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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 that emerged in the early to mid-1980s and are considered part of the scene's "big four" alongside 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. The band has at times been called one of the most influential European heavy metal bands of the 1980s. Its first ...
, and Running Wild. Rage was formed in 1984 under the name Avenger. After releasing their debut album '' Prayers of Steel'' and the '' Depraved to Black'' EP in 1985, the band changed their name to Rage due to the existence of another band in England with the same name. Over the years, 17 musicians have been part of Rage, with the most successful lineup emerging during the period now known as the Refuge years, featuring Manni Schmidt and Chris Efthimiadis. The second notable lineup included
Mike Terrana Mike Terrana (born January 21, 1960) is an American hard rock and heavy metal drummer. Career His first professional work was in 1984, with the MCA band Hanover Fist from Toronto, Canada. Between 1987 and 1997, he was based in Los Angeles a ...
and Victor Smolski. Throughout their career, Rage has established themselves as a notably successful band and pioneers of the power metal scene, incorporating elements of
progressive metal Progressive metal (often shortened to prog metal) is a broad fusion music genre melding heavy metal music, heavy metal and progressive rock, combining the loud "aggression" and amplified electric guitar, guitar-driven sound of the former with t ...
and
classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...
into their music. In 1996, Rage became one of the first metal bands to write and record an album featuring a full symphonic orchestra: ''
Lingua Mortis ''Lingua Mortis'' is the eleventh full-length album by the German heavy metal music, heavy metal band Rage (German band), Rage, released in 1996. It's the band's first collaboration with the Prague Symphony Orchestra, which played with the band R ...
''. As of 2024, Rage has released 27 albums (counting the "Avenger" and "LMO" releases) over their 40-year career (in total, more than 50 releases when including DVDs, EPs, Japan editions, and VHS). They have achieved international success, selling over five million records and securing more than 40 entries on music charts.


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 came together under the name "Avenger." Following the release of their debut album, '' Prayers of Steel'', recorded in 1984 and released by Wishbone Records, along with an EP titled '' Depraved to Black'' in August 1985, Avenger changed their name to Rage. They subsequently secured a record deal with
Noise Noise is sound, chiefly unwanted, unintentional, or harmful sound considered unpleasant, loud, or disruptive to mental or hearing faculties. From a physics standpoint, there is no distinction between noise and desired sound, as both are vibrat ...
, 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 sound, chiefly unwanted, unintentional, or harmful sound considered unpleasant, loud, or disruptive to mental or hearing faculties. From a physics standpoint, there is no distinction between noise and desired sound, as both are vibrat ...
. That same year, they debuted their first official music video, "Down by Law," which introduced the new lineup featuring Manni Schmidt and Chris Efthimiadis. With this new lineup, the album '' Perfect Man'' was released in 1988, featuring the single "Don't Fear the Winter," which became a hit within the scene. The band began touring with notable acts such as Running Wild, U.D.O.,
Motörhead Motörhead () were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1975 by bassist and lead vocalist Lemmy Kilmister, guitarist Larry Wallis and drummer Lucas Fox. Kilmister was the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band a ...
, and
Saxon The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...
. In 1989, Rage released the album '' Secrets in a Weird World'', which made an impact on the charts with the single "Invisible Horizons," marking another highlight in the band’s career. The early 1990s saw their 1992 album '' Trapped!'' mark their international breakthrough, charting worldwide and leading to the band's first major tour in Japan. Their success continued in 1993 with the release of '' The Missing Link''. This album became one of the most successful and influential releases of that era. In early 1994, guitarist Manni Schmidt left the band, prompting Peavy Wagner to form a new lineup with Sven Fischer and Chris Efthimiadis's brother, Spiros.


Two Guitars Years (1994–1999)

