Register Forgot login?

© 2002-2024
Encyclopaedia Metallum

Privacy Policy

Rage > Soundchaser > Reviews
Rage - Soundchaser

A very worthy successor - 80%

alexwolfguitar, March 30th, 2023

DISCLAIMER - The Smolski era of Rage features my favorite albums of all time, however objectivity and honesty are my primary objective with those reviews.

"Soundchaser" marks Rage's third album in three years with the menacing Smolski-Terrana lineup led by bandleader Peter "Peavy" Wagner. One would imagine a band would be sounding tired after releasing so much music in such a short amount of time, especially considering "Soundchaser" is the band's overall 17th record (an impressive feat in of itself!), however Peavy and co are here to prove everyone wrong with another monster of an album and a very worthy successor to its predecessor "Unity".

The album opens up with the questionably titled album intro "Orgy of Destruction" which builds into a heavy as balls riff leading into the first song "War of Worlds", once again opening an album with a song full of fierce riffing and ripping guitar leads courtesy of master Smolski. The production is handled once again by Charlie Bauerfeind, however because of the choice of guitar tones this time around I would say it is a bit inferior to the production on "Unity", otherwise very similar in style: crystal clean but still very heavy and in-your-face.

There is however a lot more variety to be found this time around. If songs like "Great Old Ones", "Defenders of the Ancient Life" or the title track are very much in the same vain as the opening song, songs like "Secrets In a Weird World", "Flesh and Blood" or the 2-part "Falling From Grace" showcase classical and fusion influences found on "Welcome to the Other Side" and at times show Rage's softer side with acoustic or piano parts and beautiful vocal melodies courtesy of Peavy who is at the top of his game on this one. On a few songs there are even very tiny moments where the band uses chord progressions reminiscent of what you would find in a black metal record, though they do stay in their speed/power metal lane. The diversity found throughout the record make it maybe a bit less focused than its predecessor but also helps it being less monotone overall. While the band is more focused on great songwriting than flashy performances overall compared to "Unity", every member delivers performances that are nothing short of top tier.

In my opinion, "Soundchaser" is a great album but even the best songs fall a teensy-tiny bit behind the best songs found on its predecessor, with a few more songs that I wouldn't necessary consider "filler" but perhaps "sleepers"? Songs that may not have the potential of being singles like the title track or "War of Worlds" but are great nonetheless. Still, "Soundchaser" is once again a very solid record that Peavy and co can be very proud of.

Highlights:
War of Worlds
Soundchaser
Defenders of the Ancient Life
Human Metal
Falling From Grace, part 1 & part 2

Least favorites but still great:
Great Old Ones
Secrets In a Weird World
Flesh and Blood
See You In Heaven or Hell

Ride the fright'ning - 88%

autothrall, March 4th, 2021
Written based on this version: 2003, CD, Steamhammer

With albums as ranged and excellent as Ghosts and Unity, Rage had REALLY started to shift back onto my radar in those early 'oughts, in a way they hadn't since the beloved 80s. Sure, I had never abandoned the band, and there are efforts they've produced every decade since their arrival that I enjoy, but against the surging scenes of melodic death metal, metalcore and Gothic drear that permeated that pivotal turning of the century, it was great to hear a great veteran band like that bark back, and bark back hard. Soundchaser, named for the band's biomechanical mascot, was the third album with the Peavy Wagner, Mike Terrana and Victor Smolski lineup, which had clearly shaken out any of the kinks before even the previous album had been released, and where Unity could have been seen as the band putting its foot in the ground, and re-affirming the band's long-held strengths, Soundchaser could be heard as the press forward across the battlefield.

