Album Review: Rage - A New World Rising
Reviewed by Gareth Pugh
Another year means another new Rage album, yes, the most prolific men in metal are back with yet another release! It was only last year that Rage released their first double album ‘Afterlifelines’ to coincide with their 40th anniversary, an ambitious half and half affair with one disc being accompanied by a full orchestra, as per their old Linga Mortis release, while the other disc was a pure metal affair, lyrically it looked at how mankind seems inherently hardwired to destroy itself.
So, a new album brings a new sound, and a new philosophy, ‘A New World Rising’ wipes the slate clean and pushes those dystopian thoughts to one side, and in a world that seems increasingly bleak offers a new solution: hope and a positive outlook for the future. Continuing with the same line-up, Peavy Wagner (vocals, bass), Jean Bormann (guitar) and Vassilios “Lucky” Maniatopoulos (drums), ‘A New World Rising’ starts with the title track, this time a brief intro narration that sets the scene before first track proper ‘Innovation’ hurls itself out of the speakers and perfectly exemplifies this new improved version of the band, lean and stripped back, with a more modernised feel, it’s also one of the thrashiest songs from the band for some time, not that ‘Afterlifelines’ wasn’t heavy, but there seems to be a bit more of a bite to the new material, the guitars have a cleaner, sharper edge to them, and the songs are more direct and to the point, without losing any of the hooks and catchiness we’ve become accustomed to.
While these new songs don’t beat around the bush the band still have fun by dropping in the odd progressive part, a tribal drum beat here, and a slower section there as per the middle of ‘Against the Machine’ (I’ve only just realised this, but is this a bit of a pun? Rage – Against the Machine! Maybe, maybe not!). ‘Freedom’ ups the heavy grooves and has a massive singalong chorus section that will go down a storm live. The band pay tribute to their fans on ‘Fire in Your Eyes’, a quite intro soon builds into a real earworm, Jean adds some emotionally charged leads to add another dimension to a song that already shows a different side, a bit more playful and upbeat than perhaps we’ve heard previously. ‘Fear Out of Time’ is the longest track, and it adds a bit more experimentation into the mix and definitely feels a bit more modern with its start stop, staccato rhythms, industrial feel and harsh backing vocals.
‘A New World Rising’ is undoubtedly Rage, but not quite as we know it, it’s great to see Peavy and Co still able to experiment with its core sound without losing any integrity, they have had a long reputation for innovating there sound, being one of the first metal bands to add full orchestration, but this embrace of modern sounds is fresh. What is also apparent is that the band are thoroughly enjoying themselves at the moment and that is transferred into the songs. I have to admit, I was a little bit hesitant at first, but after a few listens my fears have dissolved, and I full-heartedly approve of this new version of one of my favourite bands.
