Let's speak with Rage about the upcoming UK tour

Soon after having re-discovered some Rage CDs in my collection (Ghosts, Lingua Mortis and End of All Days) a Email hit my inbox saying that the band is going to play a string of dates in the United Kingdom soon. 

Rage are back as a three-piece band.

The full list of dates is as follows:

November 27th – Dudley – Red By Night

https://www.facebook.com/events/291235009932841/

November 28th – Newcastle – The Cluny 2

https://www.facebook.com/events/286485224037167/

November 29th – Dunfermline – PJ Molloys

https://www.facebook.com/events/1038416840849718/

November 30th – Sheffield – Corporation

https://www.facebook.com/events/117477021403958/

December 1st – Bradford – Nightrain

https://www.facebook.com/events/613130937466997/

December 2nd – Brighton – The Arch

https://www.facebook.com/events/785652519717595/

December 3rd – London – The Underworld

https://www.facebook.com/events/1410405596357836/

Rage will be bringing a superb supporting cast with them for their UK campaign, with their old friends, British band C.O.P. UK and the excellent Italian symphonic metal troupe Secret Rule joining them for every date.

For ticketing information see https://linktr.ee/rageinuk

The Email also offered the chance to talk to the band - something I couldn't let unused. They were one of the first band's here in Germany that performed heavy/speed/power metal so I compiled a few questions and got a reply instantly.

Let's see what Peavy Wagner has to say about the upcoming shows and the evolution of the band in nearly 40 bands of existence.

Heavy Metal Underdogs: Why does the new line-up of Rage only feature three band members? What happened in the meantime?

Rage (Peavy Wagner): Our second guitarist Stefan is taking a break from the music biz for a while, due to private reasons. In the meantime we continue as a three piece…

Your website lists three releases entitled "The early years", "The metal years" and "The classic years". Is this a way you would also describe the evolution of the band?

These are different boxset releases, that contain albums from the different phases of Rage, there are three more boxsets (the millenium years, the rising years and the glory years, the last two coming soon). We just called the boxsets like this. The names not necessarily explain the content.

Looking back: what was the trigger that made you try out classic sounds at all?

I (Peavy) always liked classical music, it was often an inspiration to me, when the chance came up to work with orchestra musicians we gave it a chance.

How do you compile the setlists for each show?

We try to feature as much as possible of those 4 decades, of course the highlights but also some forgotten pearls here and there…

Can fans hope to see and hear some songs at the UK dates that have not been in the setlist for a long time?

Yes, we dug out some nice stuff from our older albums, wait and listen! Lookin‘ forward to see you all in the UK! Metal for all 🤘🏻

Finally check out some music in the player below.

Lyra's Legacy expand sound to a much wider range

Some time ago we had a review of Lyra's Legacy first output (the mini album with the same name as the band) up here for reading. Since then the band was in the studio and was closed liped about how they would move on soundwise.

Happily the silence has ended now and the band gives some insight into what's coming up with the new release in the form of a brand new music video. The moving picture is given the title "Prisoner" which will also be the name for the upcoming album which is scheduled for release in 2017.

The bandlogo of Lyra's Legacy, (c) by Lyra's Legacy, used with kind permission

The band has surprised me in a very positive way with this song. It represents a massive development the band has gone through in the recent time. The soundscape the band produced is much more powerfull and most of all tighter than on the first offering. This is sourced a lot of the rhythm section. But the overall guitars have strengthen in the pressure and the vocals also show more depth yet it all is wrapped in a warm sound package which prevents it from sounding just hard and cold.


The band has some shows coming in the next time. Make sure to see them to have a look on their live presence for yourselves. Here are the dates:

29. October 2016
Brothers of Metal BOM 2016
Langerwehe, Germany

12. November 2016
Eisenfest VI
JZ Schwelm, Germany

25. November 2016
Metal for Mercy on Stage
Witten, Germany

03. December 2016
Metal Journey
Falkenheim Lüdenscheid, Germany  

09. December 2016
KULT on Tour
Eckhaus Kettwig, Essen - Germany

Let's keep a further eye on this band using the world wide web site of the band or joing them on Twitter or Facebook to stay in touch.

Scanner release brandnew video and album The Judgement

Sometimes things take a long way but finally arrive. I think that's what mostly happened with the brand new album of Scanner. Ten years ago the band first talked about a new record that's in the pipe but it shouldn't be until 23th of January 2015 that "The Judgement" finally hit the shelves via Massacre Records.

In between there were lots of line up changes and also a virus attack that destroyed a lot of the recordings the band had already finished so the release had to be delayed. But the band always played shows in their home area and posted updates from time to time so you kept the feeling that things were always moving yet there were lots of obstacles to overcome.

Anyway, it seems that the band has put together a massive album. Having heard the first preview track "Fuck the bastards" I posted earlier and now the title track I'm very impressed about what the band has recorded. It reminds me a lot of the old albums like "Hypertrace" or "Terminal Earth" but without missing out the steps and developments the band made in the meantime.

The band will do some shows in Greece and Spain soon. Check out the band's homepage and Facebook account to stay up to date.
The homepage also has a own shop where you can get the album. There's even a very, very limited stock of physical copies on CDs out there...

The band has released a great video for the title-track. So don't wait any longer and give it a look and listen, because today is what counts. You can never know about tomorrow...

Vision Divine

A mixture between Power Metal and Progressive Metal can be a cool combination. There are several bands out there trying this out, but as strange as it is, none of them is much to successfull with it. One of them is the italian band Vision Divine. The combination of melodic heavyness and pure sometimes even raw power has brought to light some great albums, 6 in number. Time to make more people aware of them.
So here's you chance to check them out. This is one of the more straight forward numbers that hardly will leave your ears once heard.:-) By the way: Fabio Leone has returned in 2008 to the band on vocals, maybe some know him from Rhapsody Of Fire.

Finde weitere Künstler wie Vision Divine bei Myspace Musik

Scanner

So a lot of people know Helloween. At the same time while Helloween had their breakthrough

another small band called Scanner were putting out fine albums,too. But they didn't received

the attention they should have had. Nowadays, the band is still alive, but since several years

there has been new CD out yet. Still hope it will come someday!

Anyway, give them a chance - you won't regret it. The newest song is called "The Legionary"

Go here to check out their site:

Scanner official site Music Section