ROYAL RAGE hailing from Curitiba, Brazil were formed in 2010 as ROYAL RAMPAGE. The Thrash Metal outfit are active as ROYAL RAGE since 2017 and release now their sophomore album “Evolve”. The album was mixed by Russ Russel (AT THE GATES; DIMMU BORGIR; NAPALM DEATH) at Parlour Studios Kettering, UK. It has a length of about 55 minutes and was released via Latvian Heavy and alternative Metal specialists Sliptrick Records. The album starts with the instrumental intro “Dawn Of A New Era” leading into the title track. “Evolve” is a mid-tempo track with simple and direct guitar riffing, a lot of double-bass drumming, and clean vocals that cover the medium end of the vocal range with relatively little tonal shifts in either direction. Highlight of the track is the break with a contributing lead guitar solo and a bass solo. “Evolve” is a good opening track and it was released as lyric video with the YouTube link provided below. “

Into The Abyss” starts with fast verse parts involving tight guitar riffing and plenty of double-bass drumming. The chorus parts and the bridge switch to mid-tempo at a head-banging rhythm. The break includes powerful guitar riffs, crunching basslines, and a cool lead guitar solo. The track is with more than five minutes playing time one of the longer album tracks, however that leads to a bit of repetition during the end of the track. “Virtual Hell” is a mixture of mid-tempo verse parts and chorus parts at a measured tempo. The riffing is thunderous and so are the basslines. The bridge and the chorus parts follow catchy melodies, where the chorus line is almost anthemic. Highlight is once again the extended lead guitar solo, which consists of two parts. “Cheap Addiction” starts with an extended guitar part leading into the main riff of the track accompanied by strong basslines. It is another mid-tempo track without tempo switches during verses, bridges, and choruses. The chorus parts are quite melodic with the vocals following the melodies. The chorus lines are almost sing-alongs, if they were not so lengthy. The break eventually delivers a slight change in rhythm, and it is driven by devastating guitar riffing.

“Eyes Of Glass” is a track around mid-tempo with subtle switches in rhythm. It is another melodic track in particular during the chorus parts however, the track cannot quite keep up with most album tracks as too much emphasis were put on the melodies. “Khan” starts very powerful with thunderous riffing accompanied by relentless double-bass drumming. While the verse parts are direct and aggressive, the chorus parts focus on the melodies and catchiness, delivering anthemic chorus lines. Highlights of the track are the simple but effective riffing and the double-bass drumming. “Bloodlust” is a fast song introduced by tight, flesh-ripping riffs. It is a direct and aggressive track with a simple chorus line provided by the background vocals. There are a few twists in tempo and rhythm, most notably during the break, leading to the contributing lead guitar solo. “Bloodlust” is one of my favorite album songs. “Lampiao” goes back to the well-tried mid-tempo approach with twists towards a measured tempo. The riffing is punishing, and the basslines are crushing. The guitar and bass guitar work are the main driver of the track, and they are clearly the highlight of “Lampiao”.

 “Real Dolls” is one of the few faster songs on the album. The riffing is tight and there is once again a lot of double-bass drumming during the verse parts. The track is once again a bit of a mixture between fast and mid-tempo parts, most evident during the break that starts with punishing riffs at mid-tempo and seamlessly continues with the lead guitar solo at high pace. Eventually, the album comes into its Thrash Metal life with the frantic and EXODUS inspired “Disease And Decadence”. It is a traditional Thrash Metal track from the top to the bottom with the riffing, the aggression, the speed, and of course another cool lead guitar solo. “Disease And Decadence” is another one of my album favorites. “Your Brain Will Fall” starts strongly and with fast and aggressive verse parts. The chorus parts are mid-tempo and focus a bit too much on melodies again. While the track had an excellent start it could not maintain it until the end. Highlight is the extended lead guitar solo. The album closes with the head-banger “Seize The Pain”. The riffing is powerful and crushing at mid-tempo, while the lead guitars are in the focus of the track. It is a good song to end the album.

 ROYAL RAGE deliver a decent Thrash Metal album. “Evolve” is a mixture of everything. Most songs are based upon a solid mid-tempo approach with twists and turns in tempo and rhythm. Highlights of the album are the guitar contributions, both the riffing and the lead guitars. Although there are a couple of faster tracks, the album lacks a bit of versatility in terms of tempo and aggression. Also, the vocals sound quite monotone across the entire album. The album is well produced. “Evolve” will have its share of Thrash Metal fans, but is it going to be a Thrash Metal album remembered for a long time? I am not sure about it.