Search - Rage :: Black in Mind

Heavy + Well Crafted

eric@edguy.nu | Pittsburgh, PA USA | 03/13/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Between '92 and '95 RAGE (formerly AVENGER), a German band who had been around since '85, released three of the greatest metal albums ever recorded ("Trapped!", "The Missing Link", and "Black in Mind"). Later they opted for a more symphonic-metal sound (three years before "S&M", and with far better results)."Black in Mind" blends the haunting melody of doom, the aggression of thrash, and the hooks and musicianship of power-metal. All 14 tracks are original and unique. "The Icecold Hand of Destiny" and "Sent by the Devil" are radio-friendly without being commercial. "The Crawling Chaos" and "Shadow out of Time" succeed to capture the cosmic horror of Lovecraft, where other bands fall-short by merely name-dropping like a bad pastiche. RAGE creates the mood with the music as well as the lyrics. "In a Nameless Time" is a 10+ min. epic about a man haunted by eldritch horrors, not an original theme, but the song really draws you into the story."