RAGE – Afterlifelines

RELEASE YEAR: 2024
BAND URL: http://www.rage-official.com/

I tell you Jesus Christ was just an ordinary man, but he was wise, much wiser than the rest, the few to see wrote tales about him but time perverted it all – Rage “Echoes Of Evil”

One of the bands which had had a very long history, tons of albums and had gone through multiple labels yet they have only caught my ear with a couple of their recent albums is the German speed and power metal force Rage, having arrested my attention with two very good records: Wings Of Rage²⁰²⁰ and Resurrection Day²⁰²¹ year after year in the middle of the then Coronavirus pandemic, as a an apparent testimony to the strength of heavy metal on extremely volatile and evil times. While I did expect them to return with new material soon thereafter, I never imagined it would be a double CD, Disc I: Afterlife and Disc 2: Lifelines (that second one fully orchestrated with the support of Duisburg keyboardist Marco Grasshoff, from small string quartet arrangements to a large line-up with strings, wind instruments and piano), collectively named Afterlifelines²⁰²⁴ (released on March 29th via Steamhammer) full of fresh music, totalling in length (85:50) well over the length of Dream Theater’s Awake¹⁹⁹³ or Guns’N’Roses’ either of the Use Your Illusion¹⁹⁹¹ albums. Since it is impossible to record more than 80 minutes on one disc (and some even recommend no more than 74), I love and appreciate how these guys could have split this material into two separate albums (with two different covers), “Afterlife” to have been released last year and “Lifelines”, say, sometime in 2006, but no, they were excited to give us all of the music in 2 CDs for the price of one because, while there certainly is some monetary expectation as there should be, it is clearly not a priority with Rage but the music is, the joy of creation of art for the consummation by those who eagerly wait for it, the attitude which earns my utmost respect. There is, of course, a question if there was no way they could have edited out those 11 or so minutes and to that question I respond with no, because, while not all of the songs are fantastic, neither disc contains anything that could even remotely be considered filler and every track has a musical and lyrical purpose for a complete work.

I started by saying that Rage has had a long history and not only they have, spanning nearly 37 years of power and speed metal history, but also not just as Rage. They were initially founded as Avenger in 1983 by Peter “Peavy” Wagner (bass, vocals), Jochen Schröder (guitars-1986), Jörg Michael (drums, gongs-1986) and Alf “The Reaper” Meyerratken (guitars, backing vocals-1984) of whom latter guitarist Thomas “Guinessa” Grüning (1985-1986), Peavy, Schröder (1986-1987) and Michael (1986-1987) created Furious Rage, eventually dropping “furious” and recording “sophomore” album Reign Of Fear¹⁹⁸⁶. Interestingly, the only remaining founder, Peavy, counts Avenger’s only album as Rage’s first in spite (or maybe because) of the fact that
“Prayers Of Steel” had suggested a Satanic lyrical direction (so may I, again, quote Brian Griffin in asking “what the hell, Peter, what the hell?) but maybe to distance themselves from such associations they changed the name to Furious Rage, thankfully dropping the silly Satanic image and lyrics. Throughout the next 33 years Rage recorded 20 more albums: 7 for Noise Records (including “Reign Of Fear”), 6 for GUN Records, 7 for Nuclear Blast Records and 5 for Steamhammer (including “Afterlifelines”) while retaining Peavy as the only remaining founder, however, as I noted in my “Wings Of Rage” review, having never heard a single note but with the vague remembrance of reading some review of the “Higher Than The Sky¹⁹⁹⁶ EP where the reviewer had highlighted similarity to Megadeth which I never checked out anyway, my journey with Rage started in 2020 with “Wings Of Rage” and what a journey has it been! As I noted in my “Resurrection Day” review, it seems that the way of the future for heavy metal, especially the veteran acts, is the eclectic approach, abandoning the niche they may have painted themselves once in and embracing other genres and influences, even those seemingly incompatible with their core sound (such as Peavy’s deep gutturals in “Under The Black Crown” and “Afterlife” and “Lifelines” or the “Terminator” “riff” in “Interlude”), the old with the modern to create songs and some of the best RIFFS in the history of metal that move you no matter at what age you became a metalhead. Plus, the production is just unbelievable, a major reason why this album is such joy to listen to. And all this from just a trio: Peavy, a single mind-blowing guitarist in both riff and solo, Jean Bormann (2020-present) and Vassilios “Lucky” Maniatopoulos (2015-drums, additional vocals)!

