Review RAGE ‘Afterlifelines’

Rage that’s a band that contributed to the growth of German heavy metal a lot. Now, the band celebrates the 40^th anniversary and in case you wonder if the calculation is wrong – it isn’t. It was the predecessor Avenger, that was founded in 1983 before Avenger morphed into Rage in 1986. Within four decades, Rage released 24 full-length albums and also had rather successful records in the starting blocks during the 90s; a decade that wasn’t well-disposed for traditional metal bands.

It was the collaboration with orchestras which allowed the band to experiment with their musical roots, and they did it successfully. ‘Lingua Mortis’ and the ‘XIII’ album were a highlight in the band’s history and are still outstanding to date.

To celebrate four decades of Rage, Peavy and his companions have recorded a new album. ‘Afterlifelines’ is the title of the newest effort by the band, and it is a release, packed with great metal anthems. In total 21 songs are forming the tracklist of this double album, that reflects the entire musical heritage of Rage.

Photo: Oliver Bob

While the first album, the ‘Afterlife’ part, is lasering in on the hard-hitting aspect of Rage as a trio it is the second album that brings back the orchestral approach. Driven by Peavy’s unique vocals and his grooving bass, songs like the title track unfold the full metal flavor of Rage. Together with Jean Borman’s heavy riffing the first eleven songs show the essence of Rage that seamlessly connects to the previous decades. Next to the irresistible music, the album also comes with a lyrical concept. It is a dystopian look on planet earth with songs like the powering ‘Toxic Waves’ which addresses the pollution of oceans all over the planet. To mention in this context is also the furious ‘Dead Man’s Eye’. It is one of the heaviest tracks on the album and thematizes the extinction of orangutans.

Album number two starts with a song you might know already. ‘Cold Desire’ is one of the three lead singles and has been revealed already. The classic intro immediately states a change of approach compared to the first eleven songs. Yet the next nine songs aren’t calm ones. ‘Cold Desire’ sets the tone of voice as the orchestral arrangements enrich the typical Rage sound instead of starting a competition.

On we go with the dense and bit more complex ‘Roots of Our Evil’ before the dark and evil anthem ‘Curse the night’ takes over. Regardless of where you drop the needle, you will be rewarded with great music. The rather melodic ‘One World’, the ballad called ‘Dying to Live’ and the epic ‘Lifelines’, each of the songs reflects 100% the Rage trademark sound while at the same time offer great entertainment and with a running time of nearly ten minutes, ‘Lifelines’ echoes the essence of 40 years of Rage.

‘Afterlifelines’ is a great attempt of celebrating 40 years of Rage. Instead of just launching a compilation with a couple of new tracks, Peavy and bandmates offer a double album that is heavy, soulful, powerful, modern and oldschool. The trio passes this balancing act with flying colors and metalheads shouldn’t miss this release.