Rage

Rage is a German heavy metal band formed in Herne in 1984 by bassist and vocalist Peter "Peavy" Wagner. The band emerged from the German heavy, speed and power metal scene of the 1980s and has undergone numerous line-up changes throughout its career, with Wagner remaining its only constant member.

The band was founded in 1984 under the name Avenger by Wagner, drummer Jörg Michael and guitarist Jochen Schroeder. After releasing the album "Prayers of Steel" and the EP "Depraved to Black" in 1985, the group changed its name to Rage because another band in England was already using the name Avenger. Rage signed with Noise Records and released its first album under the new name, "Reign of Fear", on 12 May 1986.

The band's second album, "Execution Guaranteed", was released in 1987. During that year, guitarist Manni Schmidt and drummer Chris Efthimiadis joined the line-up, which remained together until 1994. The first music video, for the song "Down by Law", was also released in 1987.

In 1988, Rage released "Perfect Man", followed by "Secrets in a Weird World" in 1989. During this period, the band toured with acts including Running Wild, U.D.O., Motörhead and Saxon. The albums "Trapped!" (1992) and "The Missing Link" (1993) expanded the band's international profile, including its first major tour of Japan.

Following the departure of Manni Schmidt in 1994, Wagner recruited guitarist Sven Fischer and bassist Spiros Efthimiadis. The same year, Rage released the anniversary album "10 Years in Rage", their final release for Noise Records, before signing with GUN Records. Their first album for the label, "Black in Mind", was issued in 1995 and was followed by an international tour.

In 1996, Rage released "Lingua Mortis", recorded in collaboration with a symphonic orchestra. The project was subsequently performed live in Austria and on a European tour. Later that year, the band released "End of All Days", which included the song "Higher than the Sky", a regular feature of the band's live performances.

The album "XIII", released in 1998, also featured the Lingua Mortis Orchestra. It was followed by "Ghosts" in 1999. Shortly before the release of "Ghosts", the line-up changed again, with Wagner continuing the band alongside new members while several former members formed the band Sub7even.

In 1999, guitarist Victor Smolski and drummer Mike Terrana joined Rage. Their first performance together took place at Wacken Open Air in August that year. The line-up released "Welcome to the Other Side" in 2001, followed by "Unity" (2002) and "Soundchaser" (2003). During this period, Rage toured with Primal Fear and Helloween. The band's twentieth anniversary was marked by the "From the Cradle to the Stage" tour in 2004, with a concert recording later released on CD and DVD.

In 2006, Rage reunited with a symphonic orchestra, this time under the name Lingua Mortis Orchestra from Minsk, Belarus, for the album "Speak of the Dead". Mike Terrana left the band after the album's release and was replaced by André Hilgers in 2007. That year, Rage toured Europe with the orchestra, including a performance at Wacken Open Air.

"Carved in Stone" was released in 2008. In 2009, Rage represented North Rhine-Westphalia at the Bundesvision Song Contest with the song "Gib dich nie auf (Never Give Up)", finishing in third place. The band also celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary with a tour. The concert at Wacken Open Air was later included as a bonus DVD with the 2011 album "Strings to a Web".

The album "21" was released in 2012. To mark the band's thirtieth anniversary, Rage issued the compilation "The Soundchaser Archives" in 2014, accompanied by an anniversary tour that concluded in January 2015. In February 2015, Wagner announced the departures of Victor Smolski and André Hilgers.

Later in 2015, Wagner reunited with former members Manni Schmidt and Christos Efthimiadis for performances under the name Refuge. At the same time, Rage introduced a new line-up featuring guitarist Marcos Rodriguez and drummer Vassilios "Lucky" Maniatopoulos. Following the release of the EP "My Way", the album "The Devil Strikes Again" appeared in 2016, followed by "Seasons of the Black" in 2017. The band toured in support of both releases, including performances with Firewind in 2018.

The twenty-fifth studio album, "Wings of Rage", was released in January 2020. Shortly afterwards, Marcos Rodriguez left the band and was replaced by Stefan Weber and Jean Bormann, establishing a twin-guitar line-up. "Resurrection Day", the band's twenty-sixth studio album, was released in September 2021. Rage supported Saxon on its European tour in 2023. In July 2023, Stefan Weber went on an indefinite hiatus, after which the band continued as a trio.

Rage released its twenty-seventh studio album, "Afterlifelines", in March 2024 to coincide with the band's fortieth anniversary. The double album marked the group's first collection of new symphonic material since the departure of Victor Smolski.

The band's twenty-eighth studio album, "A New World Rising", was released in September 2025.

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rage_(German_band)

Studio albums Prayers of Steel (1985, as Avenger) 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) 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) A New World Rising (2025)