Rage: Carved In Stone

It's coming!

Quote :

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

The descriptions sound great!

Love this band. Only missing one album from my collection. This should and will be good.

They haven't dissapointed me yet. Look forward to it !

More song descriptions:

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Long Hard Road: This is a marvelous Metal-stomper of the old-rage-school, with breaking guitar riffs, cool chords and ear catching melodies. Although the main riff doesn't sound alike, it's a real finger breaker in Victor's style, same like the phantastic guitar solo.

The lyrics are a philosophical description of our physical existence from my perspective.

Open My Grave: Open My Grave starts with a riff in an arabic scale, that's played by the bass this time, and leads over into a superfat riffmonster, that's a real headbanger. The chorus straightens it up with a fantastic melody. The middle-part gets way calmer and the vocals come upfront.

The lyrics are about the curse of the pharao.

Lost In The Void: Another neck-breaker with goosebum guarantee for every metal-fan. The thing pushes unstoppable forwards, and contains a fat hymnic chorus. In the solo, Victor breaks with Andres support the frontiers of the guitar, while shredding his axe into the ground. We've asked Yamaha to build him an instrument with automatic fretboard cooling...

The lyrics describe the feeling of strangeness in a more and more confusing world.

Lord Of The Flies: Lord Of The Flies is the musical exception of the album. It is very dark, nearly ballad-like, and has a full orchestration. It's in the tradition of songs like "Alive But Dead". The main theme comes along with orchestra and choir, while the verses are more intimous. The chorus then is very theatralic and stirring. The arrangement is really impressive, a real highlight.

The Lyrics are about William Goldings book from 1954, and its a very dark, nearly pessimistic description of our society. Evil is among us...

Mouth Of Greed: In the end a typical RAGE song with my fingerprint. Mouth Of Greed builds up Rush-like with a calm verse, that leads into a thundering chorus. Andre can freak out on this one on his drums.

In the lyrics I write about awkward customers, that orientate their lifes to the images, that the main stream medias proclaim, they swallow everything that the industry feeds them with...

Of course we prepare some bonus stuff, but that's still in progress.

The album is set to be released for the middle of March next year...

This album should be awesome . . . Their last album rocked.
Never been disappointed by this band...

Sweeeeeet news. Bring it on Peavey!

From Blabbermouth:

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RAGE: 'Carved In Stone' Release Date Announced - Nov. 29, 2007

German power metallers RAGE will release their new album, "Carved in Stone", in Europe on February 22, 2008 via Nuclear Blast Records.
RAGE guitarist Victor Smolski previously stated about the upcoming LP, "From the beginning we decided to compose the songs for this CD more straight, concentrating on cool riffs and catchy melodies. Actually, with our new lineup it was easy to realize everything, as we pulled together with André [Hilgers; drums; AXXIS, SILENT FORCE] perfectly! All the recordings with our co-producer, sound engineer and almost fourth bandmember Charly Czajkowski runs perfectly, as well as the final mix with Charlie Bauerfeind. From my point of view I promise you brutal guitar riffs with fancy soli. In one song, I've hidden a modification of a real famous melody — the one who will first recognize this melody will get a present! At 'Open My Grave', my sitar guitar came into operation, at 'Lord of the Flies', I've contributed a phat keyboard arrangement."

Phat? Haha. Sounds great, though. No US date? Weeeeeak!

http://www.nuclearblast.de/download/Rage.Gentle.Murders.mp3

New song.

I am happy that RAGE is playing again like they did on albums like TRAPPED or THE MISSING LINK. Would be even nicer if they go back to their speed early days but i am happy already with the early/mid 90s RAGE sound. They have a fan back if all songs sound like this one. Thanks for posting.

loved the new song

krokus wrote:

I am happy that RAGE is playing again like they did on albums like TRAPPED or THE MISSING LINK. Would be even nicer if they go back to their speed early days but i am happy already with the early/mid 90s RAGE sound. They have a fan back if all songs sound like this one. Thanks for posting.

I have the promo of this. If you don't like albums like Soundchaser and Unity, you might not like this one. This isn't old school Rage.

Cant wait! I hope its better than the last album though. I was pretty disapointed, because I was really into Rage a lot and the first couple songs were good but then the album just kinda died towards the middle. The new song sounds great though and very promising.

Phoenix Reign Drummer wrote:

Cant wait! I hope its better than the last album though. I was pretty disapointed, because I was really into Rage a lot and the first couple songs were good but then the album just kinda died towards the middle. The new song sounds great though and very promising.

You think? I love that album! I think all the instrumentals throw people off, for some reason. Take away the entire suite and you've still got nine songs, right? Take away just the instrumentals and there's like two or three more real songs. In fact, one or two of the instrumentals are really good, the heavier ones, not the orchestral tracks. Either way, I think the album is solid. Not a letdown for me at all. And I love "No Regrets." Very different, but a great tune.

Eyesore wrote:

krokus wrote:

I am happy that RAGE is playing again like they did on albums like TRAPPED or THE MISSING LINK. Would be even nicer if they go back to their speed early days but i am happy already with the early/mid 90s RAGE sound. They have a fan back if all songs sound like this one. Thanks for posting.

I have the promo of this. If you don't like albums like Soundchaser and Unity, you might not like this one. This isn't old school Rage.

Ohhh, i am sad now anyway, i will still give it a try when it comes out. Thankssssss.

@ videos here, dont know if anyone seen them

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=91943

Eyesore wrote:

Phat? Haha. Sounds great, though. No US date? Weeeeeak!

We are always last to get US releases it sucks!

Wargod48

the open my grave vid was cool, nice riff too

I purchased this from nuclearhell.com so I have downloaded it, and I think I like this the best out of the Smolski albums. It seems like everyone has found their own spot in the band's sound. No one is overpowering the other which is something I think went on with the other recent albums. Victor isn't overly flashy and the drums sound more fluid with the rest of the music.

More listens are required but initially I say this is a really great album. 90/100.

I haven't even gotten around to picking up the last Rage album yet, doggone it!!

I don't think it's out yet here. Is it?

Not here. But I ordered it from nuclearhell.com. My copy will come from the UK or that CD Maximum company.

I still think this is their best with Smolski. I can't stop listening to it!

Any of you other meatheads got it yet?

I haven't even seen it yet. I did download it months ago, and I really liked it, but I deleted it after a few spins.

It's on my "short list".