It also bears repeating what I wrote in my “Resurrection Day” review that for a band with a history almost as old as Metallica the energy, the creativity, the absolute, unquestionable and unferretered love for heavy metal they are so amazingly able to enchant in notes and words is nothing short of a miracle and, “Afterlifelines”, while slightly inferior to its immediate predecessor, is also a testimony to that miracle. True, most of Disc 1: Afterlife is no frills very good power and speed metal, howbeit with some of the best riffs Dave Mustaine has yet to use in Megadeth (“Afterlife” with a cinematic John Williams-like intro, “Life Among The Ruins”) but when they perfect it there’s actually more Come Clarity²⁰⁰⁶ In Flames (Toxic Waves) and Killswitch Engage (Shadow World). Even though both Discs deserve their 5.2 score, it’s Disc 2: Lifelines, that is more innovative, pretty much every track offering something different, be it the perfect Evergreyan “It’s All Too Much” or, the favorite and arguably their magnum opus track “Lifelines” that recalls Pantera’s “Cemetery Gates” but longer with a lot more going in terms of pace and changes on a dime, while “Curse The Night”, again, combines Megadeth’s balladic stylings with Toolish groove and then, the disc opening cinematic “Cold Desire” sets the mood for a more unexpected experience, not that power metal is not present (very Helloweenish “Root Of Our Evil” and “One World”). Of note is also the epic ending “In The End” that recalls fellow countrymen the Scorpions and the ballad “Dying To Live”, with Bormann’s solo worthy of ex-Bon Jovi’s Richie Sambora from “Bed Of Roses”, which could be about the Russian dictator’s Vladimir Putin’s shameful invasion of Ukraine, however, it’s too vague and general so one can only venture a guess, plus it’s written in such a way that it could present the war from both sides of the conflict, since, once drafted, a soldier doesn’t get to think or work, anymore, but only fight for his or her country and follow the motto I know all too well myself “try not to die for your country but make the other guys die for theirs”, which brings me to the essential part of “Afterlifelines” – the lyrics.

It’s amazing how the metal world is virtually unanimous about the End Times: the agnostics, the atheists, the (true) Christians, even the Satanists and Luciferians all keep saying they same thing: stick a fork in humanity, we’re done! When has it begun? Was it the September 11, 2001 attacks or even earlier, World War I (where countless Christians murdered countless Christian brothers and sisters over literally no-thing) where we started to see the inevitable downfall of human race gaining momentum, where, no matter how noble, no matter how integrity-filled the heroes they were always succeeded by the more numerous and more cunning the wretched, the vile and, yes, the filthy rich whose only reason for existence is to make themselves as comfortable as they can no matter who or what suffers in the process? To me, it’s amazing how I see unity in the heavy metal community, regardless of the personal faith of the musicians or lack thereof (yes, I know there are also a few who just want to watch the world burn) and I believe most are horrified and deeply saddened by what we, the human race, have become. One no longer has to be a Christian or even religious to see what’s going on in our governments, schools, and places of worship: a sinister profoundly antihuman invisible force is hell-bent on wiping us all out, first from within, then from without. We used to quarantine students who were sick so as to prevent them from infecting the whole school, nowadays a teacher in whose face the child practically coughs his or her lungs off gets reprimanded by the principal and told to “just wear a mask next time” if he or she suggests the student sits apart from everyone because the teacher is not a doctor or nurse and cannot make that judgment. In fact, we are forbidden from making any judgment about anything anywhere lest we get verbally crucified for speaking out or even lose our jobs or freedom, a threat we used to shake our heads at, while sitting in comfort of our “democracies” and “rule of law with justice for all” in disbelief and horror of what was happening to this “other country”. For all intends and purposes, the common sense is dead. And Rage is another band that puts that realization in words and notes.

