Refuge (DE)

About

Also known as: Rage

Few German metal bands can claim a legacy as dense as Rage, the Herne outfit that started life in 1984 under the name Avenger before a naming conflict with a British band forced the change. Founding bassist and vocalist Peavy Wagner has been the constant through 40 years and 27 studio albums, steering the band through heavy, speed, and power metal with a progressive edge. Their 1992 album Trapped! cracked charts worldwide and kicked off a landmark Japan tour, while Black in Mind a couple of years later pushed them to a whole new level, especially in Japan and Europe, and is still treated as a genre classic. Rage also pulled off something genuinely rare: in 1996 they became one of the first metal bands to record with a full symphonic orchestra, producing Lingua Mortis. They performed that material live in Kufstein, Austria, that same year and kept the collaboration going across several more records. Over the decades more than 17 musicians have passed through the lineup, but the stretch featuring guitarist Manni Schmidt and drummer Chris Efthimiadis is often called the Refuge years and is held in particular high regard by fans.