Rage

Rage is a German heavy metal band from Herne, formed in 1984 and active to the present. The group is associated with heavy metal, power metal and speed metal, and it emerges from the German metal scene of the 1980s. Bassist and vocalist Peter “Peavy” Wagner is the band’s only constant member through a long history of line-up changes.

Early years and name change

The band starts under the name Avenger, with Wagner, drummer Jörg Michael and guitarist Jochen Schröder as the original line-up. It releases the album Prayers of Steel and the EP Depraved to Black before changing its name to Rage because another band in England already uses Avenger. Rage signs with Noise Records and releases its first album under that name, Reign of Fear, in 1986. Execution Guaranteed follows in 1987.

1980s and early 1990s development

In 1987, guitarist Manni Schmidt and drummer Chris Efthimiadis join the band, and that line-up remains together until 1994. Rage releases Perfect Man in 1988 and Secrets in a Weird World in 1989. During this period, it tours with Running Wild, U.D.O., Motörhead and Saxon. The albums Trapped! and The Missing Link, released in 1992 and 1993, expand the band’s international profile and lead to its first major tour of Japan.

Line-up changes, GUN Records and symphonic work

After Manni Schmidt leaves in 1994, Wagner brings in guitarist Sven Fischer and bassist Spiros Efthimiadis. The anniversary release 10 Years in Rage appears the same year as the band’s final Noise Records release, before it signs with GUN Records. Black in Mind follows in 1995 and is supported by an international tour. In 1996, Rage releases Lingua Mortis, recorded with a symphonic orchestra, and performs the project live in Austria and on a European tour. Later that year, End of All Days includes “Higher than the Sky”, which becomes a regular part of the band’s live set. XIII in 1998 also features the Lingua Mortis Orchestra, and Ghosts follows in 1999.

2000s releases and contest appearance

Victor Smolski and Mike Terrana join in 1999 and make their first appearance together at Wacken Open Air in August that year. The line-up records Welcome to the Other Side in 2001, Unity in 2002 and Soundchaser in 2003. Rage tours with Primal Fear and Helloween during this period. The band marks its twentieth anniversary with the From the Cradle to the Stage tour in 2004, and a concert recording from that tour later appears on CD and DVD. In 2006, Rage works again with a symphonic orchestra under the name Lingua Mortis Orchestra from Minsk, Belarus, on Speak of the Dead. After the album, Mike Terrana leaves and André Hilgers joins in 2007. The band tours Europe with the orchestra that year, including another Wacken Open Air performance. Carved in Stone appears in 2008. In 2009, Rage represents North Rhine-Westphalia at the Bundesvision Song Contest with “Gib dich nie auf (Never Give Up)” and finishes third.

Recent line-ups and albums

Rage celebrates its twenty-fifth anniversary with a tour, and the Wacken Open Air concert is later included as a bonus DVD with Strings to a Web in 2011. 21 follows in 2012. The compilation The Soundchaser Archives marks the band’s thirtieth anniversary in 2014, alongside a tour that ends in January 2015. In 2015, Victor Smolski and André Hilgers depart. Wagner then performs with former members Manni Schmidt and Christos Efthimiadis under the name Refuge, while Rage introduces a new line-up with guitarist Marcos Rodriguez and drummer Vassilios “Lucky” Maniatopoulos. After the EP My Way, the band releases The Devil Strikes Again in 2016 and Seasons of the Black in 2017. Wings of Rage follows in 2020, with Marcos Rodriguez later replaced by Stefan Weber and Jean Bormann, creating a twin-guitar line-up. Resurrection Day appears in 2021. Rage supports Saxon on its European tour in 2023. Stefan Weber then goes on indefinite hiatus, and the band continues as a trio. Afterlifelines appears in 2024, marking the band’s fortieth anniversary and its first collection of new symphonic material since Victor Smolski’s departure. The next studio album, A New World Rising, follows in 2025.