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 second – and, as far as most listeners were concerned, final – album from London's Then Jerico stands as the group's defining moment, containing their biggest hit (the rousing, synth-rocking title track) and best presentation, courtesy of former Roxy Music producer Rhett Davies. His polished, sweeping soundscapes match the band's anthemic songwriting well, even if they do remove some of the live excitement that was also a staple of Then Jerico's appeal. The highs here are higher than on First (The Sound of Music), as singer Mark Shaw turns "Sugar Box" into the sort of epic ballad that eluded him previously, and overall is much less mannered than on the band's debut.