Following the change in their lineup, Rage recorded their ten-year anniversary album, '' 10 Years in Rage'', in 1994. This was the last album released by Noise Records, but it suffered from inadequate media promotion. That same year, Rage signed with
Gun Records GUN Records (''Great Unlimited Noises'') was a record label located in Witten, Germany, founded in 1992 by Bogdan Kopec ( DRAKKAR Promotion Musikverlag GmbH) and Wolfgang Funk. For a period, it was a subsidiary of BMG. Different artists on t ...
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 *Peavy Wagner â ...
'', which was followed by a world tour and several chart entries worldwide. Especially in Japan and Europe, this album elevated the band to a much higher level and is still regarded as a classic of the genre. Several other bands also left Gun Records that year. The album ''
Lingua Mortis ''Lingua Mortis'' is the eleventh full-length album by the German heavy metal music, heavy metal band Rage (German band), Rage, released in 1996. It's the band's first collaboration with the Prague Symphony Orchestra, which played with the band R ...
'', recorded in 1996, was the first album by a metal act to collaborate with a classical symphonic orchestra. This material was performed live for the first time in late summer 1996 in
Kufstein Kufstein (; ) is a town in the Austrian state of Tyrol, the administrative seat of Kufstein District. With a population of about 20,000 it is the second largest Tyrolean town after the state capital Innsbruck. The greatest landmark is Kufstein For ...
, Austria. Following this, Rage and the orchestra embarked on a Christmas tour and played at several European festivals. Still in 1996, they released one of the most successful albums of their career, ''End of All Days'', with the track "Higher than the Sky" becoming a staple of their live performances. In March 1998, Rage released their thirteenth album, '' XIII'', which featured the Lingua Mortis Orchestra and achieved considerable success on the charts. ''XIII'' was ranked number 272 in Rock Hard magazine's book ''The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time''. After the release of ''XIII'', Rage continued their collaboration with the Lingua Mortis Orchestra for their next album, ''
Ghosts In folklore, a ghost is the soul or Spirit (supernatural entity), spirit of a dead Human, person or non-human animal that is believed by some people to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely, from a ...
''. Shortly before the album's release, the band underwent a significant lineup change, with Peavy Wagner reforming Rage while former members went on to form the pop band Sub7even.


The Millennium Years (1999–2015)

Peavy recruited new members Victor Smolski on guitar and
Mike Terrana Mike Terrana (born January 21, 1960) is an American hard rock and heavy metal drummer. Career His first professional work was in 1984, with the MCA band Hanover Fist from Toronto, Canada. Between 1987 and 1997, he was based in Los Angeles a ...
on drums. The trio first performed at
Wacken Open Air Wacken Open Air (, abbreviated as W:O:A) is a Heavy metal music, heavy metal 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 ...
in August 1999 and released their album '' Welcome to the Other Side'' in 2001. In the following two years, they released the albums '' Unity'' and '' Soundchaser'', both of which received positive responses from critics. Rage toured with Primal Fear 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. The band has at times been called one of the most influential European heavy metal bands of the 1980s. Its first ...
in 2003. The band's 20th anniversary in 2004 was celebrated with the ''From the Cradle to the Stage'' tour, during which the show in
Bochum Bochum (, ; ; ; ) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia. With a population of 372,348 (April 2023), it is the sixth-largest city (after Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Essen and Duisburg) in North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous German federa ...
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 (, ; , ) is the capital and 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 status in Belarus and is the administra ...
, Belarus, named the "Lingua Mortis Orchestra," which performed on their subsequent album '' Speak of the Dead''. This was the last album to feature Mike Terrana on drums. On 1 January 2007, it was announced that the new drummer would be André Hilgers, formerly of Axxis. He had already contributed to the 20th anniversary album '' Into the Light'', which was composed, produced, and primarily played by Victor, with lyrics written by Peavy. In 2007, the band toured Europe with the orchestra, and their performance at
Wacken Open Air Wacken Open Air (, abbreviated as W:O:A) is a Heavy metal music, heavy metal 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 ...
in August, in front of 80,000 fans, was recorded for a DVD to be included as a bonus with their next album. '' Carved in Stone'' was released on 22 February 2008. In 2009, Rage performed at the Bundesvision Song Contest on 13 February, hosted by
Stefan Raab Stefan Konrad Raab (born 20 October 1966) is a German entertainer, television host, television producer, and businessman. From 1999 to 2015, he hosted the late-night talk show, late-night comedy talk show ''TV total'' on ProSieben. He also creat ...
(''
TV total ''TV total'' is a German late-night television comedy talk show which originally aired from 8 March 1999 to 16 December 2015 on ProSieben, hosted, created and produced by entertainer Stefan Raab. Following a six-year hiatus, it was revived on 1 ...
''), where they secured third place. Their participating song, ''Gib dich nie auf'' (Never Give Up), was released on an EP. The year also marked a 25th anniversary tour, and their performance at Wacken, featuring guest musicians like
Hansi Kürsch Hans Jürgen "Hansi" Kürsch (born 10 August 1966) is a German singer, best known as a member of the power metal band Blind Guardian. One of the founders of the band, he has been its lead vocalist since its creation in 1984, and also acted as ...
, was released as a bonus DVD with the 2011 album '' Strings to a Web''. Rage entered the studio in October 2011 to begin recording their 21st album, aptly titled '' 21'', scheduled for release in early 2012. Two years later, in celebration of the band's 30th anniversary, they released ''The Soundchaser Archives'', featuring rare and demo songs from the band's 30-year history. An anniversary tour took place throughout the year and concluded in January 2015 with their final show in Sofia. On 4 February 2015, Peavy Wagner announced that there would be no further collaboration with Victor Smolski and André Hilgers. Meanwhile, Peavy reestablished contact with former band members Manni Schmidt and Christos Efthimiadis and played a secret concert in Peavy's hometown of Herne under the pseudonym Tres Hombres. Following this successful performance, they decided to reunite 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, who is also the vocalist and percussionist of the band Tri State Corner, as well as a former drum technician and apprentice of Chris Efthimiadis. Following the release of the EP ''My Way'' in January 2016, their album '' The Devil Strikes Again'' was released on 10 June 2016. A tour was scheduled for the end of the year, followed by the release of another album, '' Seasons of the Black'', on 28 July 2017. The next tour took place in January 2018, featuring
Firewind Firewind is a Greek power metal band formed in Thessaloniki in 1998. The group is currently signed to AFM records and was originally a small project created by guitarist Gus G. to showcase his demo, '' Nocturnal Symphony'', in 1998. Firewind ...
as a special guest. The 25th studio album, '' Wings of Rage'', was announced in April 2019 and released in January 2020. On 6 May 2020, Marcos Rodriguez left the band due to personal reasons and was replaced by Stefan Weber (ex-Axxis) and Jean Bormann (Angelinc). Rage's 26th studio album, '' Resurrection Day'', was released on 17 September 2021. On 24 July 2023, it was announced that Weber would go on indefinite hiatus due to personal issues, and the band would continue as a trio. Rage's 27th studio album, ''Afterlifelines'', is set to be released on 29 March 2024. This album marks the first double album in their history and the first collection of new symphonic songs since the departure of Smolski.