It could certainly be seen as a Unity Part II, because stylistically it falls very close, with a lot of the bulky, grooving, chugging guitars, and if I'm being honest, there are transitions or individual riffs here which I often confuse with its predecessor, or might even be interchangeable in particular songs. However, I think they were trying to go a little more aggressive, and create a slightly more evil theme overall, with some lyrics that were a little more inspired by science fiction and horror, like in the title track, or "Great Old Ones", or maybe even the post-intro slammer "War of Worlds" which in at least title only recalls the great H.G. Wells but then applies that to the context of modern geopolitics. A lot of Victor's nastiest riffs are present through the album, seeded with his spurious, showy little leads and melodies, although it's only rare that Rage actually sounds 'evil'; I mean they've generally been a thundering, anthemic, uplifting sort of band, so you have to take that with a grain of salt, but certainly there's always been a darker influence to some of the lyrics, and the mascot, while awesome, was always a bit of a creepy enigma.

There are a few corny bits on the album like the filtered growl vocals in the verse of the title track, but then again it's all playing into this more futuristic Rage, and yet they can shift between the choppier and heavier parts to smoother, melodic passages where Peavy issues some mellower vocals and the overall tone goes for a more decidedly prog/power leaning. What's most important is that I don't think there is even a single track that goes by here without some excellent part, "Defenders of the Ancient Life" is just choked with these awesome Smolski riffs and a nice rhythmic shift for the chorus, whereas "Human Metal" has possibly the coolest lyrical sentiments you could hope for from the already-aged band...and a breakdown in the bridge that should have you flailing your arms around the room and fists into the nearest available poseur. It's almost pointless to repeat just how good these three musicians are...Mike and Victor are icons on their respective instruments, and Peavy deftly balances the bass and vocals like few others...he may not have the shrieking capabilities of his youth, sure, but just about every line on the album is delivered with character, grit and passion.

Along with Unity, this represents my favorite material from the band in the 21st century, and like so much other work in their catalog, it really holds up, the further evolution and refinement of a band that absolutely belongs in the top tier of any German metal conversation. Blow for blow, album for album, Rage might not be as historically important as bands like Accept or the Scorpions, nor do they have the same sorts of accessible hit singles, but they are clearly a lot more consistent, more engaging and just overall superior, and they're given us more great music than we can ever repay. They're just one of those long-enduring Euro power metal bands which has hardly ever taken a misstep while keeping its own identity about it, in the same class as a Helloween or Running Wild or Blind Guardian. I am all the richer for having ever discovered them and witnessed their transformations through the decades.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

Caught in the iron jaws of melody. - 83%

AnalogKid, July 14th, 2012

Soundchaser provides a proper introduction of Rage’s beloved iron-jawed skeletal mascot in the form of a concept album. Gracing the cover of numerous albums by the band, you might wonder why the band chose this terrifying-looking construct as a distinctive symbol. Well, apparently the idea of a guardian-turned-monster that attacks anything that makes a sound appealed to Peavy, and it is appropriately metal after all.

Abiding by the band’s usual tendency to compose their music within fairly well-defined boundaries, Soundchaser is an album of particularly remarkable consistency. Driven perhaps by the creature’s insatiable hunger for anything it hears, the tunes here are exactly what the beast seeks to feast upon. Unlike most of their work, Soundchaser flows in a certain order, following a conflict of man which leads to the creation of the creatures, and ultimately their transformation into the feared monsters that turn upon their creators.

Straight from the beginning, there is little reprieve from the mid to high tempo riff-driven songs that Rage is famous for. In this case however, there’s precious little run-together of riffs. Historically, most of the band’s “normal” (non-symphonic) work has been a bit inconsistent, but every song here is almost equally memorable. Reading the tracklist, one finds titles such as “War Of Worlds”, “Soundchaser”, “Defenders Of The Ancient Life”, etc., and every one has a memorable collection of hooks and choruses. Picking favorites, I would list “Great Old Ones”, with its stellar chorus, “Defenders Of The Ancient Life”, with its blistering riffing and inspiring honorable lyricism, and “Wake The Nightmares”, which boasts some excellent and varied guitar work from Smolski. Most of the music on Soundchaser has a more progressive tinge than much of the band’s other work, giving Victor Smolski’s riffing wind-ups that much more power and satisfaction.

