Rage - The Devil Strikes Again"Rage had a unique contribution to metal and was a throwback to the golden age of melodic heavy metal in the best possible sense of that word. These guys carried the torch proudly and […] they did it with a creative, idiosyncratic flare that made them as big every bit they did become," wrote AMG himself in a premature and not-dead-yet type of eulogy in February 2015. A year and some modify subsequently the attempted disbandment, Rage, or rather mastermind Peter "Peavy" Wagner and 2 of his fresh henchmen, are back with new cloth along with chiliad ideas of a reinvigorated, dorsum-to-the-roots energy and a rediscovered heaviness. Ominous promises that have in the end proven truthful for The Devil Strikes Over again.

Because Rage'southward 22nd album really does have more in common with their before recordings, such as The Missing Link and Black in Listen, than with annihilation they've made in the meantime, for better or for worse. The Devil Strikes Again is a raw, speedy, and unashamedly elementary record built around crunchy, aggressive riffs, and a thrashy take on ability/heavy metal that traverses straightforward structures born from a chorus-based formula. Gone are the neoclassical and progressive traits, gone are the orchestrations and any semblances of romanticism in the songwriting. While many might non agree, those elements more ofttimes than not enriched Rage's style and helped them arts and crafts an intriguing sound (e.g. String to a Spider web). As a effect, The Devil Strikes Over again sounds similar a flatter, junior attempt that also lacks the exuberant, pleasantly tricky, and jump-inducing spices introduced during the Smolski/Terrana era (Unity, Soundchaser, Speak of the Dead). Rather, it opts for a darker, tormented theme that seems to exist in a curious dichotomy with the mood of the music.

To brand matters worse and different Rage's releases from the eighties and nineties, the simplicity in songwriting isn't supported by a required, inversely proportional level of inspiration and instead becomes a burden. Having expunged the problematic element named "Smolski" from the band—Wagner doesn't seem to joke equally he rasps "My way or the highway, it'due south sky or hell" on the unbearably cheesy "My Way"— the band's path has been reset and remodeled. But there's an unfilled hole where Smolski's guitar and influences lay. In hindsight, these circumstances might help explicate how the x solid only disappointing tracks on The Devil Strikes Over again came to be. All of them very similar, of nearly metronomic, short length, and left without room for progressions or developments. Few songs are worth mentioning amongst this bunch. "War" and the championship track are presented equally hardened arena rockers, "Ocean Full of Tears" would be a top-notch scorcher were it not for the furiously over the top chorusing, and "Times of Darkness" proves that Wagner can withal write a expert near-ballad. The eastern melodies infused in "The Dark Side of the Sun" show what a long fashion a piffling variation can take y'all and every bit such stands opposite to the mediocre mess that is "Dorsum on Track" that not even a charming, if somewhat uninspired guitar solo can salvage. In all of these songs, heaviness makes a comeback but information technology tin't escape feeling hollow and strained, every bit if without a proper framework.

Rage 2016Musicianship-wise, Rage are notwithstanding an impressive ring. Wagner's vocals are equally pleasant as e'er in their imperfections, and while guitarist Marcos Rodríguez and drummer Vassilios "Lucky" Maniatopoulos lack some of the finesse or flamboyancy of musicians such equally Smolski, Terrana, and Hilgers, they fit their roles and simplified structural positions effectively, churning out relatively interesting riffs and direct, elementary rhythmical patterns. Information technology would be quite unfair to arraign either of them of holding the ring dorsum. Finally, the production, mixing and mastering (courtesy of Dan Swanö) are reminiscent of the ring's previous record, 21, with Wagner's bass pushed to the back, but with a generally pleasant, full, and well-defined sound that gives priority to the riffing without overwriting vocals and drums.

In the end, The Devil Strikes Again makes for a solid, however frustrating release congenital on about arena rock propositions but lacking catchy, memorable songs. While some fans volition be happy to hear their favorite metallers going dorsum to basics, AMG 'south perception of a quirky and, at times, refreshing band might truly be expressionless.

Rating: Mixed
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 160 kbps mp3
Label: Nuclear Blast
Websites:www.rage-official.com | facebook.com/RageOfficialBand
Release Dates: European union: 2016.06.10 | NA: 07.08.2016