Resurrection Day

Rage

RAGE is a German Heavy Metal band formed in 1984. Active ever since, Resurrection Day […]
By Kevin Lewis
November 8, 2021
Rage - Resurrection Day album cover

RAGE is a German Heavy Metal band formed in 1984. Active ever since, Resurrection Day is their 25th full-length release and was issued via Steamhammer Records on September 17, 2021. Prolific and skilled, there is a lot of crossing over into various genres of metal, including power and melodic metal among others. There is a lot of variety and even more skill on this record. With 12 songs running just over 50 minutes, there is plenty to love.

The record begins with a quick instrumental, "Memento Vitae (Overture)," that sets the stage for the title track, "Resurrection Day." The instrumental build to the full song is done very well. The transition is epic and has a bit of a symphonic feel without the overt strings over everything. All thoughts of melodic or symphonic are dashed when the riff kicks in. This song is big and epic and heavy all at the same time.

"Arrogance And Ignorance" is another really heavy song. Again, the guitars are heavy and perfectly in time with each other. Feeling a bit post-apocalyptic with the lyrics, the vocalists use of his pretty unique distortion gives the tune a menacing tone. The chorus is catchy and the backing vocals add a lot of depth to the sound. The guitar solo section is nicely done, especially when they come together to harmonize.

Next, "Man In Chains" has a melodic intro with the guitars weaving in and out of harmony. The intro belies the hard-hitting main riff though. Here, we have corporations and churches trying to hold us all down to enrich themselves and control society through manipulation. We hear more of this in two more songs, "Monetary Gods" and "Mind Control." These are topics that are always a bit controversial, but more often than not, very relevant. It does seem like the biggest fight is between the theocrats and the oligarchs in modern society.

Balancing out the two extremes from those songs is "Age Of Reason." The great awakening is something needed to take back the power and change the course of society. Promoting science over religion, this is the song that begs the listener to use their mind, not to just believe what they hear and follow blindly.

The record wraps with "Extinction Overkill," a ripper of a tune with a great riff and a killer rhythm. The tempo is fast and there is a ton of power metal influence all over this one. This is the song about using the last of the resources Earth can provide and knowing that our doom is caused by ourselves. When it's all over, the end will be violent and brutal, but we have no one to blame.

There is a lot to love on this record. The drums and bass pound out killer rhythms and drive this record like a stolen racecar. The guitars are powerful, bold and elegant all at the same time. The vocals, both the clean and the gritty, are delivered with power and accuracy. The backing vocals are well-placed and add to the sound, not just fill a gap.

RAGE should take a place at the altar of metal for this one. The songs are well written, the instruments are well-played. The album is coherent and timely from start to finish. There is angst, anger, frustration, hope and despair all in one record. This is a journey that needs to be taken, a message that needs to be heard. Almost 40 years into this, RAGE is still putting out poignant music that hits hard.

9 / 10

Almost Perfect

Songwriting

9

Musicianship

9

Memorability

9

Production

9
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"Resurrection Day" Track-listing:

1. Memento Vitae (Overture)
2. Resurrection Day
3. Virginity
4. A New Land
5. Arrogance and Ignorance
6. Man in Chains
7. The Age of Reason
8. Monetary Gods
9. Mind Control
10. Traveling Through Time
11. Black Room
12. Extinction Overkill

Rage Lineup:

Peavy Wagner - Bass/Vocals
Vassilios Maniatopoulos - Drums
Stefan Weber - Guitar
Jean Borman - Guitar

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