If Rage’s albums all portrayed different personas, Soundchaser would represent the dark and brooding, yet strikingly intelligent and adaptive hero figure. The smoldering musicianship makes for a more rewarding active listening experience than most of the band’s catalogue, which can occasionally grow tiresome. Songs are recalled for their overall complexity and grandeur rather than a simple chorus, though the latter is hardly a weak feature. Terrana’s drumming is a thundering cacophony, and Peavy’s bass work, though not his most stellar, plays a supporting role that enables the rest of the band to attain considerable heights.

Condensed to simple terms, Soundchaser is a supreme example of Rage’s trademark brand of slamming heavy metal. It spares you from the dumb lyrics of some of the band’s other albums and incorporates some extra shredding and some of Smolski’s best riffing. One of the best picks from their repertoire to be sure, and an album that will find a welcome home in most any heavy/power fan’s cd player.

Original review written for Black Wind Metal

Drive. - 91%

Juno_A, September 19th, 2010

Mine own intro album into the Teutonic monstrosity that is Rage. What a point to start out on, huh? Let's not waste any time on this aggressive beast and attack it head on, shall we?

Immediately, the band comes out swinging with a tribal drum intro and ominous voices warning you of the upcoming onslaught of aural destruction, then, before long, the guitars begin to chug mindlessly, but not for long as they weave a killer riff out the storm they had wrought upon your listening pleasure. Then -- "Excellent." -- Rage leads into the War of Worlds with calculated aggression that speaks of said war you can fucking FEEL encroaching upon your reality. But rather than drag you down into the despair of the hopeless, the music, the insanely driven, stable pounding fuel of a composition that is this song, will inspire you to fight back against the enemy, to deny stagnation and cessation of existence and retaliate in a fit of hope and violence because you can't help but FEEL...

... Okay, I may have gotten out of hand here. Let me try to organize my thoughts here a little.

Honestly, going into this album, I was not expecting an upbeat, riff-driven symphony of soundchasing destruction, but this is what came out of the headphones, and damn, is it good. Maybe it's just my neophytic nature to the realm of heavy metal that forms this part of the opinion, but I've heard few albums that were just this... driven. For lack of a better word, this album sounds driven. Driven by riffs, by melody, by its melodies, by the efforts here, by the vocals, by the drums, by fucking everything here. It's an album to blast when the situation calls for tangible energy to be speeding out of your speakers. The entire album acts like a heavy muscle car with a modern engine, a taste and respect for the elders (How about the Great Old Ones?), but all the sensibilities of modern production and sound.

First and foremost. The riffs. They kill. They slay. They murder. They wreak so much havoc on the soundscape that one can't help but constantly monitor their movements among your eardrums. This is not to say the other instruments are slouching at the wheel, as they all put in very fine performances indeed, but it's the guitar that stands first and foremost as this album's wheelman. From the upbeat intros to Great Old Ones and Secrets of a Weird World, to the much tamer but no less worthy Flesh and Blood and Wake the Nightmares, the guitar work fashions such a focused aggression without channeling mindless fury so well that a great deal of effort must be exhausted to restrain from rocking out along with the music. All of it sounds focused and intricate without sounding lifeless and uninteresting, it's a great deal of constructive emotion flowing from Smolski's guitar every time those strings are picked, it's all a rapidly flowing path through the land of intensity that never comes to crashing and burning at any time.

... Dammit.

Well, as for the rest of the music, at least it's a positive report, mostly. Along with the impressive guitar work (Fuck yeah!), the rest of the band manages not to steal from the guitarist's spotlight with their own performances. Only problem with that is, they sound vastly underwhelming in comparison. The bass and drum work each provide a comfortably challenging landscape to accompany the guitar's vehicle, but the manner in which it glides at such rapid speeds and with equal agility sends a message to the others that, clearly, they're just not up to par, either. Their skills are nowhere near the terrible end of the talent spectrum, either -- it's just that the fascinating guitar work sets the proverbial bar so high, there's just no possible way the rest of the band can keep up. So instead, they work together to properly compliment the creatively skilled guitarist to produce one of the... well, fullest feelings I've ever heard. (Though when the guitarist decides to play down his game a bit, the ensuing result produces a thorough feeling of majesty and completion -- the digipack extra track French Bourrée makes for a sweetly melodic, yet sufficiently aggressive closer, and the anthemic chorus for Flesh and Blood is my single favorite section on the album.)

