You have to hand it to Rage, a band that have been sticking to their metal guns since 1984 and have just released their 23rd (you read that right!) studio album Seasons of the Black, another collaboration between Metalville and Nuclear Blast. The German power metal horde rip through 11 tracks here, all containing the trademark Rage elements, including Peter Wagner's throaty snarl, speedy double bass drumming courtesy of Vassilios "Lucky" Maniatopoulos, and plenty of crunchy riffing & screaming pinch harmonics by guitar stud Marcos Rodriguez. Some catchy anthems here, like "Blackened Karma", "Serpents in Disguise", and "All We Know is Not", but it's the heavier, grittier numbers that shine the most. "Septic Bite" is lean 'n' mean, while both the title cut and "Walk Among the Dead" contain some serious riffs from Rodriguez. The trio get all epic on "Justify" and the massive "Bloodshed in Paradise" (the latter perhaps the strongest track here), Wagner's gravelly roar cutting through the mountains of majestic riffing in fine fashion.
As with any Rage album, don't expect any significant changes to their sound or deviations from the norm, but ultimately Seasons of the Black is another solid outing from this long standing German metal institution, and an easy recommendation.
Track Listing
01. Season Of The Black
02. Serpents In Disguise
03. Blackened Karma
04. Time Will Tell
05. Septic Bite
06. Walk Among The Dead
07. All We Know Is Not
08. Gaia
09. Justify
10. Bloodshed In Paradise
11. Farewell
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