{"id":54726,"date":"2017-07-28T00:00:22","date_gmt":"2017-07-28T00:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/?p=54726"},"modified":"2019-10-18T16:13:02","modified_gmt":"2019-10-18T16:13:02","slug":"news-rage-release-23rd-studio-album-seasons-of-the-black","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/news-rage-release-23rd-studio-album-seasons-of-the-black\/","title":{"rendered":"RAGE Release 23rd Studio Album \u2018Seasons Of The Black\u2019 (July 28th, 2017) | News @ Metal Forces Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

RAGE Release 23rd Studio Album \u2018Seasons Of The Black\u2019<\/strong><\/span>
\nJuly 28th, 2017<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Bochum, Germany-based metal band Rage issued 23rd full-length studio album Seasons Of The Black<\/em> on July 28th, 2017 through Nuclear Blast Records.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur fans are getting Rage metal of the very first grade,\u201d says frontman Peter \u201cPeavy\u201d Wagner. \u201cWe\u2019ve been able to bring the band\u2019s typical trademarks into 11 new songs, and we\u2019re sticking to the course that we forged on the last album! This means hard and very catchy compositions that also sound thrash, aggressive and epic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since the reorientation of 2015, the three band members have now fully adapted to each other and the lost harmony has been fully restored. \u201cWe are even better matched with each other,\u201d reckons the frontman. \u201cWe offer new ideas to each other like we\u2019ve never done something else before! It also happened that we created a whole new song within just two hours from start to finish, from scratch! Regarding the production we were also able to prevent some complications, which had been an element of the last album due to a lack of experience. This time, everything worked perfectly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Guitarist Marcos Rodriguez and drummer Vassilios \u201cLucky\u201d Maniatopoulos have been long-time Rage fans from the very beginning. Their input also leaves its mark on their second album. \u201cMarcos and Lucky well know the \u201cclassic\u201d style-creating spirit of Rage so to speak, and on a personal level we all really like each other as well,\u201d adds the vocalist. \u201cThis contributed to the possibility of continuing to develop and expanding the band\u2019s spirit.\u201d<\/p>\n

The stylistic connection between the last album The Devil Strikes Again<\/em> and Seasons Of The Black<\/em> is also visually reflected in the artwork, once again created by graphic artist Karim K\u00f6nig. \u201cWe developed the idea together,\u201d confirms Peavy. \u201cIn this way we want to show that both albums belong together in their own way. I modelled the sonically inspired sculpture that dominates the cover on my own. As a basis, I used a very rare skull from my collection, which I poured myself and then re-modelled. Karim created the gloomy landscape with the Golgotha \u200b\u200bHill.\u201d<\/p>\n

The title song \u2018Seasons Of The Black\u2019 is the opener of the 11 track-album. \u201cThe song is very personal, it is about a failed life-long dream,\u201d reveals the frontman. \u201cImagine being stamped to the ground and looking at the broken pieces of your existence. This sadly is a destiny that many people have to share. Most of the songs on the album include a very gloomy view of the world, so we thought Seasons Of The Black<\/em> would be suitable for the entire album.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seasons Of The Black<\/em> was recorded in February and March 2017 at Megafon Studios in Burscheid, Germany and at Soundchaser Studios in Zandhoven, Belgium. Production was handled by Rage, while Dan Swan\u00f6 took care of mixing and mastering at Unisound Studios in Grefrath, Germany.<\/p>\n

Cover artwork duties fell to Karim K\u00f6nig.<\/p>\n

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The track listing is as follows:<\/p>\n

01. \u2018Season Of The Black\u2019
\n02. \u2018Serpents In Disguise\u2019
\n03. \u2018Blackened Karma\u2019
\n04. \u2018Time Will Tell\u2019
\n05. \u2018Septic Bite\u2019
\n06. \u2018Walk Among The Dead\u2019
\n07. \u2018All We Know Is Not\u2019
\n08. \u2018The Tragedy Of Man – Gaia\u2019
\n09. \u2018The Tragedy Of Man – Justify\u2019
\n10. \u2018The Tragedy Of Man – Bloodshed In Paradise\u2019
\n11. \u2018The Tragedy Of Man – Farewell\u2019<\/p>\n

Avenger Revisited (Digipak Bonus CD)<\/p>\n

01. \u2018Adoration\u2019
\n02. \u2018Southcross Union\u2019
\n03. \u2018Assorted By Satan\u2019
\n04. \u2018Faster Than Hell\u2019
\n05. \u2018Sword Made Of Steel\u2019
\n06. \u2018Down To The Bone\u2019<\/p>\n

The bonus tracks originate from the time when Rage were known as Avenger. \u201cIt was really nice to re-record the songs from my first years of being a musician!\u201d comments Peavy. \u201cI remember quite well how the songs were created. I always thought that it\u2019s a pity that most of the people don\u2019t know these songs, just because they were released with another band name. For me it was always clear that these songs are kind of timeless and when we played them together it was really awesome! Back then, we couldn\u2019t realise our ideas as good as today. When you listen to the new recordings you will recognise how fantastic these songs really are!\u201d<\/p>\n

Rage\u2019s line-up is as follows:<\/p>\n

Peter \u201cPeavy\u201d Wagner (lead vocals and bass)
\nMarcos Rodriguez (guitar and backing vocals)
\nVassilios \u201cLucky\u201d Maniatopoulos (drums and backing vocals)<\/p>\n

Music videos were filmed for the title track and the song \u2018Blackened Karma\u2019. Both clips can be viewed below.<\/p>\n

Twenty-second studio record The Devil Strikes Again<\/em> was released<\/a> in June 2016 via Nuclear Blast Records.<\/p>\n