Side projects


Lingua Mortis Orchestra

The Lingua Mortis Orchestra (LMO) is the name associated with the orchestras that have performed with Rage since 1996, both in studio recordings and on stage. Rage's tenth studio album, ''
Lingua Mortis ''Lingua Mortis'' is the eleventh full-length album by the German heavy metal music, heavy metal band Rage (German band), Rage, released in 1996. It's the band's first collaboration with the Prague Symphony Orchestra, which played with the band R ...
'', was the first classical album by a metal band and a collaboration with the
Prague Symphony Orchestra The Prague Symphony Orchestra ( ''FOK'') is a Czech orchestra based in Prague. The orchestra has traditionally been known by the acronym 'FOK', standing for 'Film-Opera-Koncert', reflecting the orchestra's fields of activity as envisioned by its fo ...
. Subsequently, Rage worked with orchestras on some of the band's most renowned albums, including '' XIII'' and ''
Ghosts In folklore, a ghost is the soul or Spirit (supernatural entity), spirit of a dead Human, person or non-human animal that is believed by some people to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely, from a ...
''. In 2006, an orchestra from
Minsk Minsk (, ; , ) is the capital and 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 status in Belarus and is the administra ...
, Belarus, also named Lingua Mortis Orchestra, collaborated with Rage on the album '' Speak of the Dead''. The following year, Rage performed 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, the project was formalized by Rage musicians Peavy Wagner (vocals and bass), Victor Smolski (guitar and keyboard), and André Hilgers (drums) as a continuation of the 1996 album ''Lingua Mortis'', which was a pioneering work in its own right. In 2013, they recorded the debut album, titled '' LMO'', in collaboration with two orchestras from Spain and Belarus. The album features additional vocals by former
Metalium Metalium is a power metal band from Hamburg, Germany, Hamburg, Germany, who released eight albums from 1999 to 2011 before disbanding. The band was reactivated in 2023 by founding members Henning Basse and Matthias Lange. Their style of music is ...
frontman Henning Basse, Jeannette Marchewka, and Dana Harnge. The first symphonic performances under the band's name took place at the 70000 Tons of Metal festival, followed by several summer festivals, including Wacken and—prior to the album's release— Masters of Rock. The latter performance was also recorded and included as a bonus DVD in ''The Soundchaser Archives.'' At this point, the designation of Lingua Mortis Orchestra as a "side project" was dismissed by Peavy, and it became integrated into the band, mirroring its original formation in 1996. In 2019, Rage toured with the Lingua Mortis Orchestra to perform at various festivals, including a complete rendition of the ''XIII'' album. The 2024 release ''Afterlifelines'' also features symphonic tracks, and the band has scheduled several performances with an orchestra as part of their 40th anniversary celebrations.


Refuge

In 2014, Peavy Wagner reunited with Manni Schmidt and Chris Efthimiadis, leading to the decision to perform a secret show in their hometown of Herne under the name "Tres Hombres." This event sparked the idea for the creation of Refuge, featuring the same Rage line-up from 1988 to 1993. The name Refuge was derived from one of Rage's most recognized songs, " Refuge," from the album '' The Missing Link'', which was also recorded by this line-up. In an interview, Peavy noted that Refuge is not a professional band, as its members maintain regular jobs and families; thus, Refuge serves more as an "extended hobby" for performing at special events and festivals. He also stated that Refuge would coexist alongside Rage and the new line-up featuring Marcos and Vassilios. In 2015, Refuge performed at numerous festivals across Europe, including the Rock Hard Festival, which was broadcast live and later recorded as the live album ''Live at Rock Hard Festival'' for the box set ''The Refuge Years''. The band's debut album, ''Solitary Men'', was released on 8 June 2018.


