German heavy metal outfit Rage originally formed in the early '80s, and although the group has issued albums on a steady basis ever since, lead singer/bassist Peter "Peavey" Wagner is the only original member still in attendance. First known as Avenger, the group issued a pair of recordings (Prayer of Steel and Depraved to Black) before switching their name to Rage to avoid confusion with a British band of the same name. 1986's Reign of Fear signaled the group's first album released under their new name, as they continued on in the same heavy hitting musical direction on subsequent releases; although they began using orchestral flourishes on their late-'90s experimental albums Lingua Mortis (1996), XIII (1998), and Ghosts (1999). Subsequent efforts like 2003's sci-fi concept album Soundchaser and 2006's classical-infused Speak of the Dead continued to tinker with the formula, and 2013 saw the release of LMO, the official debut of the Lingua Mortis Orchestra, who had been backing the group for the previous decade-and-a-half -- the LP was also billed under Rage. 2016 saw the release of The Devil Strikes Again, the band's 22nd studio long-player, and just 14 months later, they dropped another full-length outing, Seasons of the Black. ~ Greg Prato