We are an institution from the German and worldwide Metal scene

Meet Peter “Peavy” Wagner, the vocalist and bassist of the German heavy metal band Rage. I had the pleasure of having a little chat with him regarding their upcoming release and their journey as a band since mid 80’s.

Hello Sir!! First of all i would like to thank you for this interview opportunity. As i am very much excited for Rage’s upcoming album ‘The Devil Strikes Again’, please tell us something about it. How different will it be from the previous albums?

On our new album we sound a bit more direct, the portion of “thrash” is back. The songs are straight to the point, focused on the great melodies and riffing.

You have hit the studio for the new album with a complete new line up. So, how has the recording session with the new guys been?

Fantastic, both are not only my long time friends but also fantastic musicians. It was very easy and joyful to record the songs. We used a very natural sound, what you hear is what we played, only very few editing, no samples or so. Our friend Dan Swanö (from Sweden, known from his works with Opeth, Katatonia, Edge of Sanity, Nightingale etc) did the sound and the mixing of the album, a perfect job!

I’ve listened the recent release ‘Spirit of the nights’ from the upcoming album. It is an absolute killer track with heavy thrashy sound. So, is it the Rage who will continue its present sound without any symphonic touch again or is it just the album material did not appealed to it?

These songs need no Orchestra. Which does not mean that we wouldn´t work with classical elements and orchestration any more. Rage was the first Metal Band who did this, already in 1996. In the future we will surely continue with this kind of extras to our music but right now we focus on the essential Rage sound : METAL!!!

You have been in the industry since mid 80’s. What differences do you feel between metal those days and metal today? Has it become mandatory to change the sound to get accepted in today’s generation of metalheads?

No, it’s good that Rage has developed a unique sound already long ago. This means being always recognized among all other bands. Young metalheads keep on recognizing Rage again and again. There’s not so many differences in the metal scene, only nowadays there’s a lot more categories in Metal. Back in 83 it was everything Metal, from Bon Jovi to Slayer, all one box…

30+ years of career with many changes in the line up. Several studio albums, EP’s, Live albums, Compilations in Rage’s stock. Would you let us know what keeps this fuckin’ machine running?

The true fans all over the world and my love for the music that I can share with my musicians….

The band started with  Helloween, Running Wild, Blind Guardian and Grave Digger as a part of German heavy/ power metal scene. All the other bands have moved far beyond now. Where do you think Rage stands at this point of time? Is it at the very place where you wanted it to be back then or still enough recognition is needed?

And Rage has also moved far beyond. We are an institution from the German and worldwide Metal scene, what more can you want?

With so many outstanding albums in the list can we know which would be  Peter “Peavy” Wagner’s fav.  album?

Several surely! But right now I´m focused on our new one plus I am already working on the next one…

Few final words you want to share with our readers..

Thanks to all the Metal Fans for your true support! There´s no bands, there´s no scene without you, you are the Metal Motor!

Thanks a lot for taking out some time for Metal On Loud Magazine and wish you much luck for the new release. Hope it breaks all the records that Rage holds from the past.

Thanks!!