Steamhammer)
2024 - Afterlifelines (Steamhammer)
2025 - A New World Rising (Steamhammer)

Important EPs
1985 - Depraved To Black (as Avenger)
2009 - Gib Dich nie auf / Never Give Up

Photo credit: xoxo photography