RAGE Frontman Checks In From Recording Studio

RAGE frontman Peter "Peavy" Wagner has issued the following update from the recording studio where the band is currently working on its new album, "Carved in Stone":

"Let me report from our studio, where we're intensively working at our new album 'Carved in Stone' since considerable time. We've again barricaded ourself in the VPS studio together with our longtime sound engineer Charly Czajkowski, who will record our efforts for eternity. Later, our well tried sound mixer Charlie Bauerfeind will screw the whole stuff together. I can promise you that this time, we'll come to the point directly, no experiments, only cool melodies and riffs, straight on the kisser. The recordings have started already, and the material for the most parts is ripe for decision, so I will tell you some words to the first five songs:

"'Carved in Stone': The title song starts with an hymnic intro that will open our shows surely in the next time with this chorus melody that refuses to leave your ears. The song itself explodes after this to an uptempo triolic-groove, where Andre can heat up his fast feet on the double bass drum. The lyrics talk about all these politicians in their ivory towers that waste all these young soldiers in their wars for money and power.

"'Drop Dead': Then 'Drop Dead' goes fast in the second lap. What a skullcrusher riff, that Victor has extracted from his braincells here, like in the first song. Memories to old 'Missing Link' times come up in me, this one goes right to the point, but never sounds dusty indeed. In the words I sing about some (frustrated) thoughts of mine, about the momentary condition of mankind, please don't nail me on every single word.

"'Gentle Murders': Starts with a furious guitar intro before we join in full speed. This song from Victor has lots of amazing grooves, riffs and harmonies. In the middle part its time to mosh intensivly. The words talk about the circumstance that you can do whatever you want if your only rich and powerful enough, like practised in most of the 'legal-systems' in the world.

"'One Step Ahead': A fully fat mid-tempo groover with fantastic melodies, also composed by Victor. A neckbreaking riff leads into a dynamic verse, just to stomp everything down in the bridge and chorus. The lyrics invite you to get rid of the crooks from religion to get free in mind.

"'Without You': Starts like a ballad with fantastic harmonies, but then turns into a wall of guitars and riffs. That's a song from me, that Victor joined in with some fine ideas, so we breeded a song with absolute ear-catching melodies. The words talk about someone who lived lifelong under a mask and always denied his real self."

RAGE's new DVD, entitled "Full Moon in St. Petersburg", was released on February 23 via Nuclear Blast. The double DVD set was filmed in St. Petersburg, Russia last year in front of 15,000 fans. "Full Moon in St. Petersburg" contains the complete concert in St. Petersburg, Russia, plus a lot of behind-the-scenes footage and material from personal archives.

RAGE's upcoming CD will be the band's first since the addition of drummer André Hilgers (AXXIS, SILENT FORCE) to the group's ranks. "During [the recording sessions for] the Nuclear Blast anniversary album, we were very surprised how perfectly André's style matched our new song, 'Terrified'," the group wrote on its web site. "So it was obvious that we jammed through the RAGE classics and the sparks flew immediately. André had a lot of new ideas that fitted perfectly our style and the understanding among us was harmonically. He brings a lot of fresh blood and power to the band and we have loads of fun again playing our music."

Watch RAGE performing the song "Innocent" in St. Petersburg, Russia (taken from the "Full Moon in St. Petersburg" DVD):