Le nouvel album est pret, il arrive a la fin de l'année :

German power metallers RAGE have set "Carved in Stone" as the title of their new album, tentatively due before the end of the year via Nuclear Blast Records. Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "Carved in Stone" (described by the band as "a super hymn, which could open the live shows in future), "Open My Grave" ("very heavy and dark"), "One Step Ahead" and "Long Hard Road" and "Without You". Check out a studio report at the band's official web site.

RAGE's new DVD, entitled "Full Moon in St. Petersburg", was released on February 23 via Nuclear Blast. The double DVD set was filmed in St. Petersburg, Russia last year in front of 15,000 fans. "Full Moon in St. Petersburg" contains the complete concert in St. Petersburg, Russia, plus a lot of behind-the-scenes footage and material from personal archives. A three-and-a-half-minute trailer for the DVD has been posted online at this location (Windows Media, 7.44 MB).

RAGE recently announced the addition of drummer André Hilgers (AXXIS, SILENT FORCE) to the group's ranks. "During [the recording sessions for] the Nuclear Blast anniversary album, we were very surprised how perfectly André's style matched our new song, 'Terrified'," the group wrote on its web site. "So it was obvious that we jammed through the RAGE classics and the sparks flew immediately. André had a lot of new ideas that fitted perfectly our style and the understanding among us was harmonically. He brings a lot of fresh blood and power to the band and we have loads of fun again playing our music."

Russia's Darkside e-zine has uploaded a number of photos of RAGE's April 27, 2007 performance in Moscow with the the Belarus symphonic orchestra (Lingua Mortis Orchestra). Check out the pictures at this location.

Ca sera peut être prog. Bah ouais c'est bien le nom d'un album de Shadow Gallery.

Le nouveau batteur risque d'être moins fantasque que Terrana. A voir quand même. Mais bizarrement je suis pas hyper passionné par la sortie de cet opus.

en tout cas, le studio report est bien fun et débile comme d'habitude. J'adore.

Un p'tit topo de Peavy :

"I can promise you, that this time, we'll come to the point directly, no experiments, only cool melodies and riffs, straight on the kisser.


1. Carved In Stone (Smolski/Wagner)

The titlesong starts with an hymnic intro, that will open our shows surely in the next time with this chorusmelodie, that refuses to leave your ear-windings. The song itself explodes after this to an uptempo triolic-groove, where Andre can heat up his fast feet on the double bassdrum.
The lyrics talk about all these politicians in their ivory towers, that waste all these young soldiers in their wars for money and power.


2. Drop Dead (Smolski/Wagner)

Then, Drop Dead goes fast in the second lap. What a skullcrusher riff, that Victor has extracted from his braincells here, like in the first song. Memories to old Missing link times come up in me, this one goes right to the point, but never sounds dusty indeed.
In the words I sing about some (frustrated) thoughts of mine, about the momentary condition of mankind, please don't nail me on every single word.


3. Gentle Murders (Smolski/Wagner)

Gentle Murders starts with a furious guitarintro, before we join in full speed. This song from Victor has lots of amazing grooves, riffs and harmonies. In the middle part its time to mosh intensivly.
The words talk about the circumstand, that you can do whatever you want if your only rich and powerful enough, like practised in most of the "legal-systems" in the world.


4. One Step Ahead (Smolski/Wagner)

One Step Ahead is a fully fat midtempo groover with fantastic melodies, also composed by Victor. A neckbreaking riff leads into a dynamic verse, just to stomp everything down in the bridge and chorus.
The lyrics invite you to get rid of the "crooks" from religion to get free in mind.


5. Without You (Wagner, Smolski/Wagner)

Without You starts like a ballad with fantastic harmonies, but then turns into a wall of guitars and riffs. That's a song from me, that Victor joined in with some fine ideas, so we breeded a song with absolute ear-catching melodies.
The words talk 'bout someone, who lived lifelong under a mask (pictural) and always denied his real self.



6. Long Hard Road (Wagner, Smolski/Wagner)

This is a marvelous Metal-stomper of the old-rage-school, with breaking guitar riffs, cool chords and ear catching melodies. Although the main riff doesn't sound alike, it's a real finger breaker in Victor's style, same like the phantastic guitar solo.
The lyrics are a philosophical description of our physical existence from my perspective.


7. Open My Grave (Smolski/Wagner)

Open My Grave starts with a riff in an arabic scale, that's played by the bass this time, and leads over into a superfat riffmonster, that's a real headbanger. The chorus straightens it up with a fantastic melody. The middle-part gets way calmer and the vocals come upfront.
The lyrics are about the curse of the pharao.