The only other active gripe I can derive from this album would its pop sensibilities. Don't get me wrong -- though there are few that are unaware of this band's distinctive style, for the uninformed, this isn't Dragonforce we're talking about here. The aggression (I apologize for the overuse, but its propriety is just here.), the compositions, the, well, rage, it's all here in refined form, but I can't help but feel that its melodies and structure is more reminiscent of a poppish form. But standard song structures, catchy melodies, and too impressive showmanship aside, this album here is what modern heavy metal is supposed to sound like. If you believe in supporting your favorite bands, but can't afford to spend top dollar on them, then go to Amazon.com and download this for a mere $6.

Take this for a spin and feel the rage. (Okay, so it's corny, but you understand what I'm getting at.)

A Modern Day Painkiller - 92%

CannibalCorpse, January 29th, 2008

If there is any album in this genre of traditional metal I could compare this with it's Judas Priest's "Painkiller". Many of you will now call me a traitor, or similar nouns, but yes, I do think that Rage's "Soundchaser" is equally good as the aforementioned album. At times, it even surpasses it, but more to that later.

Of course I'm not talking about historical importance here, as the musical style displayed on "Soundchaser" is nothing new. It's the tried-and-tested formula that works so well here. Few, if any power/heavy metal bands have reached such a level of songwriting genius in this millennium, but Rage managed to infuse new life into a genre which has left a bad aftertaste in one's mouth for many years. From the intro "Orgy of Destruction" to the last notes of "Death Is On It's Way", this is truly great material. Whether it's the maniac headbanger "War of Worlds" with its oozing heaviness and compelling structure, the dreamy- and almost depressing half-ballad intro of "Flesh and Blood" or the uber-catchy "Defenders of the Ancient Life", it's all gold.

Victor Smolski shows his amazing talent in about every track. True, there might not be as many solos and leads as on this album's predecessor "Unity", but when he decides to shred, he really slices one's head off. Still, the rhythm department reigns supreme here, showing an amazing level of hard-hitting, dare I say it, brutality; something that's been seriously lacking in this style lately. Peavy Wagner does a great job once again - his soaring, but extremely compelling and unique sounding voice is definitely one of its kind. A huge problem I have with vocalists of this genre is the serious lack of balls. Compared to them, Peavey has balls the size of Jupiter.

There isn't much to say about the drumming, it's fairly standard, if the excellently well played standard - fast doublebass sections, some nice fills, just nothing out of the ordinary.

The main strength of this album is the combination of the already mentioned supreme musical and technical talent with amazingly well-written song-structures. Rarely have I heard songs this memorable, catchy and awe-inspiring. But enough of that, I guess you will have ot listen to this yourself to fully understand what I'm talking about here.

I can recommend this album to everyone who's into metal, but especially to those who, like me, thought that power/heavy metal was an oversaturated genre full of she-male vocalists.

Highlights:

War of Worlds
Defenders of the Ancient Life
Flesh & Blood
Wake the Nightmares

Taking it to the next level - 97%

Empyreal, July 2nd, 2007

Rage should be known a lot better than they are. I mean, come on, people. This is some top class heavy metal here. Rage have been around for almost 30 years, cranking out some killer heavy/speed metal in good ol Germany, and while they certainly have a solid fanbase nowadays, there are still way too many people who don't seem to know about them. They could be a household name like Maiden or Priest, but somehow they just never got to that level. They've changed their style a bit over the years, but overall they've been a consistantly strong heavy metal outfit despite whatever trends have dredged afloat.