“Yes, I recall a better time when we lived common sense, now I envy those who had died” sings Peavy in “Curse The Night” and you only need to be human and not so rich to agree with him. The common sense is dead everywhere, indeed, and our primal fears, punishment by the gods…the deluge is here, we are drowning in “The Flood” but, actually, it is not of supernatural cause as it once was (Genesis 6-8, The Epic Of Gilgamesh), presently, WE, the People, are to blame, with the “Root Of Our Evil”, the origin of our madness is that “we feel so special, who do we think we are?..we love to do that dance around the golden calf (Exodus 32:6), believing the sun and all there is was made for our bliss, how narcissistic can you be, man?”, “some of us had seen the signs but the most stayed dumb and blind, Planet Earth, you’ve changed your face to an uninhabitable place” (Waterwar), “now, homo sapiens, are you proud?..there’s nothing left alive here, now, where is your God who will bring justice for all those we rooted out? Now, Exxon Mobile, are you proud?” (Toxic Waves) And, on the note of rooting out, should God really bless the United States of America for how it was basically territorially created by the white Anglo-Saxon civilization who had stolen the land from the Native American “Indians” and then filled the schools with the false narrative of Manifest Destiny or are the tables now turning and the “victors” will die, too, in a manner of poetic justice? (now, according to Peavy, “Dead Man’s Eyes” is about the extinction of the orangutan but it could be interpreted both ways). “Do you believe in fear of God, of punishment in pain and blood? No matter what your prophet said, whatever was, we made it dead, denied to see the signs…we’re eating more than we could chew, we swallow all, so sad but true, the painted green technology a radiation death to be” (Shadow World), could it be that the divine justice is just allowing us to simply reap what we’ve sown with our minds, tongues and hands? In any case, “It’s All Too Much”, “we should tear it all down…now let’s rip off their crown”, “just death – no glory, that’s all to await, thanks to the rich ten percent” as “they wouldn’t listen till nature would end their game…gone are the days where we could have saved future for all but short term profits seemed brighter, so this is the fall, maybe better this way” (Under The Black Crown), “One World”, “too many people…deadly mistreated, the uninvited stranger at your door is running for his life but space is poor…the uninvited stranger at your door is running for his life but help is poor…increasing damage, depletion and littering, the rainforest tragedy, the glacial melt, national interest of profit was overrated, the price it was global, our children must pay”, “the liars play with hate and fears, they’re getting rich with our tears, a flock of wolves, a herd of sheeps” (Justice Will Be Mine) “Father, I’m lost, tell me why…falling, we’re falling from grace” (End Of Illusions), and “In The End”, “when all given will be taken, what is left when from our dreams we are awaking? You will find that in the end all that remains, dust in our hands…it was a stairway out of heaven…our world is devastated, unforgiven…and we’ll find that…we poorly failed in the end”.

However, what makes Rage Rage is that the lyrics are not one-dimensionally pessimistic (despite the conclusion “In The End” being decidedly so) but contain passages that suggest a light, however vague, in the tunnel. “In these times when all is painful and the good’s not coming back all that’s left is hope, so give a little prayer for me, ring the chimes of peace and freedom, against this cruel attack, the awaited end and finally we all are free…in these eyes hollow from hunger, a smile, it won’t return to these dried out lips, they shattered every trust in you” but “feed the broken, they are starving, enlight a flame to burn in the hearts of those who want to see the light anew” (Life Among The Ruins”, “stand the ground in these hard times, one day “Justice Will Be Mine”, free your mind, think for yourself, stop running with the pack, one day all the brave will find their freedom’s back”, “blessed are all the peaceful, their kingdom will be coming for sure…just remember that you are all “Mortal”, none of you shall survive in this world, days are counted cause you are all mortal…use your time, implement what you’ve learned”, “search for lifelines of a long gone world, silent echoes that remain unheard, search for lifelines in the desert sand, After”Life Lines”, seen in our own hands”, “Father, I’m lost, tell me why…falling, we’re falling from grace” (End Of Illusions) “please give us peace, we gave it all we can give, we can’t take no more ’cause we are “Dying To Live”! “Is there a meaning for all thing or is all coincidence? Is there swarm intelligence? Will it bring us competence? (Afterlife). After all, the mythology of Pandora’s box (Hesiod’s “Works And Days” and Andrea Alciato’s “Emblemata”) tells us that after it was open to let out all the misery and curses onto the world the only thing remaining at the bottom was hope, and so, in the end, we all get to decide why: either because it is the strongest or because it dies last.