Review Summary: Victor Smolski's influence on the music of Rage reached one of its higher points on this record!
Once their stage with Steamhammer came to an end with the live album "From the Cradle to the Stage", the group signed with Nuclear Blast for this new stage and they co-produced the album themselves along with Charly Czajkowski, who worked with them in “Welcome to the Other Side” although maintaining their more than fruitful collaboration with producer Charlie Bauerfeind, who mixed and mastered the album.
So, the luxurious and sumptuous sound of Suite Lingua Mortis, helped by the Inspector Symphonic Orchestra supposed a sort of return to the Rage style that we already enjoyed on albums like "XIII" and "Ghosts" but with an extra touch of aggression, speed and virtuosic playing, and that's something that after three more straight forwarded metal albums, was quite refreshing. Sometimes I think it doesn't hurt to look back to find inspiration again, and in the first half of the album it's something that worked perfectly for them.
The second half of the album is more conventional and continues the style of the previous “Unity” and "Soundchaser", which is not bad at all either. Unfortunately, a couple of filler songs (the very "Soundchaser" sounding Turn My World Around, and the lirically premonitory Be with Me or Be Gone) make this second part of the album clearly inferior to the first. "Speak of the Dead" is for me like a fight between the two most prominent faces of the group (Smolski vs. Wagner?) where without a doubt the symphonic part ends up winning.
Sadly, this album marked too the dissolution to the great trio made up by Terrana, Smolski and Wagner, because Mike Terrana leaved (or was fired) months after the release of this record, closing one of the most brilliant stages of the band. Nevertheless, I think that this was a very good farewell to this dream-team. Because at the end of the day, music is what really matters here.
And at this respect and despite its flaws, “Speak of the Dead” was a raging triumph!
Best Tracks: Suite Lingua Mortis (It's a shame this suite doesn't last twice as long, because it's absolutely fantastic!), No Fear (great song in the vein of "Unity") and Kill Your Gods (another trademark song which in this case will remind us to the early 90s Rage's albums, very hard and with a great musicianship)
