Rage is an incredible emotion. Caused by the difficulties individuals struggle with, the results that stem from this raw emotion are unlike anything else. This is likely why Speed/Power Metal band
Rage uses the emotion of unparalleled rage for the band’s namesake. Their long-lasting career contains twenty-one albums, but one that always deserves a listen is 1993’s
The Missing Link. A dozen songs await all listeners who welcome this work; all of which push the band to their absolute limit.
Rage is the perfect way to describe
The Missing Link; specifically, the vocals and instrumentals of the album. Frontman and bassist Peter Wagner stands out on each song because of his down-to-earth singing. Though many other Power Metal bands tend to have singer that shriek in high-pitched tones, Wagner’s singing avoids this by having a better fit to the complete product. The faster and heavier instrumentals are complimented by this singing, creating moments of incredible anger throughout songs like “Refuge.” His bass instrumentals are hardly basic, and are as fast and technical as one would expect from a Speed Metal release. He never makes a mistake, and each one of his bass-lines works as an effective backbone to the overlaying guitar and drums.
Rage’s guitarist and drummer also leave little room for improvement, completing the perfect mix of aggression and technicality. Album opener “Firestorm” is a highlight for both Manni Schmidt on the guitar and Chris Ephthimiadis behind the drum set, both using quick-tempo riffs and devastating drumming for an incredible listening experience. Schmidt’s playing tends to be closer to a fast-paced shred like you would expect from the albums
Walls of Jericho and
Tales From the Twilight World, though he mixes it up with mid-tempo riffs on songs like “Nevermore.” Ephthimiadis annihilates his drum set by creating the perfect drumbeats, from the fast to the slow and the simple to the progressive. The extremely fast “Refuge” and the wildly varied “Lost in the Ice” both show his incredible talent on the set.
Rage and anger are emphasized in
The Missing Link by the use of a much rougher production. The deep darkness of the atmosphere only enhances the Speed Metal elements of
The Missing Link, containing angrier atmospheres and quicker tempos than many other Power Metal bands. Added together with the ferocious vocals, tremendous drumming, and rampaging riffing, the album is as chaotic as Power Metal can possibly be.
Animosity is what drives this album, and all 45-minutes of it benefit greatly from this emotion. Each aspect of the album, from instrumentals to production, conceives an album of incomparable emotion. All songs push both Power and Speed Metals to new heights, deserving a listen by anyone with an interest of these two genres. Few Power Metal albums come close to this, and even fewer compare in the implementation of fury, anger, and rage.
