Rage - Perfect Band

PERFECT BAND

Believe me, there are very few band like Rage

. Their music and, even more, their lyrics are on a far plane from the cliche we all have come to know far too well.
Surely they make no compromise in their compositions, but they have found a way to go in depth through human nature, and their songs are often a marriage of light and darkness, of hopeful lyrics and heavy music.

Rage Line-Up I have to say that I'm not a "long-time" Rage expert. I came to know the band almost by accident on Christmas 1996, when I received their End Of All Days as a gift. The record is still one of my all-time favorites.
Anyway, End Of All Days was introducing some changes in the atmospheres of the band with a song called Silent Victory, which was way "happy" for the band's standard, as far as I've been told. Also, the album was really heavy on the sound side, but it had great drifting openings during the songs, and some riffs that went out of the "crunchy way". The last track, Fading Hours, had even the support of an orchestra, and I must say that song comes very close to Stairway To Heaven in my all-time power ballad chart (not reaching the n.1, Believe by Savatage).

Rage - End Of All Days END OF ALL DAYS
1996

Under Control
Higher Than The Sky
Deep In The Blackest Hole
End Of All Days
Visions
Desperation
Voice From The Vault
Let The Night Begin
Fortress
Frozen Fire
Talking To The Dead
Face Behind The Mask
Silent Victory
Fading Hours

Produced by Ulli Posselt and Peavy Wagner
Additional engineering by Sven Fischer
Mastered by George Marino at Sterling Sound
Arranged by Peavy Wagner
Orchestration by Christian Wolff

Then came the time of buyng Lingua Mortis, and if you know something about legendary metal albums, you should have heard about it. The songs in this album are self-covered so well by the band that I haven't still found the need to hear the originals; the "plus" is, again, the orchestra. Since Peavey Wagnes (the band leader) seems to go light on things, he managed to have the Symphonic Orchestra Prague and Christian Wolff, who gave the songs a new depth that you would hardly dismiss to hear the "naked" originals.

Rage - Lingua Mortis LINGUA MORTIS
1996

In A Nameless Time
Alive But Dead
Medley
    Don't Fear The Winter
    Black In Mind
    Firestorm
    Sent By The Devil
    Lost In The Ice
All This Time
Alive But Dead

Produced by Ulli Posselt, Peavy Wagner and Christian Wolff
Engineered and Mixed by Ulli Posselt
at R.A.S.H. Studio, Gelsenkirchen and Fisyo-Studio, Prague
Orchestra Arrangements by Christian Wolff
Orchestra Conducted by Markus Stollenwerk
Piano by Christian Wolff

	END OF ALL DAYS 1996	Under Control Higher Than The Sky Deep In The Blackest Hole End Of All Days Visions Desperation Voice From The Vault Let The Night Begin Fortress Frozen Fire Talking To The Dead Face Behind The Mask Silent Victory Fading Hours
Produced by Ulli Posselt and Peavy Wagner Additional engineering by Sven Fischer Mastered by George Marino at Sterling Sound Arranged by Peavy Wagner Orchestration by Christian Wolff

	LINGUA MORTIS 1996	In A Nameless Time Alive But Dead Medley Don't Fear The Winter Black In Mind Firestorm Sent By The Devil Lost In The Ice All This Time Alive But Dead
Produced by Ulli Posselt, Peavy Wagner and Christian Wolff Engineered and Mixed by Ulli Posselt at R.A.S.H. Studio, Gelsenkirchen and Fisyo-Studio, Prague Orchestra Arrangements by Christian Wolff Orchestra Conducted by Markus Stollenwerk Piano by Christian Wolff