Search - Rage :: Thirteen

The mellower side of RAGE!

Mr D. | Cave Creek, Az United States | 06/02/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"With a name like Rage you might think our band is manned by three mad escapees from the set of 28 Days Later but on this album at least they sound like Metallica, in tuxes, backed by a symphonic orchestra. The Lingua Mortis Orchestra of Prague to be exact and XII is the second of three Rage albums which feature this orchestra.



You may think that a confluence of Heavy Metal with a symphonic background would sound odd but in reality it's very pleasant. It seems like the backing orchestra tends to moderate the heavy edge that Heavy Metal normally exudes but it in no way compromises it. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, Metallica themselves have done something similar, recording with the London Philharmonic.



The album runs a healthy fifty eight minutes and the music itself is diversified and intriguing, running the gamut from slow melodic moments to grinding heavy metal and in between. The background music from the orchestra is strictly supportive sometimes hardly noticeable.



All in all it's a nice sound and I'm surprised Rage abandoned this style after their third disc - Ghosts. All three discs are worth having and I think XIII is the best of the three at four and a half stars.

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