A Man Called Rage

The German heavy metal outfit, Rage, originally formed in the early '80s, and although the group has issued albums on a steady basis ever since, lead singer/bassist Peter "Peavey" Wagner is the only original member still in attendance. First known as Avenger, the group issued a pair of recordings (Prayer of Steel and Depraved to Black) before switching their name to Rage, to avoid confusion with a British band of the same name. 1986's Reign of Fear signaled the group's first album to be released under their new name, as they continued on in the same heavy hitting musical direction on subsequent releases; although they used some orchestral flourishes on their late-'90s experimental albums Lingua Mortis (1996) and XIII (1999)…

The German heavy metal outfit, Rage, originally formed in the early '80s, and although the group has issued albums on a steady basis ever since, lead singer/bassist Peter "Peavey" Wagner is the only original member still in attendance. First known as Avenger, the group issued a pair of recordings (Prayer of Steel and Depraved to Black) before switching their name to Rage, to avoid confusion with a British band of the same name. 1986's Reign of Fear signaled the group's first album to be released under their new name, as they continued on in the same heavy hitting musical direction on subsequent releases; although they used some orchestral flourishes on their late-'90s experimental albums Lingua Mortis (1996) and XIII (1999)…

An air of inquiry suffuses Laura Marling's third album, a mood of experimentation as cerebral as it is playful. Opening song The Muse is like nothing she has released before: swaggering and brassy, with her voice pulling angular shapes across saloon-jazz piano and tight brush drums. Salinas and Rest in the Bed are like miniature western movies, with spit and sawdust in the guitar and banjo lines, melodrama in the backing vocals and Marling squinting at a relentless sun as her characters glare fate in the face. As on last year's I Speak Because I Can, Marling can sound curiously dispassionate, slurring the chorus of Don't Ask Me Why, maintaining a studied cool at the start of Sophia as she murmurs: "Where I have been lately is no concern of yours." But when Sophia unfurls into a glowing country romp, the distance between her and us suddenly shrinks – and the feeling is exhilarating.

Great events cast their (apparently equally significant) shadows before them: German metal band Rage have announced the arrival of their latest studio album ‘Afterlifelines’ in March 2024. The double album will consist of a total of 21 songs, including an intro, interlude and outro. Remarkably, the two records feature different musical approaches: "The first CD is called ‘Afterlife’ and comprises songs that we recorded as a trio, while the material on the second CD ‘Lifelines’ also includes classical orchestral arrangements," explains singer and bassist Peavy Wagner. Wagner and his two band mates Jean Bormann (guitar) and Vassilios "Lucky" Maniatopoulos (drums) have cut more than 94 minutes of new Rage music, including what Wagner calls a "20-minute grand finale".