8. Lost In The Void (Wagner, Smolski/Wagner)

Another neck-breaker with goosebum guarantee for every metal-fan. The thing pushes unstoppable forwards, and contains a fat hymnic chorus. In the solo, Victor breaks with Andres support the frontiers of the guitar, while shredding his axe into the ground. We've asked Yamaha to build him an instrument with automatic fretboard cooling...:-)
The lyrics describe the feeling of strangeness in a more and more confusing world.


9. Lord Of The Flies (Wagner, Smolski/Wagner)

Lord Of The Flies is the musical exception of the album. It is very dark, nearly ballad-like, and has a full orchestration. It's in the tradition of songs like "Alive But Dead". The main theme comes along with orchestra and choir, while the verses are more intimous. The chorus then is very theatralic and stirring. The arrangement is really impressive, a real highlight.
The lyrics are about William Goldings book from 1954, and its a very dark, nearly pessimistic description of our society. Evil is among us...


10. Mouth Of Greed (Wagner)

In the end a typical RAGE song with my fingerprint. Mouth Of Greed builds up Rush-like with a calm verse, that leads into a thundering chorus. Andre can freak out on this one on his drums.
In the lyrics I write about awkward customers, that orientate their lifes to the images, that the main stream medias proclaim, they swallow everything that the industry feeds them with...



The album is set to be released for the middle of March next year."

Tiens, en effet, le titre du second SHADOW GALLERY... Je veux y voir là un signe de bonne augure, avec un titre comme celui-là il se doit de ne pas démérité.

T'emballes pas trop, TAOM.

Il semblerait que l'album soit beaucoup plus direct que le précédent et n'ait rien de prog ("we'll come to the point directly, no experiments")

Tout dépend de ce que l'on appelle direct. Du direct à la Soundchaser ou Unity ça me convient et me suffit amplement.

Il y aura certainement des solos tortueux made in Smolski, mais pas d'orchestre, ni de morceaux-fleuves. "Direct" par rapport à Speak of the Dead, surtout.

Donc oui, ça s'annonce comme du Unity - Soundchaser (si ça pouvait être moins linéaire, ce serait pas mal, aussi).

Ouais, va pour Unity ou Soundchaser, sans souci... Mais ce qui je gène un peu c'est que dans SOTD je n'aime que la 1ère partie justement, la seconde ne m'apparait pas inspiré du tout... A voir donc, enfin à entendre.

La partie Heavy de SOTD a été écrite uniquement par Peavy, je crois, non ?

Là, ils ont tout écrit à 2 (sauf le dernier titre). Donc, on peut espérer quelque chose d'un peu moins basique.

C'est vrai que le dernier album en date, structurellement mal foutu était une belle déception quand même et n'arrivait pas à la cheville d'un Unity ou d'un Soundchaser!

Ha, effectivement Odin ! Si c'est bien le cas je vois ça d'un meilleur œil.

Sortie le 22 Février.

et bien c'est pas un mal tout ça parce que "Speak of the dead est bof bof quand même!

Tu as vraiment besoin de citer un message d'il y a deux mois pour donner une réponse que tu as déjà donnée ?

En fait, si on synthétise les propos de Peavy, ça donne "cet album est plus sombre et heavy que le précédent", non ?

Si je l'ai fait c'est que la réponse est oui.
Désolé sinon.

Pochette :

Pas extra, elle me rappele celle là :



Enfin si la musique est bonne, ça ira

Hop il est disponible sur le net depuis une semaine cet album et après plusieurs écoutes, je commence à le cerner pas mal, c'est un bon cru, très différent de speak of the dead, Rage est revenu à un son plus heavy et direct dans la lignée de Trapped ou Missing Link, la pochette y faisait penser c'est assez logique finalement

Le groupe a pas mal simplifié sa zique même si on sent encore pas mal la présence de Smolski sur certains titres, l'homme nous sort encore quelques soli dont il a le secret dont l'intro extra de Carved in stone ou sur Gentle Murders, pour les titres, hormi Drop dead que je trouve moyenne, le reste me botte bien et passe comme une lettre à la poste, j'en retiens Carved in stone, Gentle murder donc mais aussi le formidable Lord of the flies qui conclut le disque dans un registre assez différent du reste, très lyrique, ou encore Long hard road et open my grave

C'est donc encore un bon cru du groupe ma foi, et achat obligatoire