Group
Rage
German metal band
- From
- Herne, Germany
- Since
- 1986–present
- Rating
- ★ 4.6
- Releases
- 75
- power metal
- heavy metal
- speed metal
About
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 are considered part of the scene's "big four," alongside Grave Digger, Helloween, and Running Wild.
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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 a pioneer of the power metal scene, incorporating elements of progressive metal and classical music into their work. 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 2025, Rage have released 27 main studio albums (not counting the "Refuge" and "LMO" side projects) over their 40-year career, totaling more than 50 releases when including DVDs, EPs, Japanese editions, and VHS. They have achieved international success, selling over five million records and earning more than 40 entries on music charts.
Members
-
Peter “Peavy” Wagner bass guitar, lead vocals
-
Vassilios Maniatopoulos drums (drum set)
-
Marcos Rodríguez guitar
-
Jean Bormann electric guitar
-
Thomas Grüning electric guitar
-
Jörg Michael drums (drum set)
-
Jochen Schröder electric guitar
-
Rudi Graf electric guitar
-
Manni Schmidt electric guitar
-
Chris Efthimiadis drums (drum set)
-
Ulli Köllner keyboard
-
Spiros Efthimiadis electric guitar
-
Sven Fischer electric guitar
-
Chris Wolff keyboard
-
Mike Terrana drums (drum set)
-
Victor Smolski electric guitar
-
André Hilgers drums (drum set)
Discography
Albums
-
Reign of Fear
-
Execution Guaranteed
-
Perfect Man
-
Secrets in a Weird World
-
Reflections of a Shadow
-
Trapped!
-
The Missing Link
-
10 Years in Rage
-
Black in Mind
-
End of All Days
-
Lingua Mortis
-
XIII
-
Ghosts
-
Welcome to the Other Side
-
Unity
-
Soundchaser
-
Speak of the Dead
-
Carved in Stone
-
Strings to a Web
-
21
-
LMO
-
The Devil Strikes Again
-
Seasons of the Black
-
Wings of Rage
-
Resurrection Day
-
Afterlifelines
-
A New World Rising
EPs
Singles
Live
Compilations
-
The Roots of Our Evil: 40 Years in Rage
-
The Millenium Years: Welcome to the Other Side – Unity – Soundchaser
-
The Classic Years: Lingua Mortis – XIII – Ghosts
-
The Metal Years
-
Carved in Stone / Speak of the Dead
-
The Refuge Years
-
The Refuge Years
-
Lost in the Eyes
-
The Soundchaser Archives – 30th Anniversary
-
The Missing Tracks
-
The Lingua Mortis Trilogy: The Classic Collection
-
The Dark Side
-
Metal Collection
-
Best of All G.U.N. Years
-
The Best From the Noise Years
Links
Official
Concerts
Buy
Artist rename
Identifiers
- MusicBrainz
- 2a90aa9c-d2ff-49fd-a8e5-2463f657eb45
- ISNI
- 0000000109439528
Data from MusicBrainz, saved 7 Nov 2026. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, covers from the Cover Art Archive and Apple Music.