Rage (German band)

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Rage
Rage performing in 2024
Background information
Also known as	Avenger
Origin	Herne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Genres	Power metal, heavy metal, speed metal, progressive metal, symphonic metal
Years active	1984–present
Labels	Noise, Nuclear Blast, SPV, GUN
Members	Peavy Wagner Vassilios Maniatopoulos Stefan Weber Jean Bormann
Website	rage-official.com

Rage is a German heavy metal band formed in 1984 by Peter "Peavy" Wagner. They were part of the German heavy/speed/power metal scene that emerged in the early to mid-1980s and have been referred to as one of the country's so-called "big four" of power metal, alongside Grave Digger, Helloween, and Running Wild.^[1]

Rage was formed in 1984 under the name Avenger. After releasing their debut album Prayers of Steel and the Depraved to Black EP in 1985, the band changed their name to Rage due to the existence of another band in England with the same name. Over the years, 17 musicians have been part of Rage, with the most successful lineup emerging during the period now known as the Refuge years, featuring Manni Schmidt and Chris Efthimiadis. The second notable lineup included Mike Terrana and Victor Smolski.

Throughout their career, Rage has established themselves as a notably successful band and pioneers of the power metal scene, incorporating elements of progressive metal and classical music into their music. In 1996, Rage became one of the first metal bands to write and record an album featuring a full symphonic orchestra: Lingua Mortis.

As of 2024, Rage has released 27 albums (counting the "Avenger" and "LMO" releases) over their 40-year career (in total, more than 50 releases when including DVDs, EPs, Japan editions, and VHS). They have achieved international success, selling over five million records and securing more than 40 entries on music charts.