Rage (German band)

This article is about the German heavy metal band. For the American rapcore band, see Rage Against the Machine.

Rage

Rage is a heavy metal band from Germany, formed in 1984.

Background

Rage began in 1984 under the previous band name, Avenger. After releasing their debut album, Prayers of Steel and their Depraved to Black EP, in 1985, Avenger changed their name to Rage due to the fact that there was another band in England that also carried the moniker of Avenger. Originally the new name was to be Furious Rage but it was eventually shortened to Rage. The first album released under the new name was Reign of Fear in 1986.

Rage's albums came out in regular, continuous intervals, and the band began touring with the likes of Running Wild, U.D.O., Motörhead and Saxon in the early 1990s. Their 1992 album Trapped marked their international breakthrough, a short highlight being Rage's tour in Japan. Their success was repeated again in 1993 with the release of The Missing Link. After change in their lineup, Rage went on to record Lingua Mortis, the first classical album by a German metal act, in 1996. Their material was performed live for the first time in late summer 1996 in Kufstein, Austria. Subsequently, Rage, and the orchestra used, embarked on a celebrated Christmas tour and played several European festivals.

Their thirteenth album XIII saw the light of day in March 1998. The next album Ghosts was followed by a major line-up change, featuring Peavy Wagner, Victor Smolski and Mike Terrana. The trio performed at Wacken Open Air in August 1999, revealing their newest album Welcome to the Other Side. The following releases Unity and Soundchaser were met with enthusiastic response from critics and fans alike. Rage toured with Primal Fear in 2002 and Helloween in 2003 and proved to be successful outings. Rage recently celebrated their 20th anniversary with both a live CD and DVD entitled From the Cradle to the Stage, documenting new and old material and showing their strongest material.

On December 6, 2006 the split with drummer Mike Terrana was officially announced, due to personal and musical differences. On January 1, 2007 it was announced that their new drummer would be André Hilgers.

On September 4, 2007 Rage announced that they will start to work on their New Album which will be called Carved in Stone.

Members

Current members

• Peter "Peavy" Wagner – Vocals, Bass (1984-present)
• Victor Smolski – Guitar (1999-present)
• André Hilgers – Drums (2007-present)

Former members

• Alf Meyerratken – Guitar (1985)
• Thomas Grüning – Guitar (1985–1986)
• Jochen Schröder – Guitar (1985–1987)
• Jörg Michael – Drums (1985–1987)
• Rudi Graf – Guitar (1987)
• Manni Schmidt – Guitar (1988–1994)
• Chris Efthimiadis – Drums (1988–1999)
• Spiros Efthimiadis – Guitar (1994–1999)
• Sven Fischer – Guitar (1994–1999)
• Mike Terrana – Drums (1999–2006)
• Christian Wolff

Discography

Under the name Avenger

• Prayers of Steel (1985)
• Depraved to Black (EP, 1985)

Albums

• Reign of Fear (1986)
• Execution Guaranteed (1987)
• Perfect Man (1988)
• Secrets in a Weird World (1989)
• Reflections of a Shadow (1990)
• Trapped (1992)
• The Missing Link (1993)
• 10 Years in Rage (1994)
• Black In Mind (1995)
• Lingua Mortis (1996)
• End of All Days (1996)
• XIII (1998)
• Ghosts (1999)
• Welcome to the Other Side (2001)
• Unity (2002)
• Soundchaser (2003)
• Speak of the Dead (2006)

EPs

• Extended Power (1991)
• Beyond the Wall (1992)
• Refuge (Japan) (1993)
• Higher than the Sky (Japan) (1996)
• Live from the Vault (Japan) (1997)

Other

• Power of Metal (Live, 1994)
• From the Cradle to the Stage (Live, 2004)
• Full Moon in St. Petersburg (Live, 2007)

Videos

• The Video Link (1994)
• From the Cradle to the Stage (2004)
• Full Moon in St. Petersburg (2007)

External links

• Rage - official website
• Nuclear Blast - official website
• Video Interview with RAGE