This album, along with Unity, is a great introduction to the newer style of the band. While their 80s output was mostly high-octane speed/power metal, they've pretty much evolved into a full fledged, midpaced heavy metal behemoth, with claws and razor sharp teeth over time, and this is by far the culmination of said style. While Unity was much more 'rocking', this album ups the technicality and musicianship a notch, without losing much of the catchiness and accessibility at all. There's a much more noticable presence of keyboards here, and the guitar lines are much more complex and winding, twisting into dimensions previously unknown and exploding with vibrant power. The drumming hasn't lost any of it's thundering prowess, and the bass is just as heavy and crushing as before. The musicianship is just suffocating in it's depth and complexity, and while Unity was a catchier album, this one is no slouch on memorability either, with several tunes that will stick with you after a few listens.

The real gems to be found here lie in the nearly progressive songwriting skills the band has taken to using here. This album is far more consistant than it's predecessor was, with no real duds at all (although unfortunately there are no real firebombs like "Dies Irae" or "All I Want", either, but that's a minor nitpick). Every track here really delivers, and I find myself enjoying the album more and more each time I listen to it. That's what this album has over Unity; the fact that there are no filler-ish songs at all. Every song equally rules, and every song will equally apply it's boot to your well-deserving ass without hesitation.

This is a concept album, and all the songs sort of fit together, like pieces of a puzzle. The introduction and blazing opener "War of Worlds" are not part of this concept, though, but the song is great anyway, with stomping, chugging riffs and a rather tuneful and extremely catchy chorus from Peavy. There are a few other songs in this mold, more power-metallish tunes like "Great Old Ones", "See You in Heaven or Hell", and the ass-stomping metal monster "Human Metal." Then we have a few more progressive tunes like the absolutely magnificant "Secrets in a Weird World", with it's mesmerizing jazzy keyboards that make it stand out. It's the equivalent of "Dies Irae" from the previous album, and I like both of these songs about the same, actually. There's also the anthemic semi-balled "Flesh and Blood", and of course the epic duo "Falling from Grace" that closes off the normal version of the album. The first part, "Wake the Nightmares", veers between balladesque pianos to heavy guitar riffs, with a solemnly catchy chorus, and it segues right into the second part, "Death Is On It's Way" is a triumphant and anthemic closer, with great verses that build up like a rising comet, ascending to the heavens, until the chorus just explodes. And the bonus track "French Bouree" is a classical piece turned metal by Peavy's genius songwriting skills. While it continually reminds me of an electro-pop song, it's catchy and the keyboards make for a nice contrast to those smoldering steel riffs that we all love so much. I like it, but perhaps the album would end on a better note with "Death Is On It's Way" alone.

This is a very strong album, and Rage fans will find nothing to complain about here, nor will fans of good, riffy heavy metal in general. Let's tally the score...we've got improved musicianship, keyboard presence that really fucking works, more consistancy, but I still feel that a few of the choruses are not as well done as on that album. Nothing is ever perfect, though. I admit that I prefer this album to the one that came before it, but both are equally enjoyable in the grand scheme of things, and both of them are completely and totally worth your money and time. Highly recommended.

A winner - 96%

a8o, June 20th, 2005

So, I'm on a roll of reviewing my favourite records from the last couple of years and so naturally Rage, one of my favourite speed metal bands from Germany, crop up. Soundchaser is their best full length and was released in 2003.

There are some seriously good songs here. They’re hook filled and are a lot of fun. Victor Smolski (Guitars) absolutely steals the show yet again as he lets rip what have become very familiar Rage riffs on all 13 songs. He gives everything he has on the many neo-classical solos which work fantastically. The guitar tone - also very important to a successful metal album - is a monster. The legendary Mike Terrana (Drums) steps behind the kit and gives a tightly wound, perfectly controlled performance, particularly on the bass drums. Peter Wagner (Vocals, Bass) has settled into his new vocal style, but is perhaps the one thing a bit offputting about this group to new listeners. The production too is a little off as well overly muddying the low end.

