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Germany's Rage have been around for an astonishing 21 years,
and Speak Of The Dead is the band's 17th release!
They can best be described as progressive or power metal,
but they also incorporate many new ideas and modern
elements.
Speak Of The Dead begins with an eight-song suite
which was recorded with the Minsk (White Russia) symphonic
orchestra. Of the eight tracks, five are instrumental with
the musicianship of the band and the orchestra being nothing
short of amazing. Of the non-instrumental songs, "No Regrets"
features a chugging electronic riff, leading us into an epic
chorus backed by the orchestra. The suite, though maybe a
bit too long, and ends with the ballad "Beauty", which I could've
done without. Several bands have collaborated with orchestras
for studio and live albums before. The idea isn't entirely
original, but it works well.
On the eight remaining songs, Rage shows a talent for combining
heaviness, progressive musicianship and soaring melodic choruses.
"No Fear" does all of this (and adds some distorted vocals)
and is the perfect opener of the second half. "Soul Survivor"
is power metal at its best and almost comes across as a feel-good
metal song. "Full Moon" is flat-out awesome, with galloping
percussion in the vein of '80s metal and a sing-along chorus.
The final tracks mostly stay true to the same formula, displaying
just why Rage have managed to stay around for so long. Nothing
comes out and hits you dead on, but the material is solid
enough to keep your attention.
Speak Of The Dead will most likely not garner many
new fans for Rage but will satisfy their existing fanbase.
The sprawling suite to begin the album is a welcome surprise,
and is well executed. The second half of the album is solid
but not fantastic.
I would recommend this to fans of Edguy, Blind Guardian and
traditional/power metal fans alike.
®2006 Live-Metal.net
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