RAGE – From The Cradle To The Stage

Time flies, doesn’t it? It’s been 20 years since we first saw the name Peter “Peavy” Wagner on an album cover. It was the Prayers Of Steel album with the then-called Avenger.

Since then, all Metal fans have learned to know “Peavy” and Rage as a highly productive and a highly acclaimed band… and one of their strengths is to obtain a perfect balance between quantity and quality. It’s never long between Rage-albums, but you always know that you’re not gonna be disappointed.

This album, the 26-track run through of 20 years of Rage, is recorded with the three-piece of “Peavy,” Belarussian Victor Smolski on guitar, and American drummer Mike Terrana at a concert in Bochum, Germany in January 2004.

You surely don’t miss anything here. From the early years, included are “Prayers Of Steel,” “Don’t Fear The Winter,” and “Suicide,” to the mid-90’s “Black In Mind,” “Refuge,” and the anthem “Higher Than The Sky,” up until the recent years, “War Of Worlds,” “Down,” and “Set This World On Fire”.

Rage doesn’t sound like a trio — they just deliver much more sound than you would expect. They don’t hide behind cascades of distortion either, like Motorhead does. Drummer Mike Terrana and guitarist Victor Smolski are both perfectionists to the highest level, and it comes through on From The Cradle To The Stage. This is a two-hour lesson in how to do it right!

Pick up this album, and be sure to buy the DVD as well! This show is included, along with all their music videos, and a great 50-minute documentary. This is quality-Metal from a quality-band. No doubt whatsoever!