Rage

Rage is a German heavy metal band formed in 1984 by Peter “Peavy” Wagner. It was part of the German heavy/speed/power metal scene that emerged in the early and mid-1980s, and is considered one of the “big four” of that scene, alongside Grave Digger, Helloween and Running Wild.

Rage was formed in 1984 under the name Avenger. After the release of their first album, Prayers of Steel, and the EP The Depraved to Black in 1985, the band changed its name to Rage, due to the existence of another English band with the same name. Over the years, 17 musicians have passed through Rage, the most acclaimed line-up being that of the so-called Refuge years, with Manni Schmidt and Chris Efthimiadis. The second notable line-up included Mike Terrana and Victor Smolski.

Throughout its career, Rage has established itself as a band of notable success and as a pioneer of the power metal scene, incorporating elements of progressive metal and classical music into its work. In 1996, Rage became one of the first metal bands to write and record an album with a full symphony orchestra: Lingua Mortis.

As of 2025, Rage had released 27 main studio albums (not counting the side projects “Refuge” and “LMO”) over a 40-year career, totalling more than 50 releases counting DVDs, EPs, Japanese editions and VHS tapes. The band has achieved international success, selling more than five million records and charting more than 40 entries.