Rage is a German heavy metal band formed in 1984 by Peter "Peavy" Wagner. They were part of the German heavy/speed/power metal scene which emerged in the early to mid-1980s, and have been referred to as one of the country's so-called "big four" of power metal, along with Grave Digger, Helloween and Running Wild.
Rage was formed in 1984 under the name Avenger. After releasing their debut album Prayers of Steel and their Depraved to Black EP in 1985, the band changed their name to Rage because there was another band in England that shared the same name. Originally the new name was meant to be Furious Rage but it was eventually shortened to Rage.
17 musicians have been part of Rage over the years, with the most successful line-up being from the period now known as the Refuge years; this line-up featured Manni Schmidt and Chris Efthimiadis. The second notable line-up was the one formed with Mike Terrana and Victor Smolski.
Through the years, Rage established themselves as a notably successful band and as pioneers of the power metal scene, including in their music elements of progressive metal and classical music. In 1996, Rage was one of the first metal bands to write and record an album with a full symphonic orchestra: Lingua Mortis.
Rage has released 26 albums (counting the "Avenger" and "LMO" releases) over the past 30 years (in total more than 50 releases counting DVDs, EPs, Japan editions, and VHS). A remarkable international success with more than five million records sold, Rage has had more than 40 music chart entries.
History
From Avenger to Rage (1984–1986) Rage began in 1984 in Herne when Peavy Wagner (bass and vocals), along with drummer Jörg Michael and guitarist Jochen Schroeder, first got together under the name "Avenger". Following the arrival of their debut album recorded in 1984, Prayers of Steel released by Wishbone Records, followed by an EP Depraved to Black in August 1985, Avenger changed their name and became Rage, and got a record deal at Noise, releasing their first official LP, Reign of Fear, on 12 May 1986.
Noise years (1986–1994) On 11 May 1987 they released the album Execution Guaranteed under the label Noise. In the same year they released their first official video clip "Down by Law", introducing the new line-up with Manni Schmidt and Chris Efthimiadis.
With this new line-up in 1988 the album Perfect Man was released, having as a single the song "Don't Fear the Winter", which became a hit in the scene. The band began touring with Running Wild, U.D.O., Motörhead and Saxon. In 1989 Rage released the album Secrets in a Weird World, hitting the charts with the single "Invisible Horizons", also a highlight in the career of the band.
The early 1990s, their 1992 album Trapped! marked their international breakthrough, hitting the charts worldwide. As a result, the band performed their first major tour in Japan. Their success was repeated in 1993 with the release of The Missing Link. This Album turned out to become one of the most successful and influential albums of this era.
In early 1994, the guitarist Manni Schmidt left the band and Peavy Wagner formed a new line-up with Sven Fischer and Chris Efthimiadis's brother Spiros.
Two guitars years (1994–1999) After the change in their lineup, in 1994 Rage went on to record their ten-year anniversary album called 10 Years in Rage, which was the last album released by Noise Records, which was not well promoted by the media. Rage signed with Gun Records the same year and released the breakthrough album Black in Mind, followed by a world tour and several chart entries worldwide. Especially in Japan and Europe, this album brought the band to a different, much higher level and is still seen as a classic of the genre. Several bands had simultaneously left Gun Records that year.
The album Lingua Mortis, recorded in 1996, was the first album on which a metal act collaborated with a classical symphonic orchestra. Their material was performed live for the first time in late summer 1996 in Kufstein, Austria. Subsequently, Rage and the orchestra embarked on a Christmas tour and played several European festivals.
Still in 1996, they launched one of the most successful albums of their career, End of All Days, With "Higher than the Sky" becoming a staple of their live shows.
In March 1998 Rage released their thirteenth album XIII, which included the Lingua Mortis Orchestra and had considerable success in the charts. XIII was ranked number 272 in Rock Hard magazine's book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.