All That Rage

The second true album from Germany’s Rage, “Execution Guaranteed,” is their final days in the speed metal territory they started but strangely is also one of their weaker overall efforts which is somewhat below the quality the band usually delivers in…

This stirring release was written by acclaimed composer/sampler artist Bob Ostertag, and performed alongside the Kronos Quartet. A stark response to the AIDS epidemic (with the proceeds of all sales of this disc going to AIDS research), the quartet follows an opening sing-spiel narrative before diving into a section of Ostertag's cut-up loops of crowds cheering, and intense string work from the quartet.

Of all of rock & roll's many comatose old tricks, few are hanging as tenuously to their life-support systems as that absolute relic known as the live album. Having said that, Rage's first such effort, From the Cradle to the Stage, benefits from a better premise (celebrating the enduring power thrashers' 20th anniversary), a better track listing, and a better overall recording quality than most half-hearted, contract-fulfilling entries into the format…

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Sabaa Tahir comes a brilliant, unforgettable, and heart-wrenching contemporary YA novel about family and forgiveness, love and loss, in a sweeping story that crosses generations and continents. …