“War of the Worlds”, and “Human Metal” stand out at this moment as the best songs here, but every track has something to offer. I want more of Smolski’s neo-classical soloing – that they be lengthened. As is, however, the compliment the solid riffs. What works so well about “Soundchaser” is how focussed it is: it’s as catchy as hell; a much heavier, more aggressive equivalent of “Screaming for Vengeance”. I love it!

This is probably the most musically gifted Rage line-up we’ve seen, but their last few albums just haven’t had “Soundchaser’s” quality of songwriting For a band as prolific as Rage, it’s great the hear some truly memorable songs that rank up there with the best in Rage’s catalogue. I’m giving this the highest recommendations.

Thunder and lightning the Gods take revenge… - 93%

StillDeath, October 20th, 2004

The three headed monster from Germany dropped this bomb on the unsuspecting world, it still remains largely unsuspecting, in 2003. Over the 20 odd years and bazillion records the band went through different stages. I liked Unity stage due to its mixture of heaviness, melody and solid production. Thankfully not much has changed. What you get is metal in the true virgin form, so true you can make crucifixes out of it and exorcise the shit out of the false ones.

The album opens with How to start a metal album 101 exhibit. Crash of thunder sounds. Then we have a heavy headbangable riff and a neo-classical solo. In the opening one minute there is more metal substance and focused energy than a full Headbangers Ball edition in the same 2003 year. It was just an appetizer of course.

Soundchaser features aggressive vocals, Wagner sings rather than shouts, but the effect of his harsh voice is like a hammer pounding down the riff-placed nails. The story revolves around the beast on cover of most Rage records. While the album is close to power metal due to its sing along nature, it contains a crapload of thrashy riffs and a clear sense of melody you can pick up on first listen. Wait a minute, somehow I am more inclined to destroy my neck then feel uplifted when listening to this. Ah fuck it, lets label this power/thrash, which is more catchy than typical power and more headbangable than typical thrash.

It is a great thing that Smolski joined this band, and brought the well placed neo-classical passages with him. Yes, mixing neo-classical with the thrashy can be done well, the proof is right here. They make listening experience more diverse, more satisfying like a mix of exotic spices on meat and potatoes, and shove Soundchaser towards the top of metal albums by any band. Each of the three musicians play on 11, nay 12, making this record one of a kind. And presence of Andi Deris contributing some vocals on Wake the Nightmares, as much as I worship him, almost drags it down.

Do I need to go through the highlights on this? That would be impossible.

In conclusion, this album will renew your faith in 21st century metal. Rage never sounded better.

Rage stronger than ever! - 85%

Garand, April 13th, 2004

After the succesful and well received 'Unity' album, it took the Rage guys only one year to strike again - and again shake the metal world - with the 2003's 'Soundchaser'.

The general idea of music remains the same - we have a deadly combination of heavy riffing, double bass drumming and extremely catchy melodies. This formula is used here to the full, which combined with the great songwriting and instrumental mastery, gives us one of the better power metal releases of 2003.

The basic song structures are fairly simple, but they are enhanced by the crazy performance - Rage is indeed a gang of virtuosos. Mr Smolski plays very quirky and jazzy solos and the famous Mike Terrana provides varied, aggresive rhythms with stunning fills in between. Band's headman Peavy Wagner does cool bass lines and his strong, yet deep voice fits the music perfectly - a nice change from all those power metal singers doing high-pitched wailing all the time. Due to all those twist and turns and astonishing instrumental interludes the songs are never boring, but still maintain cohesion and overall sense of direction - there's no irritating fooling around just for the sake of it - unlike some bands with similar experimental tendencies.

Most of the time we have speed metal action, except the song 'secrets in a weird world' being a bit more experimental and 'flesh and blood' - slower, but still heavy and stomping. Near the end of the album things start to get emotional, there is a ballad 'falling from grace', split in two parts. It is very mesmerising, heavy but filled with dark emotions - the band shows their versality.

Overall, the album is a volcano of energy from start to finish and imo easily beats its predecessor. This is the way XXI century's power metal should sound!