Band members


Current members

* Peavy Wagner – bass, lead vocals (1984–present) * Vassilios "Lucky" Maniatopoulos – drums, backing vocals (2015–present) * Jean Bormann – guitars, backing vocals (2020–present) * Stefan Weber – guitars (2020–present; on hiatus since 2023)


Former members

* Jochen Schroeder – lead guitar (1984–1987; died 2021) * Alf Meyerratken – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1984) * Thomas Grüning – rhythm guitar (1985–1986) *
Jörg Michael Jörg Michael (born 27 March 1963) is a German drummer who is known for playing with numerous groups, including the power metal band Stratovarius, with whom he played from 1995 to 2011, and Saxon (2004–2005). He has also been a member of Mekon ...
– 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 Mike Terrana (born January 21, 1960) is an American hard rock and heavy metal drummer. Career His first professional work was in 1984, with the MCA band Hanover Fist from Toronto, Canada. Between 1987 and 1997, he was based in Los Angeles a ...
– drums (1999–2007) * André Hilgers – drums (2007–2015) * Marcos Rodriguez – guitars, backing vocals (2015–2020) Rage Rockharz 2024 06.jpg, Peavy Wagner Rage Rockharz 2024 01.jpg, Vassilios "Lucky" Maniatopoulos Rage Rockharz 2024 05.jpg, Jean Bormann


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!'' (1992) * '' The Missing Link'' (1993) * '' 10 Years in Rage'' (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 *Peavy Wagner â ...
'' (1995) * ''
Lingua Mortis ''Lingua Mortis'' is the eleventh full-length album by the German heavy metal music, heavy metal band Rage (German band), Rage, released in 1996. It's the band's first collaboration with the Prague Symphony Orchestra, which played with the band R ...
'' (1996) * ''
End of All Days ''End of All Days'' is the twelfth studio album by the German heavy metal band Rage. Track listing Personnel Band members *Peavy Wagner – vocals, bass, arrangements, producer *Sven Fischer – guitars, additional engineering *Spir ...
'' (1996) * '' XIII'' (1998) * ''
Ghosts In folklore, a ghost is the soul or Spirit (supernatural entity), spirit of a dead Human, person or non-human animal that is believed by some people to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely, from a ...
'' (1999) * '' Welcome to the Other Side'' (2001) * '' Unity'' (2002) * '' Soundchaser'' (2003) * '' Speak of the Dead'' (2006) * '' Carved in Stone'' (2008) * '' Strings to a Web'' (2010) * '' 21'' (2012) * '' The Devil Strikes Again'' (2016) * '' Seasons of the Black'' (2017) * '' Wings of Rage'' (2020) * '' Resurrection Day'' (2021) * '' Afterlifelines'' (2024)


EPs

* '' Depraved to Black'' (as Avenger) (1985) * '' Invisible Horizons'' (1989) * '' Extended Power'' (1991) * '' Beyond the Wall'' (1992) * '' Refuge'' (Japan) (1994) * '' Higher than the Sky'' (1996) * ''Live from the Vault'' (1997) * ''In Vain - Rage in Acoustic'' (1998) * '' Gib dich nie auf / Never Give Up'' (2009) * ''
My Way "My Way" is Paul Anka's English-language lyrical adaptation of the French song " Comme d'habitude", released by Frank Sinatra in 1969. The original song was written by Jacques Revaux, Gilles Thibaut, and Claude François, and was first recor ...
'' (2016) * ''Spreading the Plague'' (2022)


Live albums

* ''Power of Metal'' (1994) * ''From the Cradle to the Stage'' (2004) * '' Full Moon in St. Petersburg'' (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 music, heavy metal band formed in 1984 by Peter "Peavy" Wagner. They were part of the Music of Germany#Heavy metal, German heavy/speed/power metal scene that emerged in the early to mid-1980s and are considered part ...
'' (2014)


Box sets

* '' The Lingua Mortis Trilogy (The Classic Collection)'' (2002) * ''The Refuge Years'' (2015)


Videography

* '' The Video Link'' (1994) * '' Metal Meets Classic Live'' (2001) * ''From the Cradle to the Stage'' (2004) * '' Full Moon in St. Petersburg'' (2007) * '' Live at Wacken '09'' (2009)


Music videos


References


External links


Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rage (band) German musical quartets German power metal musical groups German heavy metal musical groups German progressive metal musical groups German speed metal musical groups GUN Records artists Musical groups established in 1984 Noise Records artists Nuclear Blast artists